Thanks for the suggestion. The camera has impressive specs but I think I need a fixed lens compact.

At this point the main candidates are the LX100 and the RX100iii if I decide to upgrade.

Yeah, I know. But incremental increases can continue until I think my D7100 would be OK! :D

Thanks for the links. We aren't going until September so I will probably want to cogitate for several months before taking the plunge!
Is Digital Review the best place to compare these two cameras?

Thanks for the offer. My impression is that both the LX100 and the RX100iii would be a sizable step up from my S90. The LX100 sensor is larger than the RX100iii's but the LX100 is heavier. My budget was a little arbitrary. I am pretty frugal so I'd have to agonize over spending $800 after just buying the D7100 (but you're only young once!!)

My clavicle strap has a snap clasp so threading it through a loop is no problem!

The only problem with the S90 is that it was released in 2009 and so I'm thinking that more recent camera would offer better features and resolution. My S90 is still operating well with no issues. Probably just GAS!!
Congratulations on backpacking in the Rockies into your 70's! We are not inclined to backpack at this stage of our lives. We just want to take advantage of our good health as long as we can.

Thanks for the link. It appears that it would fit on a belt or strap.

Flipper, I envy you living so close to the mountains and being able to hike daily in them. My wife and I either walk or run every day (except for the two days a week I play hockey with a bunch of old guys).
I would be comfortable carrying my D7100 on day hikes but our Alpine treks involve carrying gear to last 11 days (we are not carrying sleeping bags, tents or cooking equipment) so that is why we are trying to limit our weight.
Many years ago (40) I cross-country skied around Banff and Lake Louise for a couple of vacations and also we camped near Banff with our kids when they were young. We enjoyed many beautiful hikes in that area.
I have a friend who lives in Canmore, are you anywhere near there?

Thank you Clint for taking the time to look at my photos in the blog. As you alluded, the exposure conditions are harsh at high altitudes. Probably a few seconds to check the histogram would help! One issue is that we have to cover 10+ miles a day in rough terrain with average height gain and loss of about 3300 ft per day. Consequently we don't have too much time to stop and take photos with careful exposure settings. Again a compromise between hiking and enjoying the views and photography! Typically, I would take photographs while on the move.
The Panasonic LX100 is impressive and although a bit heavier than I would prefer could be accommodated if it would fit into a case that I could carry on my clavicle strap. I am going to see if I can find one to look at locally. It seems that Best Buy carries it.

Thanks for your kind comments Rich. We try to maintain a level of fitness so we can enjoy these adventures! The experience and scenery are outstanding as is the cultural experience. We have taken the opportunity to resurrect our very rusty French and have enjoyed getting by with our fractured language skills. We have also hiked in our own mountains and the experience is also outstanding.
Regarding the kind suggestions of fellow UHHers, the Olympus and Canon G1 are heavier and bulkier than I am willing to carry. Of course, everything is a compromise but lightweight is a priority.
The Sony RX100 looks promising and I will investigate further. All in all I would probably benefit more from improving my compositional skills than upgrading my compact equipment. In fact any critical comments regarding my photographs in the trip report would be appreciated. I realize that some are over sharpened as I try to develop my PP skills.

Thanks for the replies. Would I see much improvement in going to S120? I may want to print up to 16x20. I recently printed some S90 photos at 11x14 and was pleasesd with the results. I am not even close to being a pro so my standards aren't as high as many of the outstanding photographers on the forum!
I was away from home for a couple of hours so haven't had a chance to look at the links provided by Clint. I'm leaning toward making do with the S90 but want to explore other options.

My wife and I have hiked the Tour of Mont Blanc twice. It is a 105 mile 11 day trek with accommodation in mountain refuges and occasionally in small hotels in villages. We carried all our gear in our backpacks and since we are now both 70 we try to limit the weight. We are planning on hiking the GR5 (Geneva to Nice - actually we will only walk half which should take about 14 days). After this long preamble, I will get to the point!
We have a Canon S90 which we bought in 2010 and found it great for trekking because it fits in a small case which I can attach to my clavicle strap and can access it without difficulty. Last year we bought a D7100 and enjoy it but it is both too bulky and too heavy for our proposed trek.
My question is whether we would benefit from an upgrade to our S90? Generally we would be interested in landscapes in good light. Our experience is that long telephotos are not very useful for this application.
I know the Canon SX50 is a great camera (my son-in-law has one) but too bulky for carrying on a clavicle strap.
I would appreciate any suggestions. Would successors to the S90 offer much advantage?
I would like to keep under $500 and am comfortable with refurbished. I like to shoot in raw.
We wrote a report of our experience and a link follows:

http://hiking.topicwise.com/doc/MontBlanc2012

I'm looking forward to your suggestions.

There is something inconsistent about a five-year old computer and a Windows 8 operating system. Windows 8 was released in October 2012, so unless the OS was updated the warranty may still be in effect if it is three years.

To reiterate several responses, if there are no lights on when the charger is plugged in the problem is probably not the battery but the charger.
Regarding hating Windows 8, there is a free download named "classic shell" which emulates the start screen of Windows 7 and bypasses the Windows 8 start screen. It is very popular and works very well. Also, I believe Microsoft offers a free update from Windows 8 to 8.1 thus alleviating some of the bugs in 8.

That's disappointing! I just talked to my wife about this potential trip and she is interested. I wonder if the visit will go on without you as a catalyst? The fall would be pretty but we plan on walking the GR5 in France in the first half of September but would probably be available in October.
We took the boat trip around Pictured Rocks a couple of years ago a highly recommend it.
Our son-in-law comes from the UP so we have visited that area often including one short trip to Copper Harbor. Never been to the Porcupines though.