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Post by hikerjer on Mar 24, 2017 5:11:53 GMT -8
Bears...yes, I see them every once in awhile Let me be more specific. It's not your ordinary black bear that comes to mind when I hear things go bump in the night. It's grizzlies of which we have a pretty healthy population around here. Whole different animal. And rest assured I have no plans of quitting. Thanks for the words of encouragement.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2017 5:39:20 GMT -8
I think you have abundant company on this board.
I'm 55, and can definitely tell the difference relative to 30 years ago when I first started backpacking and mountaineering.
My rope and climbing rack haven't been used in many years, and I tend to stick more to defined trails than before.
My work, family responsibilities, and distances to mountainous regions keep me from the trails a lot already.
At some point, I expect to car camp+day hike more and backpack less. I enjoy day hikes a lot right now anyway.
In retirement, I hope to take up bird watching more (at a casual level).
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amaruq
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Post by amaruq on Mar 24, 2017 7:35:29 GMT -8
I may only be half the age of many of this thread's posters, but the information and anecdotes here make for great support! I'm storing all this information away for reference after another (of my own) lifetime.
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Post by graywolf on Mar 24, 2017 7:40:49 GMT -8
Jer, I'm glad you posted this. I'm 65 and have been worrying because in the past six months I fell a couple of times on steep trails going down a mountain. I was concerned because I never was unsteady before. I could always hike wherever I wanted, up or down, without a second thought. Now I have to consider the terrain and whether my legs can handle it. I'm glad to see it's not just me.
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balzaccom
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Post by balzaccom on Mar 24, 2017 9:01:24 GMT -8
I turn 65 this year. Do I tackle everything I used to do? Nope. No longer play competitive soccer...Or do anything competitive.
Arthritic knee, thumb, repaired Achilles tendon. It all adds up
But I am a long way from quitting.i look for smarter and easier ways to do things. That's wisdom. It comes with age. Grin
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Post by Coolkat on Mar 24, 2017 10:02:23 GMT -8
hikerjer, I'm about 20 years your junior but this topic is something I think about because the hiking partner I go with most of the time is the same age as you. Each time he gets back from a hike (he goes more often since he's retired) he claims he's done with mountain hiking. Then 6 weeks later he's planning a new trip. The other thing is that I'm not convinced that high mileage per day is something to be desired. Personally, I enjoy the journey just as much or more than the destination. My last hike in February in the Superstitions was a low mileage 5 day hike but the scenery was so incredible that I never noticed. When we got back to the trail head there was a group of 20 somethings and we stopped to talk with them. As soon they heard he was 68 they all commented on how impressed they were and that they hoped they were still doing that at 68. You've gotten more sage advice from those in your peer age group than I can ever give you. You and my friend and those like you are my heroes in that I look at you guys and your example and see that baring some big tragedy I still have at least 20 years of good backpacking left. I could be wrong but didn't NimbleWill Nomad do the NCT when he was 70? Maybe you have to dial things back a bit and maybe you don't. You're the ultimate judge but whatever you do just keep looking forward and pick the "roses" of life.
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Deborah
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Post by Deborah on Mar 24, 2017 17:58:51 GMT -8
A group of folks around your age (a wee bit younger perhaps) from the forum here recently did the Scotland thing. LOL, hey, I resemble that remark! Yes, we had a grand time and hope to go back next year.
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Post by hikerjer on Mar 24, 2017 18:44:29 GMT -8
You all have been incredibly supportive as well as gentle and understanding with me in spite of what was some pretty poor judgment on my part. I want you all to know how much I do appreciate it. I also appreciate the advice given and am well aware that reassessing is the right way to go. However, rest assured, that I have no intention of staying inside and keeping the rocking chair company. I don't think I could stand not being able to get outdoors. Anyway, thanks so much for the support and advice. I really do appreciate it. You guys are kind of like an extended family. Maybe that's why we occasionally get into spats with each other. It's all good.
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Post by trinity on Mar 24, 2017 18:53:59 GMT -8
Happened across this quote today from one of my personal heroes.
"We don't stop hiking because we grow old. We grow old because we stop hiking." -Finis Mitchell.
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daveg
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Post by daveg on Mar 24, 2017 19:25:54 GMT -8
When my daughter, her husband, and I finished our White Mountain trip -- which was with full packs and very strenuous -- I bragged to my daughter "Are you impressed? I don't think many 66 year-olds could have done that." She said "Dad, most of my friends couldn't have done that!" Her comment changed my perspective. Jer, even though you may no longer be able to do what you used to do, I'm willing to bet, that as far an physical outdoor activities go, you are still able to do more than most 68 year-olds. And more than a lot of younger folk, too. So just compare yourself to others, instead of your younger self. I guarantee you'll feel better.
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Mar 24, 2017 19:49:34 GMT -8
A group of folks around your age (a wee bit younger perhaps) from the forum here recently did the Scotland thing. LOL, hey, I resemble that remark! Yes, we had a grand time and hope to go back next year. Fortunately, there weren't that many opportunities to fall very far, the big exception being that one Munro. I'm still trying to imagine what next year will be like. Windy, I think, or windy and rainy.
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Mar 24, 2017 20:18:44 GMT -8
I still haven't found the right response for this topic. I'm ten years younger, and that might be enough to invalidate my perspective. I feel vulnerable to mishaps from their proximate causes, like steep slopes and slick or gravelly conditions, or weather- or exertion-related impairment one might suffer at any age. A tipping piece of talus calls to mind images of a snapped ankle and a slippery stream bottom makes me envision my pale, bloated corpse tangled in the half-submerged roots of a downed tree. However, I don't yet feel my age contributing to those possible events. Perhaps I'll feel differently in ten years. My way of addressing that possibility is to condition as if my life depends on it. Time will catch me, but I'm not going to make it easy. Ultimately, I think I would regret what I miss by scaling back more than I would regret the consequences of doing as I please.
This doesn't really amount to prescriptive advice, because my opinion is so tightly bound to my own experience of mind and body I'm dubious how well it translates to anyone else. Maybe something in that rambling will spark a thought. Anyway, I hope you continue to enjoy life in whatever way you can.
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Post by bumknees on Mar 25, 2017 5:50:43 GMT -8
Sometimes, this forum makes fun of people, mostly rookies, who don't think before taking a trip. I think that comes into play for us also, as we age. I turn 60 later this year, just had my 2nd surgery on, you guessed it, my knee, with an additional surgery on my shoulder at the same time. Recovery isn't what it used to be. The last few years, I have tried to keep the mileage down to 6-8 per day, on tougher trail sections. Biting off more than is easily attainable, will just make the trip miserable, at times. I just have to be satisfied with what I can comfortably do. Hang in there Jer.
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Post by autumnmist on Mar 25, 2017 6:47:13 GMT -8
I've been thinking a lot about the comments on this very helpful and worthwhile topic. I think that learning to age gracefully and balance and modify if necessary what we've done in the past and intend to continue to do is not only one of the challenges but an important factor in successfully aging. Life changes; we adapt to it and survive. Adaptation is something at which I think outdoors men and women have an advantage over people who don't challenge themselves or learn how to adapt w/o modern conveniences.
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Post by bradmacmt on Mar 25, 2017 6:49:23 GMT -8
Thanks for honestly posting your struggles Jer. It helps me think about the future and stick with my own lifestyle plan as it relates to diet and exercise.
In no way related to you or your post in any specific way, but just my own meandering-musings as they relate generally to us all, and specifically to me this Saturday morning...
It's unfortunate how we often abuse out bodies when younger, only to witness the losses later in life. Obviously some of our problems in later life are just a function of age. Or a combination of age and genetics. Other of those problems are self created. I've got my share of the former and latter. Life in the earth takes a toll.
I quit skiing and running years ago because I didn't want to ruin my knees. I wanted to preserve them for backpacking where I could harm them properly!
I'll be 56 in 3mos and, like everyone here, I feel differently than when I was 46 or 36.
My plan is this:
Don't eat a S.A.D diet (Standard American Diet). Eat close to the garden and orchard, with little to almost no meat. Eat a low inflammation diet. Keep excess weight off.
Exercise. Stout cardio and light weights. I'm after lean strength.
Keep a PMA (Positive Mental Attitude)... think Faith.
Don't be a pessimist or optimist. Be realistic about where I'm at at any given age, currently and in the future.
Accept aging as part of life's plan. No one is getting out alive.
Don't use age as a secret crutch or excuse to keep me from doing things I'm still capable of.
Continue to lighten gear in every possible way... within reason.
In the summer of 1976 a friend and I were backpacking on the Connecticut Appalachian Trail, where we ran into an older married couple with fairly stout packs. They were in the process of setting up their tent for the evening, and I got the feeling they had been on the trail for a while, so went over to introduce my young teen self and get their story. Turns out they were both newly retired teachers, both 65 years old, and had come all the way from Springer Mountain, Georgia. Their plan was to do the entire AT, finishing at Mt Katahdin, ME by October.
I wish I had had the presence of mind to photograph those two. But I've carried the memory of them for the last 40 years. I don't know if they finished the AT, though I've always assumed they did. Regardless, I'll never forget their graceful, positive demeanor and the obvious love for one another. If a 15 year old kid could see it, you know it was real.
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