My friend, the late Walker Weed, of Etna, New Hampshire, was the oldest member of the Geriatric Adventure Society, and easily the most experienced. When he offered an opinion or a pronouncement, I listened. He opined one day that, if you ever have had an especially good experience — say, a traverse of the famous Haute Route — you shouldn’t do it again because, inevitably, the second trip will disappoint in comparison with the first. Obviously, I’ve never forgotten that bit of advice.

Still, there are some things worth repeating, and they come up with regularity. School reunions, for example. They generally occur every year, with particular emphasis on the classes that graduated a multiple of five years before. The cynical among us might say that reunions are largely the creation of “Advancement,” or fundraising departments. But I’ve always found them quite enjoyable, even though in recent years my own class has produced few survivors able to get there. So, I go.

Willem Lange is a regular contributor to the Weekend Magazine. He lives in East Montpelier.