Time – Temps – Terrain for 60+ Hikers/Backpackers
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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?
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.
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:
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.
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.
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):
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.
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
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