Thanks everyone for your excellent input. I have a potential buyer for my FSR XC, so I might be shopping soon! I really like tkehler's idea of a "mild touring" or perhaps "agile touring" bike, which will enable me to negotiate easier sections of local singletrack and go for longer country rides. Well, that, and my wife and I promised ourselves a ride from Asheville to Mt. Mitchell - a pic from my last Mt. Mitchell bike ride is in my avatar.