Senior Hikers?

[GeoffHobe]

Hi Dad (I'm the oldest of the two sons). Looking forward to the trip this summer! I very much remember my hike up 75% of Katahdin in '77 at the age of 8-3/4. I just couldn't quite reach that next hand hold to continue on with you.

it is a good thing your younger son (2 years younger than me) just bought an Atmos 65, so he should have plenty of room for some of your things. I'll be getting something in the 50 range (and much lighter!). so your extra items need to visit his pack instead of mine

if there are going to be any contests between us siblings, it will be an occasional speed race, or to see who can get camp setup first and eat first; not to see who can carry the most of dads gear.

thanks for all the advice everyone to help make our trip a success.
G

[SawnieRobertson]

Am I the oldest poster on White Blaze who is still dreaming?

[PGH1NC]

Swanie,

You just might be! Are you dreaming or doing?
Our Stark County Bicycle Club instituted a special recognition class for members over 80. They now get lifetime memberships.

They are still active riders and still quite fast, well many of them, anyway. One rode 160 miles on his 80th birthday!

How do you keep active?

[ScareBear]

Some ski resorts let you ski free over 70 or 80...

[Plain Pete]

Am I the oldest poster on White Blaze who is still dreaming?

You are myhero

[ChuckT]

How old?

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[PGH1NC]

His data states 83.

[ChuckT]

Older 'n me.

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[SawnieRobertson]

Hey, I am not a "his." Just a woman who is "in heaven" when she is hiking.

[SundanceCO7]

I found the AT in Shenandoah NP to be fairly easy, even with a full pack (age 61). The AT crosses Skyline Drive almost 30 times, plus there are a few times where the AT skirts the Drive at a trailhead. You might consider reserving one or more of the PATC Cabins in the park (PATC.net). < Apparently families do this, and the cabins are well equipped. I just completed a winter section hike there and stayed in 4 of the cabins, one each in the North and South Districts, and two in the Central District. It was all quite nice, just cold in December. I was alone most of the time and enjoyed the solitude very much. The feeling was different in the winter in 2016 than when I did a 25-mile trek with my young boys back in 2006. I found the winter views to be spectacular, the trees were bare, so I had nearly continuous views east and west.

It would be hard to exactly schedule your hike combined with cabin reservations if you go that route, but if you have car(s) you can shuttle yourselves around and make it all work. Shelters / Huts will likely be crowded in the summer, plus there are likely to be many summer day hikers out on the AT. There is also lodging available in the park during the summer. Godspeed!

[stumblegasp]

If this horse isn't dead yet (from a guy only in his mid-60's)...

It takes trial and error to find what works for you, be that shoes/boots, stoves, food, clothing. "Hike" your town daily with a weighted pack. If you can, go out on some one- or two-night trips, in all weather. That will test your gear, familiarize you with working it (e.g. setting up in a downpour), and help you get into shape. And it's fun.

I find that hiking poles help a lot with stability/safety, and can save energy. Borrow a pair to try out on a weekend backpack.
The advice of Ray Jardine (now in his 70's) made the uphills much better for me: don't rush. Go slow enough that your engine doesn't "go into the red." This can mean taking baby steps, but you'll be fresh at the top.

Shenandoah NP isn't flat, but the AT there is really well designed and maintained; no boulder-hopping required! The tentsites around the shelters (called "huts" in SNP) usually weren't great (tilted and rocky), but you'll pass some nice, established "stealth" sites. These need to be 1/4 mi. from paved road, picnic area, etc. It's a popular trail, so as others have noted earplugs are a must, and beware the holiday crowds.

My biggest problem in SNP was reading the muted trail signage! Those small, embossed galvanized strips had me digging out my glasses every time!
I had a great stay at the Mountain Home B&B, practically on the trail at US 522 (north of SNP). A good place to start or end. The owners are very helpful.
Have a great hike. Enjoy your time with family!

[PGH1NC]

A week ago we finished a 9-day thru hike of SNP starting at Rockfish Gap and ending at U. S.522.

I thought I might give a report of the trip experienced by a beginner "senior" hiker.

The hike was initiated by my two sons, one of which seemed to assigned to keep track of their old dad. I am fortunate to have two that would even suggest such a hike.

Training: After purchasing an Osprey 50 L AG pack I walked/hiked 180 total miles starting with flat area trails and gradually trekking on area parks with more of a single track hilly description. The training served me well. Some cycling added variety to the training. We averaged 10.5 miles per day; I must admit that my footsteps were getting pretty short near the end of the 13 mile days. Luckily, I failed to get a ride around Little hogback Mountain, that being possibly the easiest summit of the trip.

Gear:
Pack- Osprey 50L AG worked well. Usually easy to carry, everything I used including the tent and poles were placed inside the pack. Downside was taking extra time to pack in the mornings. The belt pockets were not too useful. The zippers on the lid or brain, if open, would dump contents if trying to get into the main compartment of the pack.

Tent- Fly Creek UL HV 2P. Worked well, even keeping me and my gear dry in an overnight rain.
For an old guy getting in and out would have been easier, I think, with a side-load tent like my companion's Nemo Hornets. But the B.A. fly Creek was $150 at a REI garage sale. The only rain was day one and a short shower the last night on the trail.

Sleeping pad was a Thermarest prolite. Working well, I didn't feel any of the small pebbles at the tent sites by the huts.


We hiked about 90 miles of the AT, yellow blazing a short section just before Loft Mt. campground. We used tent sites at Calf Mountain, Blackrock, Pass Mt. and Gravel Springs and at Loft Mt, Lewis Mt. and Big Meadows campgrounds. This was a nice combination of "back country" camping and the more "civilized" hot food and showers available at the established areas. Real beds, showers and food were a treat on my birthday (75) at Skyland. The shortening of the trip allowed companions to have a day to rest and check gear before going back to work.

We met several hikers some of which bragged about doing the "dirty thirty" (no showers or laundry for 30 days). Others included two recent high school grads doing a "walk about" before starting college at Virginia Tech and a mature couple finishing the first part of their thru and flopping to Maine to start the south-bound portion of their thru.

It was an awesome hike and a great experience.

[George]

Might wanna talk to this wolf guy from Damascus, hese like 97 I think?

no, that is how old his beard is - but he did not start growing it till he was like 10

[Ethesis]

no, that is how old his beard is - but he did not start growing it till he was like 10

Glad for both updates (how the section went and how old that beard is).

I am doing sections but want to through hike in 2019. I just need to hit 63 and retire.

[Old Hillwalker]

For many of us, 70 is the new 50. In less than a month I will be continuing my section hiking of the GR 11 in the Spanish Pyrenees. I will be sectioning the central part for about three weeks and then transitioning onto the Camino de Santiago GR 65) for my second thru-hike on the Camino. I'm planning for about 45 days to thru the Camino. I did it in just under 30 days three years ago, and missed a lot. The stats on the GR 11 are as follows: Total distance around 540 miles, total elevation change 128 thousand feet. I'll turn 78 on the Camino in November. Report with videos to follow....

[Rex Clifton]

For many of us, 70 is the new 50. In less than a month I will be continuing my section hiking of the GR 11 in the Spanish Pyrenees. I will be sectioning the central part for about three weeks and then transitioning onto the Camino de Santiago GR 65) for my second thru-hike on the Camino. I'm planning for about 45 days to thru the Camino. I did it in just under 30 days three years ago, and missed a lot. The stats on the GR 11 are as follows: Total distance around 540 miles, total elevation change 128 thousand feet. I'll turn 78 on the Camino in November. Report with videos to follow....

70 is the new 50 is BS! Know your limitations. If you try to keep up with the twenty somethings you are going to have a bad outcome, and probably break something you don't want broken. I hike only around 7-10 miles a day, with allot of lollygagging along the way. As they say in boxing, there's only one fighter who is undefeated and untied, Father Time!


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[ChuckT]

Amem

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[PGH1NC]

For many of us maturing (growing older) gracefully is a matter of planning, genetics and luck. There may be major exceptions like "Old Hillwalker" and the 80 y. o. thruhiker, but most of us plan to stay "in shape'' to some degree still while paying attention to our new limitations. I remember going up Katahdin at age 35, almost literally bounding from rock to rock. Again in my late 60s was more difficult but very doable.

I noticed the only times I had difficulty keeping up with my upper 40s companions was on the longer steeper ascents in SNP. With less overall strength and a lower maximum heart rate (that is why there are age groups in races and different max. heart rates listed on aerobic equipment) I shouldn't have expected to keep up with them in that situation. I noticed that if I stopped for perhaps 30 seconds, my legs got a fresh supply of O2 and I was ready to go again.

I was also very aware of limitations while on rocks, needing strength to raise myself or lower myself on those parts. I used a pair of trekking poles religiously, effectively hiking in "4-wheel drive" 2 legs, 2- poles. They kept me from falling multiple times.

I am fortunate to have a friend (slightly older) with whom I bike or hike about once a week. We are maybe 10-15 % slower than other bikers our age. We will even stop to get a drink or stretch. But we finish and have fun.

So I agree with "Rex" know your limitations, deal with them, get out and have fun.

[Feral Bill]

For many of us maturing (growing older) gracefully is a matter of planning, genetics and luck. There may be major exceptions like "Old Hillwalker" and the 80 y. o. thruhiker, but most of us plan to stay "in shape'' to some degree still while paying attention to our new limitations. I remember going up Katahdin at age 35, almost literally bounding from rock to rock. Again in my late 60s was more difficult but very doable.

I noticed the only times I had difficulty keeping up with my upper 40s companions was on the longer steeper ascents in SNP. With less overall strength and a lower maximum heart rate (that is why there are age groups in races and different max. heart rates listed on aerobic equipment) I shouldn't have expected to keep up with them in that situation. I noticed that if I stopped for perhaps 30 seconds, my legs got a fresh supply of O2 and I was ready to go again.

I was also very aware of limitations while on rocks, needing strength to raise myself or lower myself on those parts. I used a pair of trekking poles religiously, effectively hiking in "4-wheel drive" 2 legs, 2- poles. They kept me from falling multiple times.

I am fortunate to have a friend (slightly older) with whom I bike or hike about once a week. We are maybe 10-15 % slower than other bikers our age. We will even stop to get a drink or stretch. But we finish and have fun.

So I agree with "Rex" know your limitations, deal with them, get out and have fun.

Yes indeed.

[Old Hillwalker]

[QUOTE=Rex Clifton;2164790]70 is the new 50 is BS! Know your limitations. If you try to keep up with the twenty somethings you are going to have a bad outcome, and probably break something you don't want broken. I hike only around 7-10 miles a day, with allot of lollygagging along the way. As they say in boxing, there's only one fighter who is undefeated and untied, Father Time!

Firstly I said "some of us" but I do fully agree with Rex and others about expectations and limits ? That is exactly what I do most of the time. For those who have hiked the White Mountains of NH, that is where I lived and been have been hiking since my boyhood. First mountaintop solo overnight in NH was in 1954. Haven't stopped since.....I will probably pass out of this mortal coil while hiking. On my overseas hiking trips I always carry a notarized card in the local language with final disposition instructions and carry the Austrian Alpine Club (AAC-UK) insurance which covers accidental death, injury and recovery/rescue. For non winter conditioning I hike from my house directly to and up a small bald mountain every other day. Round trip 7 miles and a around three hours total.

For those who like maps: House N44.54948 W70.32359 Mountain: N44.54226 W70.35808

Here is one of my favorite hikes at age 70 http://samohtw.blogspot.com/