It's hard to imagine that the Trek 520 is more aggressive than the LHT. They're both fairly long wheelbase bikes with relatively slack angles which is the hallmark of true touring bikes. The difference you felt may relate more to how the bike was set than the geometry.
If I had to choose one bike to commute, ride, and tour on, I'd lean towards the surly cross check or the soma double cross. In either case, I'd get two wheelsets: one for touring/commuting and the other for fast road riding.