A hiker gets a view of Mount Jefferson that you wouldn't see if you only hiked one way instead of out and back.

Hike or run to a certain spot

Take a break and turn around.

Go back the way you came

Covering the same ground.

Going in another direction

Might reveal a novel view.

The trail already traveled

Can be surprisingly new

Silly little poems aside, I never understood why loop trails are so often preferred over out-and-back routes. From a recreation management perspective, loops do help disperse people so trail users have fewer encounters with others. But some folks seem to consider an out-and-back adventure inferior to a loop.

Oftentimes summiting a peak is an out and back. Especially if it is a technical route, there may only be one option to reach the top and return safely. Lakes too, of course, make excellent destinations for an out and back. Consider some of Central Oregon’s best and most popular trails; South Sister and Green Lakes are typically done as out and backs.

I dare you to consider an out and back without a traditional turning point. This challenge extends to other options less commonly done as an out and back.

One possibility could be doing a section of a longer trail. The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) goes right through the area with some amazing scenery. A multitude of trailheads provide access points and many other trails that connect to the PCT could form loops. But if those routes are too far of a distance for you to cover for your time or ability, do an out and back, either to some point of interest or whenever you hit half the mileage you hoped to go.

The Metolius Windigo is another long trail, more than 140 miles from start to end. Similar to the PCT, sections of it are great for an out-and-back day trip.

Some people need destinations as motivation for themselves or their kids. But isn’t there a saying that goes something like, “It’s not about the destination, it’s the journey that matters”? Maybe some people feel it’s too tempting to cut an adventure short if there’s no gem as an end point or loop to close. But there are different ways to motivate, such as setting a turnaround time.

When setting out on a very long trail without a clear destination, decide to hike until a certain time, or as mentioned, decide on a certain mileage before turning around. Take elevation into consideration. If the way out was mostly uphill, it’s likely to take people a shorter time on the return, and vice versa. This is another way traveling the same trail offers variety. What was up or down on the way, is opposite on the way back.

Even if there is a goal, the process to reach it can hold more value than the goal itself. Consider this in the context of a day on the trail. The goal could be to spend time outdoors, to get exercise, to breathe fresh air. Any of those could be accomplished on just about any trail segment. Maybe it’s not as photogenic or Instagram-worthy if there’s not a crystal-clear alpine lake or sweeping view from the top of a mountain. I hope that’s not the sole purpose people head out on adventures, but it’s hard to say these days. Give some thought to the root of your reason for going out on the trail.

Granules of some metaphor for life seem to be percolating here. Perhaps it’s that when we make the effort to see things from different perspectives, we might get a new brilliant view. Or gain a broader understanding about the larger landscape of an issue.

By going only one direction, say south, with Mt. Jefferson, as an example, always behind you, a person may never even realize the prominent, majestic peak was there. What else might we be missing in life and in our ability to comprehend the world if we’re always only looking in one direction?

If you’ve exhausted all of the loop options in Central Oregon, or if they just don’t fit your ability or agenda, try an out and back.

At the very least, turn around on the trail. You never know what you might discover.