Re-Engage – Stay Engaged!
I turned 65 this year and, with the passing of every year, my dreams of outdoor adventure become more and more obscured by my advancing age. The words, ‘Tm a senior citizen” keep ringing in my ears (yes, my ears are literally ringing after my many years as a rock musician).
I read stories about hiking to Annapurna or Everest base camps, fly fishing in remote areas of Patagonia, learning to rock climb, or camping in Iceland, and I think, COULD I STILL DO THAT? Are these only the activities of the young? When is it no longer safe to explore the world? No longer safe to immerse yourself in the beauty and vastness of the outdoors?
And then, just as I’m about to accept my fate of life in the rocking chair, I read about men and women in the 70s and 80s climbing Everest (Yuichiro Miura 80), running an over-100- mile-long ultra marathon (Ms Gunhild Swanson 70 and Jack Dennes 75), swimming from Cuba to Florida (Diana Nyad 66) or hiking the 2,200 mile long Appalachian Trail (Lee Berry 81).
Certainly, not every youth-challenged individual can accomplish those feats, but where is the line? It appears that whether it’s walking around the block or running a marathon, there is a level of adventure that almost all of us can embark upon. The key is to do it safely and with proper planning and training. And above all, don’t give up.
For much of my life I have been an “outdoor enthusiast”. Beginning with my experiences with the boy scouts, and later, spending much of my leisure time with my two boys, fly fishing, hiking and camping in the backcountry of Montana, Wyoming, Michigan and Pennsylvania. As my boys became adults, our horizons expanded to Alaska and Patagonia, as well as extended backpacking trips in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
As I grew older, I looked at our upcoming excursions with growing fear and trepidation. Can I still do this? Can I keep up? At this age, am I healthy enough?
And then, after much mediation on the matter, I decided that just because I’ve turned 65, I would not let that fact keep me from doing the things I loved doing. No, I probably won’t be climbing Everest, but it is possible that I may hike to Everest Base Camp – a multi-week hike to the 17,000-foot elevation camp at the base of the mountain. I also started climbing at an indoor gym (I will eventually take it outside) as well as picking up skiing again after 25 years!
Yes, it takes a commitment to eat healthy and exercise regularly – essentially staying in shape both physically and mentally, which also has the wonderful side effect of enjoying a happier and longer life. It requires learning to manage the fear that increases as we age – the fear that “something might go wrong”. Truth be told, something can go wrong, and sometimes does, even when you are in your twenties doing these activities. But for many, who have made the decision as I have to keep up the good fight and not let their physical age dictate their enjoyment of the outdoors – THIS IS FOR YOU.
