Time – Temps – Terrain for 60+ Hikers/Backpackers

[Joe Mezick]

Preface: Turned 68 earlier this month, retired in 2022, spent more time with physical tasks and less time with desk duties during the work years, body aches in the usual places for a typical person my age, and I’m determined to wring out the maximum amount of time when outside. Hence the reason for sharing my personal preferences.

Time: I’m active from sunrise to sunset, with a “no rush” mindset when hiking and backpacking. Come to think of it the same is true for time at home also :-). Granted that a few physical limitations are a factor when my speed is less than a person in better shape physically, but the trade-off is that I’m better aware of the surroundings and enjoy a better appreciation of our natural environment along the trails.

Temps: Living in the northeast U.S.A. temperatures will radically fluctuate, which I’m imagining can be true for other parts of the country.

Hot or warm daily average temperatures will allow me to remain outside longer from sunrise to sunset, with numerous hydration/rest periods to avoid hyperthermia.

Cool or cold temperatures will shorten my time on the trails. I reach the trailheads one or two hours after sunrise and return close to the same amount of time before sunset. Hypothermia risks are avoided with adequate layers of clothing and with the proper shelter/sleep system choice for overnights.

Terrain: In 2013, my wife and I moved from our previous home where it took almost 1.5 – 2 hours to reach the trailheads located in the highland region as opposed to the trails in the coastal plain where we’re currently about 30 minutes away. To offset this change, as a way to achieve similar cardio benefits, we now use a faster pace to increase the heart rate attempting to resemble a scramble. The flat and sand trails have one obvious benefit – lower risk of muscle and bone injuries.

In closing, I reminisce the outdoor times as a younger adult when I was fast and agile, but I’m grateful for the ability to remain active, albeit my body is slower and usually stiff. Trade-offs are inevitable as we age.

What are some of your experiences with time, temperatures, and terrain as you grow older?

 

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

time, temperatures, and terrain as you grow older?

Background – I just turned 65 and semi -retired.  My SO is 66 and will probably never retire.  She is a professor so I decided to retire so that we can travel more.

Time – I have never been in a hurry to get anywhere.  Backpacking for me is a way to get away from the busy life of living in the Los Angeles area.  I really don’t care how many miles that I travel in a day, I just want to get out of the city.

Temperature – Not a significant issue on CA (too me), hu,midity is my big weakness.  I hate hiking is sub-tropical / tropical conditions.  I don’t do much Winter camping due to the short day length.

Terrain – No major issues here, hiking at elevation takes training these days.  Anything above 10,000 feet requires a lot more training these days.  I find the bigger issue for me is the difference between US trails and trails around the world.  Many non-US trails are almost hybrid off-trail routes sometimes.  Ever hiked in Scotland?

My 2 cents.

[Joe Mezick]

I appreciate your reply Jon Fong. Nope, never hiked anywhere outside of the U.S.A… Sedona AZ and the Grand Canyon is the furthest west that I’ve hiked.

Eastern U.S.A? Kentucky at Hanson’s Point in the Red River Gorge along with trailheads in East and Central Florida are beyond the typical travel time that I plan for hiking and backpacking.

[R L]

I’m on the 62nd trip around the sun.  Retired 2018.  Forty yr construction bum.  Maybe there should be a Gray Fox group.

[Joe Mezick]

I like that idea R L. Consolidating of all of the knowledge and wisdom we’ve acquired into one group has many benefits, at least for those who are looking down range. Life is fast and the early years are but a faint memory, still the fun and adventure seeking will remain. Mind is stronger than body?

[Roger Caffin]

Mind is stronger than body?
But both are weakening fast . . . :)

Cheers

[Joe Mezick]

LOL! Roger Caffin! Sooo you’re one of those limited editions synchronized individuals :-)

[Roger Caffin]

limited edition ?
OK, but limited to ONE case.

Cheers

[Jon Solomon]

Me: I just turned 60 last month. Prolly won’t retire until 70. Moving house last year along with lots of renovation work on the new apartment took a huge chunk of time away from backpacking. As a result, I started to notice all kinds of new aches and pains and other problems.

Up until last year, I’ve always enjoyed heading off into alpine country, so regularly above 2000m, with as much food and supplies as I can carry. Usually 2 weeks at a minimum before resupply.

Time: That style has given me the freedom to piece together unconventional routes, often on the spur of the moment depending on weather, interest, etc. One of the reasons Thru Hiking and/or Section Hiking never appealed to me before was because of the fixed routes and the orientation towards a goal. But I think that I will start doing that at least some of the time to enjoy the massive weight reduction benefits.

Temps: Yup, I’m more and more cold adverse.

Terrain: Still high alpine predominantly. Above treeline. Which is why I really appreciate wind resistance in a shelter above all else. Looks like I finally found the Holy Grail for me in a 10D symmetrical octagonal mid. Nothing in that weight class (373g) beats it for wind resistance.

As I really just love being outdoors and unplugged, I’ve discovered that there are plenty of trails in lower terrain that are lovely and best of all completely unfrequented. France is covered with a huge network of trails all across the country.

Mind: I do mantra practice while I’m walking. Nothing like letting go to keep the mind in shape.

[R L]

Joe wrote,  * Consolidating of all of the knowledge and wisdom we’ve … *.  As long as the failures are equally represented.

Living in NorCal means a person could be out tramping around somewheres all year.  I’m more of a 2-3 season hiker, when I get out.  I tend to do more van camping at CG’s in the dead of winter.  Mostly due to getting dark so early for a couple months.  Partly due to not wanting a starting weight of more than twenty lbs. I consider myself a walk-in camper.  Destination is a bit more the goal vs the journey.  A few years back it was the opposite.  That said, doing a walk-n-drop outing for a week or so is on the bucket list.  I’d like to experience what thru hikers deal with.  If I could to a twenty or a thirty, all would be well.  Perhaps one or two sections of the PCT, with some fishing.  ~RL

[Nick Gatel]

I’m now 72 and have been retired for 6 years. Still backpack, but am slower. Also, not as willing (or able) to do the really tough hikes, such as 10,000 foot elevation gains in a single day.

Big thing for me is to watch my balance more carefully, especially since I am still mostly a solo hiker. Going fast isn’t important since I don’t need to plan to get home so I can go to work.

Each year my wife is more paranoid about me getting hurt and a “messenger” device may be in my future, just to put her at ease. Of course, I told her that if I have a heart attack the device probably won’t do any good, I’ll be dead by the time someone gets to me. Although it will be much easier for them to find my body.

[BlackHatGuy]

“I told her that if I have a heart attack the device probably won’t do any good”

I didn’t think libertarians had a heart. Will wonders never cease….

[Joe Mezick]

72 and still going outdoors Nick Gatel? Awesome! My wife had the same concern as your wife. The longer amount of time out, or the more days away, she’d become increasingly afraid for me. Go figure!

UNTIL!

Preface: First, my intent is solely to demonstrate that this technology exits for a potential safety/tracking device, and NOT for the purpose of promoting/advertising this product. Plus, I’m reluctant, as a general rule, to depend on any type of digital device in the wilderness and doubt the performance for even within developed areas for that matter. They’re NOT 100% reliable. BUUUT, but with that said!

My token. I purchased a SPOT Gen4, as an effort to help lessen her anxiety. The “Shared View”, a feature found in SPOT Mapping, was one of the keys to reducing the uncertainty.

A photo of my SPOT Gen4:

A screen shot of the “Shared View” feature:

Video: … Create a Shared View and Share it With Others …

Video: SPOT Gen4 Tracking LED Sequence

[Jerry Adams]

I got an Inreach Mini to make my wife more comfortable with me backpacking solo.  I just send a message at the end of each day so they know where to find my body if I die over night.  Or, if I’m missing, where to start any search.

Nick and Joe have a couple years on me so maybe that means I have at least a few more years of backpacking.  Yeah, a little slower than I used to be.  Last summer I went around Mt Hood and had a couple 10 mile, 5000 feet elevation days – a little less than previous years.

[Jerry Adams]

My right fore finger is a little more cold sensitive than it used to be.  It turns white and gets numb.  I think that can cause damage like frost bite so I stick it in my pocket or hold a hot cup of coffee.  And wear a little more insulation on the rest of my body.

As I get older I think maybe I’m more sensitive to cold, which is balanced by warmer clothing and more experience how to use it.

[Kevin Babione]

At 58 I’m approaching the age of your subject…A couple of thoughts:

• I’m still working and have a tough time doing more than a weekend trip (although this is more because of my wife and family obligations than work), but PA has a lot of trails that are 27-30 miles and are perfect for a weekend.
• Nobody has touched on the time of year…I’m definitely a spring/fall hiker and avoid the heat and bugs of the summer.  My one exception to that “rule” is that I will go to Dolly Sods during the summer because the elevation keeps it a little cooler.  I’m most comfortable in temperatures from 20-70.
• Companions – My wife has made it abundantly clear that she does NOT want me going solo and the stress it would cause in my home life really rules that out for me, but I don’t mind.  I have an Inreach Mini to help ease her mind when I’m on trips.  One of the joys of backpacking trips for me is time spent on the trail and in camp with friends.

[BC Bob]

Vancouver Island.  Also 68.  I’m fortunate to have a decent day-hike outside my front door.  Mountain backpacking trips are 3-5 hours away, but worth the drive.

[Joe Mezick]

WOW! My dream is to have a home in an area similar to what is shown in your photos BC Bob. But in the meantime, I’ll settle for the forests of Pennsylvania.

[R L]

As I head out the door with pack in hand, the wife smiles, waves, and asks if the life insurance is paid up.  sigh.

[Joe Mezick]

I see plenty of the InReach Mini devices used by hikers/backpackers while on the trails Jerry Adams and Kevin Babione. How dependable and accurate are they? I’ll pass on the information to family and friends should they ask.

A screenshot of the SPOT Mapping (from a track while driving to a friend’s funeral today – he was 81 years old):

[Joe Mezick]

LOL! R L

[Joe Mezick]

I need to back out there (Dolly Sods) Kevin Babione. One of a few small parcels of “true wilderness” on this highly developed side of the USA.

[Joe Mezick]

Oops!

[Jerry Adams]

Joe, I have found the Inreach mini to be pretty accurate.  If a rescuer went to that location, it would be easy to find me even if it was off a bit

One problem I have with Inreach mini is it can take an hour or even 2 hours to acquire position and send a message.  But if I’m setting up camp and eating it doesn’t matter much.  Occasionally I’ll forget about it until the next morning.

Another problem is it’s inconvenient to compose a message.  There’s a column of the letters A to Z and other characters.  You have to scroll up and down to select each letter.  Laborious but not that big a deal for a short message.  Or, you can select one of several preset messages – I have one that’s “everything okay here, hope all is well there, love you” that I use almost all the time – that’s convenient to select.  Or, you can pair it with your phone and use your phone keyboard – that process is a bit annoying.

They keep announcing they’re going to have phones that can send satellite text messages.  I think the hardware exists and they’re in the process of incorporating it into some next phone models.  Maybe available in a year or two?  I’ll probably need a new phone sometime so maybe I can get a phone with satellite capability and retire the Inreach Mini.

[Roger Caffin]

I reviewed the SPOT device when it came out. It was right maybe 75% of the time.
Mind you, sitting on the foreshore (estuary) near home one time, it did think I was on the other side of the 100 m wide river. Could be tricky.

My solution is to take my wife with me. She leads, I follow. Works very well for us. And she goes well in my photos too.

Cheers

[Author]

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