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Nancyann
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Nancyann
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PostThu May 07, 2020 9:03 pm 
What jinx’s boy said: You have to keep moving! I hike all winter long on the trails that I live close to, several days every week. When the high country opens up I go out for 3-6 days just about every other week. I travel fairly light due to arthritis in my neck, but can still stay in my comfort zone with less than 25 lbs on a five day trip. On one of those trips, last summer I climbed Remmel, my very first Bulger! A couple of weeks prior, I climbed Apex, my first T-200. Also spent several days on the Via Alpina in Switzerland earlier in the summer. Today spent all day throwing branches off a trail and hiking through deep snow with my friend Tricia. I like to hang out with her because she is 15 years younger and I can still outhike her. cool.gif I broke my femur in my early 60’s and as soon as I got off the walker I hit the trail, haven’t looked back since!

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zephyr
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zephyr
aka friendly hiker
PostThu May 07, 2020 9:36 pm 
Nancyann wrote:
I like to hang out with her because she is 15 years younger and I can still outhike her. cool.gif
haha! Tell the truth and shame the devil. wink.gif ~z

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Chief Joseph
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PostThu May 07, 2020 10:01 pm 
Definitely keep moving is the key. I seemed to have acquired arthritis a couple of years ago and the more I keep working-moving-exercising, the better I feel. I have also been taking Glucosamine pretty regularly during that time. No way to really tell if that has helped, but I doubt it can hurt. I use a heavy, full length Big Agnes pad, I will put up with the extra weight in order to sleep comfortably.

Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
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Navy salad
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PostThu May 07, 2020 10:29 pm 
Not much to add, since most of the points I would have added have already been said. But the big one is to keep moving and doing so in a way that challenges you. I just turned 70 and, since my youngest son (28) isn't on this forum, I can say this without him seeing it, I can easily out hike him, not because I'm athletic, but just because I make a point of staying active. Anybody know the oldest hiker to complete (or mostly complete) the PCT? I heard there was someone in his 90's who did it.

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Nancyann
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PostThu May 07, 2020 10:37 pm 
For the type of arthritis I have, which a blood test showed was rheumatoid, I am very careful about what I eat, to avoid inflammation. My doctor helped me put together a diet which seems to be working well. I avoid refined sugar and sweets in general, although I’ve been known to indulge in chocolate on backpacking trips. Very little in the way of processed foods, and not too many potatoes and tomatoes, which apparently trigger an inflammatory response. I also do stretching and yoga every day to keep my joints from getting stiff. It pays off to take good care of yourself. smile.gif

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treeswarper
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PostFri May 08, 2020 7:13 am 
I think about it. I might try an overnighter, but, my feet are shot. They have a lot of miles on them. I have found some shoes that help, and can do short dayhikes. Walking on rough ground is painful, I walk an hour or so 6 days a week on smooth ground mostly in town. I might take some bike trips if I can figure out what to do with the dog. I think a lot depends on genetics. Both my parents had foot trouble.

What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human––animals and aliens are great possibilities
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Galadriel
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PostFri May 08, 2020 8:36 am 
At age 74 last year, I went on three multi-day backpacks, carrying an 32 lb average. And I'm the weaker sex! smile.gif I expect to do the same this year, with aspirations to climb Glacier. We'll see how that goes, my osteoarthritis knees are giving me grief.

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RumiDude
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PostFri May 08, 2020 8:38 am 
texasbb wrote:
I'm 60, and I can tell you the things I notice compared to when I was 41. I go out of shape quicker (i.e., "keep moving"), injuries heal more slowly (which works against the keep moving thing), and I can't shed heat as well. That last one is the one I notice the most. I used to do my workout hikes on the little mountain outside town without even thinking about the temperature...I've done it many times at 100 to 110 degrees. Now I have to be real careful if it's over 90.
+1 I'm 67 and I am finding that getting out is the BEST medicine I can take. It means more to me now than it did 20, 30, 40 years ago. But admittedly it is harder physically in almost all aspects. So I have had to dial it back a bit, be more careful, and allow the joys of the backcountry to take the front. I am not longer focused on accomplishing things as much as I am focused on living in the moment. Rumi

"This is my Indian summer ... I'm far more dangerous now, because I don't care at all."
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Backpacker Joe
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PostFri May 08, 2020 8:46 am 
Around 15 years ago I was hiking the connector trail from Smithbrook road that connects with the PCT. I was heading to Janus and then Glasses/Heather lakes. As I was approaching the PCT I came up behind a man hiking. As I approached him I called out, "Behind you" and he turned and said hello. I slowed down and hiked with him until we reached the PCT. He headed left to Valhalla lake as I turned right towards Janus lake. The amazing thing about this story, the man was 98 years old! He grew up in Wenatchee and hiked the area his whole life. His wife was 95 and they had been married 75 years! It was wonderful talking with him about the past and his hiking trips into the mountains back when they were certainly "Gear" challenged. The funny thing, he said they had just as much fun back when they had nothing to take with them into the mountains. Ill always hold that experience dear in my heart. It was a wonderful experience.

"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide." — Abraham Lincoln
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HikerJohn
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PostFri May 08, 2020 8:47 am 
62 years old this year and still doing some 18-20 mile days and lots of overnights. Secrets? - Stay active. I've got friends in Canada who either snowshoe 10 miles a day or bike 15-20 miles. - Stay limber! Do stretches daily AND especially before hitting the trail - Start using hiking poles-- I have bad knees and I wanted to avoid damaging them further. I poo-pood people using these, then I discovered that they are MAGIC. The reduce your unconcious straining to stay balanced as you step over and across things and I found I don't hurt as much after hiking! - Lose the earbuds and talk to people you meet-- for example, met a guy on the trail last week who's in his 70's and helps do fish surveys in some obscure lakes. Really nice guy, but with earbuds, that conversation wouldn't have happened. - Slow down. I'm finding I take more frequent photo stops and "smell the flowers" time... And they help me to go further! Yours, HJ

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Backpacker Joe
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Backpacker Joe
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PostFri May 08, 2020 8:58 am 
HikerJohn wrote:
met a guy on the trail last week who's in his 70's and helps do fish surveys in some obscure lakes. Really nice guy, but with earbuds, that conversation wouldn't have happened. - Slow down. I'm finding I take more frequent photo stops and "smell the flowers" time... And they help me to go further!
Im 55 and I rarely ever see anyone. Maybe its where I end up going, and or that I hike mid week all the time. That said, when I do see people I pull out the ear buds and talk with them. I do fish surveys at lakes I go to and submit them to the Hi-Lakers/Trailblazers via their wedsite database. Trekking poles are a must for me. I cant explain how many times they have saved me from crashing and burning to the ground. LOL.

"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide." — Abraham Lincoln
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Eric Hansen
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PostFri May 08, 2020 6:12 pm 
Having an annual ritual hike that you'd hate to give up helps with the motivation to stay in shape. For me it is hiking the Tonto Plateau of the Grand Canyon. Fabulous visuals, long views up and downstream. Hanging out on the lip of the Inner Gorge. Time on the Tonto is always memorable. I'm 71. Over the years I've done 45 backpacking trips in the canyon. It's a good ritual, but also an annual fitness test that comes with clear metrics.

Off trail rambler
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Bootpathguy
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PostFri May 08, 2020 7:32 pm 
"How old can you be and still get out backpacking?" I looked this up the other day and if I recall, I think the law in Washington state is "39 years of age". Not sure why that cutoff age was chosen. Anyway, I carry fake ID just in case I'm ever stopped & questioned by a wilderness officer who may be questioning my age

Experience is what'cha get, when you get what'cha don't want
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Malachai Constant
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PostFri May 08, 2020 8:41 pm 
Well we were going a couple hundred miles on the PCP for the last 5 years. Not working out so well this year frown.gif

"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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Songs2
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PostFri May 08, 2020 9:03 pm 
In part, what one can do as one ages is determined by genetic endowment. People age in different ways and at different rates. Cellular senescence. Most avid hikers in their 40s don't expect their musculoskeletal system to become their enemy in their 60s-70s. There is also simple loss of interest. Or a desire to experience the world in a different way. Some days I'd much rather be in a canoe than huffing up another hill.

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