"Older backpackers"-What concessions are you willing to make as you age?

My wife and I are just entering the GGG at 64 with retirement immanent, and plans for lots of hiking, backpacking, kayaking, etc. starting this summer.

Also, thanks to Jardine and BPL, much lighter packs, but I’m too cheap to get below 10 lbs and still be comfortable.  Neoair helped a lot, as did a tarp instead of tent, lightweight trail shoes, and hiking poles mandatory for both of us all the time…they really helped with my sports-compromised knees and ankles.

Also plan to be the oldest on the trail some day, as well as oldest in my martial arts (TKD, Hapkido) classes.  Come to think of it, I already am the oldest in those classes!

This summer starts our new life of adventure, we’ll see what compromises we end up making over the next few years. I expect we’ll keep the mileage to at most 15 miles per day (we rarely went farther, even when younger), depending on elevation gain/loss.  Might carry a Spot, but no plans yet.

One minor problem is medications that cannot freeze or get too hot, I’ve kept them in a jacket pocket or in a pants pocket if it was cold, not clear what to do about heat.

One minor problem is medications that cannot freeze or get too hot, I’ve kept them in a jacket pocket or in a pants pocket if it was cold, not clear what to do about heat.

I’ve read of one hiker who had to keep a medication refrigerated. I think he used a  Yeti thermos/mug with ice. Usually anything stored in my sleeping bag can stay pretty cool during the day.

Approaching 60, I have replaced all my heavy gear with light gear, a lot of it MYOG. I use an inflatable pad and carry an 1/8″ foam pad to use over it. Switched from my stuff sack of clothes to a sea to summit inflatable pillow. I never leave home without a small plastic flask of good bourbon and a couple of cigars. I still hike 12 to 20 miles most days but I’m trying to hike slower and observe more and take more breaks by starting early and finishing an hour or so before sundown.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, tomorrow four backpackers, all of whom are 75 or nearly so, will have our first of two meetings to plan trips for 2018. First we have to set the parameters for trips: how long, what areas to consider, altitude, elevation gain and loss, timing (mosquitoes and wildflowers are considerations), water sources, etc. etc. Then two weeks later we’ll meet with maps and trail guides and make our individual suggestions for trips that meet our criteria set earlier. Thanks to BPL and experience with shedding non-necessities we all have low base weights. Many of the above thoughts and suggestions from your posts will be discussed as we contemplate if concessions are necessary. Thanks for your positive attitudes about continuing to backpack as you age. They reinforce my own enthusiasm, tempered with realism!

At 74 (75 in April) my concessions are mainly in degree of difficulty of the trip.

My Rim-to-Rim Grand Canyon backpack last Nov. 6 – 9 was a gut buster only on the last day going up to the South rim. Six years ago it wasn’t as difficult. ;o)

->The other concession is taking lighter gear. For the GC trip I used my ti Trail Designs Sidewinder Caldera Cone stove with ESBIT tabs. Lighter than my Brunton CRUX W/canister and worked very well.

->Yeah, I could go with a Cuban fiber tent but my choice, the Skyscape X is not in production.

->I may look for a lighter mattress than my Thermarest Prolite regular.

->My pack is an Osprey EXOS 58. Not willing to go lighter and give up the comfort.

->All clothes are synthetic, shoes are medium light Merrill Moab’s. Good protective sole.

->I carry a SPOT gen. III locator, even on training day hikes.

->Every piece of gear has at least one use and is essential. (Well, except for my Olympus TG 4 camera.)

->I may rent llamas or trail goats for a tough trip. Never tried it but it’s worth a shot after reading the above experiences. They would have their own tarp for rainy weather. I’m not a slave driver.

->I may start a “GO FUND ME” account for folks to contribute to help me buy the best SUL gear. My hook will be “Help a geezer find Nirvana in the wilds.”

My other concession is to TRAIN MORE. It’s a necessity.

I’m sneaking up on 50, so probably not really “old” by the standards of this thread, but the only concession I’ve made is a thicker (and inflatable) sleeping pad.  Because if you can’t sleep you aren’t camping- you’re enduring.

I agree Dean, a good night’s sleep is essential to a good day on the trail.

For decades (since 1980) I’ve relied on Thermarest self-inflating mattresses. I had their first 3/4 length mattress with a brass valve and their first light weight full length mattress, then a Trail Pro for winter and currently a Prolite regular for 3 season.

I tried other types of mattresses but keep coming back to Thermarest self-inflating versions.

Also I bought a Western Mountaineering Megalite bag B/C it is wide enough at the shoulder/chest area to accommodate a puffy jacket if temps go below 20 F. (20 F. and not the advertised 30 F. B/C I had it overstuffed by WM.) That bag is light and of very high quality. Well worth the money.

And in shoulder seasons I find a light fleece balaclava is essential for a good night’s sleep.

Great thread, thanks for posing this question.

Things I’ve already done:
1. Lighten up. My base weight is less than half of what it was years ago. Switching to lighter shoes helped too. BPL has helped me greatly with lightening my gear.
2. Slow down. This includes taking more frequent, but shorter breaks. I find if I keep my average speed under 2 mph I can hike long days back to back and still feel good at the end of the day.
3. A thicker pad. My hips and shoulders love me for switching to an air pad. (Neo air in my case) I also use an air pillow.
4. Hiking poles.

Concessions I anticipate having to make:
1. Slow down even more.
2. Shorten up my trips.
3. Maybe an In Reach or similar device.
4. Take more ibuprofen.

Hmmm I am young by comparison

OK

I “May” need to admit my knees are on the way out and

A/ Get supports/knee braces

B/ Get walking poles that aren’t old ski poles rescued from the rubbish bin at the end of the ski season

C/ Take shorter walks or use a support crew to help with food dumps, putting a fortnites food in the pack is getting beyond me

^^^
D) Start strength training for hip stabilizers as well as all four of your quadricepts.  Your knees will thank you.

4. Take more ibuprofen.

For me, taking no ibuprofen, naproxen, or aspirin while training is quite important to building up strength and resilience. It’s been known for more than 15 years that most OTC pain relievers except acetaminophen/paracetamol/Tylenol interfere with recovery and slow muscle growth. I reserve them for serious headaches and actual injuries.

Works for me, maybe not for you.

— Rex

PS – You can skip the opioids, too:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/11/as-epidemic-rages-er-study-finds-opioids-no-better-than-advil-and-tylenol/

Be careful on reading one study and assuming it is gospel. And besides, every body is different. Do what works for you, as you correctly said Rex.

Original paper: RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT TREATMENT WITH IBUPROFEN CAN REDUCE MUSCLE HYPERTROPHY BY ALMOST 50 PERCENT.

Quoting:  However, more recent research on human subjects has demonstrated that NSAIDs do not necessarily impact muscle protein synthesis as much as previously thought.5,6 In fact, there are several studies that have found chronic supplementation (12 weeks) actually improved muscle strength and size.7,8

References 5,6,7,8 below

Krentz, J. R., Quest, B., Farthing, J. P., Quest, D. W., & Chilibeck, P. D. (2008). The effects of ibuprofen on muscle hypertrophy, strength, and soreness during resistance training. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 33(3), 470-475.
Petersen, S. G., Miller, B. F., Hansen, M., Kjaer, M., & Holm, L. (2011). Exercise and NSAIDs: effect on muscle protein synthesis in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 43(3), 425-431.
Trappe, T. A., Carroll, C. C., Dickinson, J. M., LeMoine, J. K., Haus, J. M., Sullivan, B. E., … & Hollon, C. J. (2011). Influence of acetaminophen and ibuprofen on skeletal muscle adaptations to resistance exercise in older adults. American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 300(3), R655-R662.
Petersen, S. G., Beyer, N., Hansen, M., Holm, L., Aagaard, P., Mackey, A. L., & Kjaer, M. (2011). Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug or glucosamine reduced pain and improved muscle strength with resistance training in a randomized controlled trial of knee osteoarthritis patients. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 92(8), 1185-1193.

One of the advantages of having been a local XC ski and bicycle racer in my 30s into my early 50s is that I learned how to monitor my body.

For example in training and competition upon awakening each morning I would lay in bed and check my carotid pulse. I knew my average resting pulse so if it was too high by more than 5 beats above normal it meant that I had trained too hard the previous day or had a race that day OR if neither then I was beginning to get sick from something and needed to lower my training intensity for a few days.

This early AM pulse monitoring is still a good idea for we geezers. This is especially since our immune systems are not as robust as they were in our “youth” as mere 40 and 50-somethings. i.e. We tend to get sick more often.

That said we backpackers all surely know by now that staying in as good of cardio and strength condition as we can puts us leagues ahead of our sedentary friends, most of whom are dependent on at least 5 daily “maintenance” medications.

BTW, Speaking of ibuprofen, climbers have a combo med called “I-Blleve”  – (two Ibuprofen and one Alleve) ;o)

So “Keep on Truckin’ ” (If you remember this phrase you are a true geezer!)

@art-r: Interesting about the changing views on NSAIDs. I certainly saw more than one paper claiming harm in the early 2000s. I stopped taking Ibuprofen/Naproxen/etc. before, during, and after hikes, and saw big improvements in strength and resilience with training.

What’s the equivalent name for “placebo effect,” except you’re not taking a medication?

— Rex

Would booze qualify as a “pain reliever”? ;o)  I sometimes take a plastic flask of 150 proof Lamb’s Navy Rum as “mouthwash” (NOT to be spat out).

And it does work as a deodorant. No bacteria can survive it. Hee, hee…

Eric B.

Tom K said,

…my current thought is to just wander the sagebrush chaparral beneath the Sierra Crest, gazing up occasionally at the ramparts and reminiscing over what once was, while getting better acquainted with all the flora and fauna I so cluelessly buzzed on by in my lust for the high, remote places.

There is something to be said for those large panoramic views of expanses of untrammeled land high up. On the other hand, over the years, I have grown to appreciate ‘sagebrush chaparral’ in the lower elevations to the point that often I’ll pick that over high country when I need to choose a destination. Perhaps this is not to be considered a concession to the aging process, but an expansion of experiences?

“Perhaps this is not to be considered a concession to the aging process, but an expansion of experiences?”

Well said, Nick.  You’ve given me something to ponder as the time approaches when I may have to make that kind of decision.

For OTC pain and swelling, the only thing I use is Turmeric Curcumin, 1500 mg twice daily for it’s health benefits and double it up for the days on the trail.   With surgery to both feet last year, I needed something better than putting more chemicals in my body every time my feet hurt and swollen.

I don’t know if I am allowed in this conversation. I am 43 but I promise it is feeling pretty old this morning. I have used a pack horse to help me be able to stay out longer without having to reach caches but the main reason I needed a pack horse was to carry my geriatric service dog. I can’t hike without him but he was getting a little too arthritic. He is retired now and I have a young Sprout that doesn’t need any help yet but I Wonder, would getting into the backcountry with a couple of horses even though it’s cheating still be better than staying home.

Michelle

If you’re getting out to camp on horseback B/C you can’t backpack it ain’t cheating, it’s enjoying!

“average resting pulse so if it was too high by more than 5 beats above normal it meant that I had trained too hard the previous day”

I helped tweek a guy’s gear 40 miles into his walk across the US in 1983.  He wrote back, thousands of miles later, thanking me for getting his hip belt just right.  His plan / doctor’s advice was, as a 70-year-old doing 20-30 mile days, to check his pulse each morning and if it was >5 over normal, make it a rest day.

Since my wife’s medical partners (internists, like her) are all really active guys (dog mushing, soccer, commercial fishing) into their 40s and 50s, they were surprised when a study came out about 10 years ago showing that pre-dosing with NSAIDs didn’t help.  The conventional wisdom had been that if you knew you were going to hurting later that day, get the drugs on board first.  Turns out you should wait for discomfort/pain and only then dose yourself.

If it hurts or sore I don’t take anything. Painful is a different story. I don’t find I really get any relief with OTC medication. Make friends with it. Hurts getting old.

Concessions as I get Older–

**  I’m 67 but in my 30s and 40s and 50s I used to bushwack a heck of a lot more than I do now.  Didn’t think twice about staying out for weeks at a time with a 60 lb pack bushwacking in those “blank spots on the map”.  Now I stick to regular (though blowdown filled) trails and rarely bushwack.

**  I did alot more nighthikes with a mini mag flashlight back in my younger years—now I rarely do nighthikes unless necessary to avoid a hellstorm if I’m on a ridge and need to get to lower ground.

**   I still carry heavy packs, in fact as I get older my pack gets heavier—just pulled a 20 day winter trip and started with a 90+ lb pack—but with age comes less daily miles.  Now I’m happy to move 3 or 4 miles every day on a trip and set up camp and move every day.  And I commonly pull 8-9 mile days too.  In the old days I did 15 mile days without a second thought—with significant weight.

**  As I get older I like to carry more comfort items, not only for my sleeping comfort but also books to read and my little radio and my camera etc.  I usually bring out 6 or 7 books on my trips and burn each one after reading.  I rarely carried books in the old days and never burned them (back then they were library books).  Other comfort items to make my life easier outdoors are microspikes for snow travel and a snow shovel for easier camp setup during blizzards—and full leather boots for better stability etc.

**  Another concession as I get older is to explore my pack options with a Dan McHale Demo.  Why not get the best for my twilight years??

**  Another concession is I go much slower with better eye-to-boot coordination to avoid falling.  In the old days I fell often and sprung right back up.  Now I cannot afford to fall so often so I am much more careful with boot placement and trail concentration—most especially when hauling a ginormous pack.

Another concession is I go much slower with better eye-to-boot coordination to avoid falling.

For me the worst thing about getting older has been a (very) slow but noticeable none-the-less deterioration of balance.  Nothing drastic, and easily mitigated with poles (which I use for shelter support), but I do find myself wobbling over bad/slippery footing more often.