40.
I began hiking in high school spending a few days after school each week at the Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. I worked outdoors all through high school <and a few good years beyond before starting college later> with horses, so my days were spent outdoors, getting lots of physical exercise, and enjoying working with animals. In my early 20's after giving up the "horse thing", I began trailrunning and mountain biking in earnest. Living in an area filled with dirt roads and huge pasturelands, I was in heaven and got outside everyday for runs, bikes, or hikes in the fields. This was while I was going to college and working a "real job" as a Veterinary Technician, instead of playing around with horses, I was playing around with dogs all day.
I saw my first glimpse of the Catskill Mountain Range while mountain biking at Minnewaska State Preserve (AKA "The Gunks") in New Paltz NY when I was about 24-25. The next weekend I was out in the Cats climbing Peekamoose and from then on I was in the Gunks biking one day and the Cats hiking the next day for the next several years. I had heard about the Catskill 3500 Club, but never attempted the list. I just kept hiking my favorite peaks over and over!
I expanded into the Hudson Highlands and Harriman State Park during the winters (lack of gear and others to winter hike with).
In my thirties I began to backpack, a couple of shorties in the Catskills and then my first big backpack was in Nepal, to Annapurna Sanctuary. Six months later I was back in Nepal with friends trekking the entire Annapurna Circuit. My addiction to backpacking began, and during my 30's I would try to backpack 2 100 mile trips each year as my job came with 1 month vacation...I tackled the Maine AT in sections (still have the 100 mile Wilderness left and a bit near the NH border), the Long Trail in 2 100 mile sections, 8 serendipitous days in the ADK High Peaks, big chunks of the NY AT, weeklong winter trips in Harriman State Park..then two separate trips to Colorado, Nova Scotia, The Pemi..and so on...dayhikes in the Catskills and Gunks and sometimes the Adirondacks filled in the gaps. I spent 7 years working in Ecological Research during this time, and during the summer months I would spend 1-2 days per week working in the Catkills, Fernow Experimental Forest, WV; Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, NH. Being outside, walking along the trails, breathing fresh air --- a huge part of my life since High School. Its taken on different forms, but its always been there.
Later in my 30's I returned to college for 20 straight months and I barely hiked. I was able to get out during school breaks to the Catskills, the Gunks, or the Hudson Highlands...but that was it. I still got outside everyday, usually to smaller conservation areas in NY where I could hike around for an hour or two or three...and there was one epic hike in the Adirondacks that was amazing.
Just before I graduated I read about an Open Call on VfTT for the South Taconic Range...finally an open call near me! For a few years I had been a member of VfTT but hadn't met up with anyone...New Hampshire from NY is a long, long way! During most of my hiking life, I didn't know too many people who hiked, so I always hiked with a canine, first Charlie Brown (R.I.P) and now Terra Firma. So I went to the South Taconic Hike, and on that hike I met in person MichaelJ, who I knew from the boards, along with Dugan, RocksnRolls, Lattinhill, Silent Cal, and Jade... and well..the rest is history...since then I've been enjoying the Greens, The Daks, The Whites, and introducing MJ to backpacking in beautiful Colorado.
I have no intention of stopping. I intend to enjoy the outdoors my entire life, whether it be hiking, backpacking, biking, kayacking....as MichaelJ said, who knows what the future holds?
Seema, babies can be carried in backpacks.
