How old are you ?

[Danielle]

Another 30-something

32 for me, although creeping very close to my 33rd, on which I plan to run a 10-mile road race Why not, right? Anyway, my true hope is to be like Neil's mom and be training and hiking when I'm in my 80s!

Snowman (or trailbiscuit as he is known on this forum) both had some introduction to nature with our families and through college, but for me, my first real "adventure" was with him in Acadia in March of our senior year of college. We survived our snowshoe up Cadillac in the driving wind, and he survived my whining along the xc ski trails (I've come to enjoy skiing much more now, and hopefully whine much less!), and we've been at it ever since! One of my friend's parents recently remarked how much I had changed from the more "girly" girl I once was to the outdoorsy one I am now. I can't think of a better compliment. I can't imagine not getting outside to run, ski, hike as much as I can. It makes me truly happy. Amazing how much you can learn, and how much there is to still take in! Wouldn't want it any other way...

 

[Neil]

I definitely plan on being very active very late in life. Especially if I don't want to be outdone by my Mom!

Lately, I have been reading about a 57 year old Pole who will be attempting K2 this winter. He has several winter ascents of the 8000-ers under his belt already.

 

[sardog1]

Does anybody have any recomendations for dog/kid friendly accomdations in the north country?

Check out Swiss Chalets Inn in North Conway. I think you'll find other recommendations if you do a search of VFTT threads for pets and motel or lodging

 

[TCD]

Don't forget the late, legendary Herman "Jackrabbit" Smith-Johannsen. He was cross country skiing strongly well after 100 years old.

Link to bio:

http://www.rmjackrabbits.com/johannsen.html


Think young, and never stop! Someone here (I can't remember who) uses an excellent quote in their posts: "We don't stop hiking because we grow old, we grow old because we stop hiking." Too many Americans are "old" at half of Jackrabbit's age.

TCD

 

[Grumpy]

Glad to see we have a decent representation of hikers in their 60s here. That’s where I am.

At this point, hiking is an activity I’ve pursued for 55 years. I never was, and never will be one of those uber hikers who gobble up trails and bushwhack routes like the Monster That Ate … you name it. I am strictly a recreational hiker, and always have been, variously out for a visit to a mountaintop or backcountry lake or waterfall or glen or ridgeline, but always for a good walk in a natural environment.

Some years I am more active than others – that’s the way it always has been. I am not yet retired from working, but don’t feel at all put-upon over that. In fact, I much enjoy my work as photographer-journalist-editor, and have for 40 years. That, in itself is a blessing. I am a lucky man.

50 years ago, our high school gym teacher urged each of his charges to find what “Coach” called a “life sport” – a physical activity one can pursue throughout his or her lifetime. For some it would be golf, for others tennis, or running. For me, it turned out to be hiking.

My newspaper sports department colleagues always give me a lot of gas for saying that hiking is a sport. Their concept is that sport is competition, especially when the win-lose question is settled by an “objective” score. They reluctantly accept track and field and running events as sport, preferring contests that involve throwing, swatting or running with or otherwise playing with balls. But what do they know?

Hiking is high sport, indeed – “a source of diversion,” as Webster puts it.

My enthusiasm for hiking is not shared by Mrs. Grumpy. She will go along if urged, and we have had many wonderful trips and adventures over the years. We are not great hiking companions, though, as Mrs. G’s curiosity to “see what’s on the other side of the hill” is less compelling for her than mine is for me. (I push beyond my comfort levels more than Mrs. G will push beyond hers.) But she is my life companion, and we will celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary later this year, God willing.

For those of child-bearing age, and who have stated their intent to have childless marriages, I urge you to reconsider. Not to change your mind, necessarily, but to reconsider. This comes from one who was and is not crazy about the idea of parenthood and parenting, and who doesn’t especially enjoy children.

Mrs. Grumpy and I produced one, a daughter known as Prima Donna Grumpy. We would have had more. (Mrs. G likes kids better than I do.) But Nature did not cooperate and make that possible for us.

Our PDG shared hiking adventures with us from the time she could ride in one of those kiddie-carrier backpacks. She has lots of hiking miles on her own two feet, as well, starting in earnest at just beyond two years of age.

PDG is now an early thirty-something, and while certainly is not a hard-core hiker likes it well enough to have had a few good adventures of her own. I have found exquisite joy in hikes with her since she became an adult – she is a good companion, but also can be a hard driver. (I wonder where she gets that from.)

So, a hesitant Dad says, looking back, I am genuinely blessed in having experienced parenthood. Like a challenging hike, it has enriched my life in incomparably delightful ways.

G.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Someone here (I can't remember who) uses an excellent quote in their posts: "We don't stop hiking because we grow old, we grow old because we stop hiking." Too many Americans are "old" at half of Jackrabbit's age.

That's "The Sikes", and the sig is attributed to Finis Mitchell. The Sikes represents a family of 5, at least 3 of whom are peakbaggers, one of the girls being one of the youngest 115'ers known. So, we have a wide age range on this site for sure!

 

[roadtripper]

25!....and starting to fall apart

stupid broken left leg!
stupid twisted right hip!
stupid dislocated left shoulder!

I'm not worrying though - I'll hike until they take all my limbs!

 

[skiguy]

started before I knew better and they'll have to shoot me before I stop

 

[prino]

Don't forget the late, legendary Herman "Jackrabbit" Smith-Johannsen. He was cross country skiing strongly well after 100 years old.

Link to bio:

http://www.rmjackrabbits.com/johannsen.html


Think young, and never stop! Someone here (I can't remember who) uses an excellent quote in their posts: "We don't stop hiking because we grow old, we grow old because we stop hiking." Too many Americans are "old" at half of Jackrabbit's age.

TCD

I'll never forget Jackrabbit giving a speech at the Canadian Ski Marathon back in 1984 at the age of 108 espounding the virtues of the great outdoors.
He finally passed away at the age of 111.... What a guy!

I'm planning on 7hours of X-C on the trail tomorrow. My 53rd birthday.

 

[KayakDan]

When Mrs KD and I got together,I became an "instant grandfather" of 3. The count now is 5 with #6 coming in Feb.
The grand kids are all in Ohio,so we took turns shuttling them one at a time to NE to experience the Whites. When we're in OH,we take them hiking in Glen Helen in Yellow Springs,and we have taken them to the Wayne National Forest(pretty tame compared to the WMNF)

Funny thing is that their parents aren't the "outdoorsy"type,and they think we're "corrupting" them,which of course,is our intention Little outdoor junkies,and we love it!

Their parents(our kids) think we're crazy,and they worry about the "dangerous stuff" we do like camping in the winter in the mountains.

Mrs KD spent last Sat night camped at Nauman at -5F. Two weeks after her 60th birthday. What a woman!

 

[Shardik]

25!....and starting to fall apart

stupid broken left leg!
stupid twisted right hip!
stupid dislocated left shoulder!

I'm not worrying though - I'll hike until they take all my limbs!

Hmmm...two elbows and knees in mint condition.
I'm 52 and claiming the left knee .

 

[--M.]

25!....and starting to fall apart

stupid broken left leg!
stupid twisted right hip!
stupid dislocated left shoulder!

I'm not worrying though - I'll hike until they take all my limbs!

You sound like The Black Knight: Invincible! "NONE Shall Pass."

Started as soon as I could whine. Took off a horrible 12 years for arthritis, kids and work. Been back for five and been kickin' butt ever since! Mid forties.

Tangent for the day: If you love the Whites, go to New York! If you love the ADKs, go to New Hampshire! Cross-pollination: good & good for you (yes, and Vermont, the Catskills and Maine, too).

 

[DrewKnight]

Postscript on kids and the outdoors...

Picked my 8-year-old daughter up at the local rec center just before dark tonight -- feeling like neither of us had gotten outside at all today, I casually mentioned, "You wouldn't want to put on a headlamp and go snowshoeing, would you?" This is a kid who's never been snowshoeing, mind you, and I had no expectations... imagine my secret joy when she said, "Now? With you? SURE!"

We grabbed Mom, suited up and did a 45-minute loop on the Livermore Road... saw fox-tracks, tested out our 'shoes on hard-pack and in deep snow, walked with our lights on, and our lights off, saw the waning moon glowing on the virgin snow at Depot Camp, found the old wrecked car on a short bushwhack off the trail... for a little while in the gloaming, we were all eight tonight.

 

[wardsgirl]

46

Drewknight- you are right on! I do the same stuuff with my kid!

And Yeeessh! Where were all you young guys when I was a 20 year old?? (oh, OK, you weren't born yet!)

I started hiking 25 years ago when I made a wrong turn on Rt. 16 and ended up at Pinkham Notch. I have hiked and backpacked nearly every weekend since. As for Seema’s “kid anxiety,” I used to get pissed off when people would insist that my life would change after I found out I was pregnant. I was determined to not let pregnancy change my life and my enjoyment of hiking, and I was successful. As a "Long Distance Hiker," I combated this effectively by hiking from Springer Mtn. GA to Damascus, VA when I was in my second trimester of pregnancy. After he was born, I often took my infant son backpacking, carrying him in a sling in front, with my full backpack on my back Soon, he was able to walk, and I started a hiking group called P.A.T.H., (Parents and Tots Hike), in my area. We would embark on weekly hikes in the Whites and on the local trails up Mt. Major, Green Mountain, Pawtuckaway State Park, and the like. Dayhiking is fun, but I am a backpacker at heart, so Ethan and I hiked the Wildcats/Carters a couple weeks before his 3rd birthday. Think: 22 miles in 6 days-not bad for a 2 year old! I'll never forget- D Peak, A Peak, Carter Notch, Zeta Pass, Imp... it all depends how much YOU want it! Now, at 12 years old, he and I have backpacked hundreds of AT miles, the Long Trail, and he has recently finished his White Mountain 4K’rs. Best of all, we have had every conversation that a mother and adolescent son can have, and I have molded him into simply the best backpacking partner anyone could ever hope for. Think of the possibilities!

 

[timmus]

Even though not having children isn't exactly "retiring" - it's a life decision which allows me to continue fueling my addiction.

BTW I just turned 29. And I have no intention of slowing down!

The kid thing is the BIG question mark, because I know that having kids will put a kink in my lifestyle, so we'll just wait and see how that works out.

A woman that thinks having kids will brake her ambitions is just another prove that some feminism is still necessary.

Sorry to bring that up, but it's weird for me to hear you say that, because I actually started hiking like a crazy maniac right after I had my kids... And I really think it's a good thing, not a bad thing.

...And everything Wardsgirl just said is exactly what I'm planning to do. Well, I'll try

 

[sli74]

A woman that thinks having kids will brake her ambitions is just another prove that some feminism is still necessary.

Sorry to bring that up, but it's weird for me to hear you say that, because I actually started hiking like a crazy maniac right after I had my kids... And I really think it's a good thing, not a bad thing.

...And everything Wardsgirl just said is exactly what I'm planning to do. Well, I'll try

I think you misunderstand. I am not saying that having kids is a bad thing, I am just saying that it changes your life. Am I wrong?

I also don't understand your reference to feminism? What does feminism have anything to do with choosing to have a child or not? Noone is saying having children brakes your ambitions for anything but it sure does or atleast should change your priorities.

I think it would be naive of me to believe that having a child isn't going to change anything. Everything changes. Maybe for the better, but it definitely changes. I think having and raising a child is one the life's greatest and most important responsibilities, not something to take lightly or do without thought and consideration, atleast for me.

And as far as hiking more now that you have kids, well that is all relative. It depends how much you hiked before. If your pre-kid hiking was 45 weekends out of 50 weekends of the year, I would wager that having children would definitely change that frequency. If you were hiking 6 times a year before kids and now you hike 20 times a year, you might be able to say that.

When it comes to kids, noone can tell someone else what they should do or what is right for them, it is so very personal. I LOVE LOVE children, but KNOW that having them will change my life. I am not saying my life won't be better, it probably will be but it will definitely decrease my hiking atleast temporarily. I was not passing judgement on anyone else's choices, just saying that for me, with my current lifestyle and life decisions, having children WILL change it.

I am a strong woman who has experienced many things in my life that the general VFTT public knows nothing about, I consider myself an advocate for strong women making strong decisions that are best for them, man or no man, kids or no kids, career and so on . . .

Anyway, way off topic but I wanted to address my post being quoted to imply that I am somehow an anti-kid or anti-feminist . . . for anyone who knows me, I certainly am not either of those . . . okay, back to the topic . . .

sli74

 

[Bolivia]

A 67 yr old little boy

Good thread Chip.

I did a lot of hiking/camping/canoeing as a kid thru high school.

Then came a lull in college, Peace Corp, marriage, grad school, 4 kids, work. Did some day hiking/KOA camping things but not much more.

Got back into it when I turned 50. Now I'm on a tear.

To quote Yousarian in Catch 22, "My objective in life is to live forever or die trying."

 

[DrewKnight]

You're absolutely right, Seema...

Kids do change everything, though I think you can hear it in most of us, when and if you're ready, the change is on the whole for the better. WardsGirl said it exactly right: it depends on how much you want it. If you hiked 40 weekends a year before, you still can with even the smallest baby -- but it's not going to be a Presi traverse every time you go out.

You make accommodations, and the stuff in your bag both changes and increases exponentially -- organizing the BSE (Baby Support Equipment) makes trimming down your kit for a week-long back-country cruise seem trivial in comparison... You go from the Charge of the Light Brigade to the Siege of Minsk. But you do it, and pretty soon you get good at it, and then they get bigger and they don't need diapers and sippy cups, and slowly but surely it starts to resemble the hiking you remember, only now you have this great built-in sidekick to show the ropes and enjoy it with.

You're also right, Seema, that it's the ultimate personal choice, and choosing not to have kids is a completely valid path that doesn't render your life devoid of meaning, any more than having kids means the end of your outdoor life as you know it. You sound like you're very dialed in to the significance, the magnitude of the impact and change (probably even more than I was, and I was 34 when my first was born). But I would also say this: life isn't static, change is unpredictable and inevitable, and the life you lead now won't be the life you lead in 10 years, kids or no. Even a "good" career can come along and louse up a perfectly lovely life!

 

[Chip]

The realization that I was out of shape and over weight with 2 young boys to keep up with in my mid 30's was a big reason I got back into hiking.

We're at about 10% responses here vs total membership. That's probably a statistically valid sample. Thanks for all the great responses.

 

[una_dogger]

Wardsgirl, way to go! (and there are so many great role models for uber hiking with children out there, Mavs and Katie are an inspiration!)

I haven't had children, but I can certainly relate to what you have written, Seema. It's a huge decision and certainly lifechanging, priorities change, time available changes, and level of hiking changes until the little ones grow up and can handle longer distances. I think if I have a child, I will definately seek to follow the Wardsgirl/Mavs-Katie Model; but the epic hikes that I've come to love and crave will be off the menu for many, many years. And all of that is assuming my child *loves* hiking as much as I do....<shudder> lest I am forced to become a soccer mom...having a partner who loves the outdoors makes it a truly family affair.

Drew, you have created a wonderful life for yourself and your family up in the Whites! Truly inspiring!