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oldgentleman

04/13/2012 11:05AM

I wanted to expand a little on Spartan2's comments regarding age, but didn't want to hijack RaisedByBear's thread. I'm about the same age as spartans 1&2 so we have something in common aside from the fact that we went to that excellent school.

I had an incident last year falling down on a portage that shook me up a little. I've discussed the age and ability thing with friends and family and of course have gotten a variety of opinions.

My wifes standard comment, "You're not as young as you used to be."
My son, "You don't need to go all hardcore all the time, you could just relax and fish."
My friends seem to think I'm going to be able to keep on trippin' forever. They think I'm a tough old bird, an opinion I've always encouraged. ;)

I have my trip planned for this year. I wouldn't consider it hardcore, but it's certainly not going to be base camping. I'm going to seriously lighten my pack, something that I have never done before. Also going to go slower on the portages.

So you other people in your 50's, 60's, 70's, Whaddaya think?

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mooseplums

04/13/2012 11:20AM

Take your time, and enjoy the things around you. That's why I go. When I was much younger, I had way more and heavier gear than I have now. Each year I lighten the load a little more, so I can do the longer, bigger trips.
Last May, we did a trans Quetico trip, from Beaverhouse to Cache Bay. It was a total of 91 miles, and we did it in 5 days. Even with a lighter load, I really felt it at night in camp. I slept like the dead at night, but woke invigorated. It was too much, too fast.
This year I'm planning a long solo in the Q again, but this time, I will take it easy.

"I am haunted by waters"~Norman Maclean "A River Runs Through It"

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missmolly

04/13/2012 11:26AM

Your friends are wrong. We're not going to keep "trippin' forever." I'll be 56 this summer. My dad is 81 and he's done. I bought a motorboat because his canoeing days are over. He just doesn't have the balance anymore to be in the woods or in a canoe and that's my fate too. I have lost weight and I'm now lifting weights, but that only delays my fate. This is why each year I mind the rain less and love the lakes more. One day they'll be denied to me by time.

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nctry

04/13/2012 11:44AM

I let too many paddleless summers happen cause life was so busy. Like Miss Molly I realize this ability to travel by paddle is only for a season. So it's paddling I will do as long as the "old" bones will carry me. Keep going oldgentleman, it's still your time. Take it in and go at the pace that suites you the best. Share those times when you can. But keep going! When you can do it no more there should be no regrets... Just good memories.

Nctry Ben

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wetcanoedog

04/13/2012 11:51AM

i'll be 66 for this springs BW solo to La Croix,last year the carry's in were painful on my bad knee but on the way out i had no problems.i made the Devils Cascade without having to stop at the top of the hill but went right thru on each carry..pack 1,pack 2 and the canoe.
so the issue is very "iffy",should i stay on the big lake and explore Coleman Island rather that go back into the Pocket-Steep route and risk having problems half way over? i retired at 60 and told my self that if i had 10 good years i would be happy.five after that of just easy trips to no carry lakes like Brule and after that anything would be a gift.

it's just a level trail thru the woods.

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burntsider

04/13/2012 11:51AM

This is an interesting topic. I'm eager to read contributors' comments. Only thing I'll inject is that age is not the only thing that requires shorter trips, lighter loads, and for some, no access to the BWCA which is, I'm reminded frequently here, a piece of land we all own.

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RaisedByBears99

04/13/2012 12:05PM

A thread very near to home. I used to run (not exagerating) the river rocks, with a canoe on my back - now I shuffel across the portage. Both Wing and I have suffered spinal injuries which have cooled our jets.

A family situation has taken a lot of my extra time and plays havoc with my now non existent exercize program. A sedentary job for the last 25 years hasn't helped. Retirement will, I HOPE, give me a chance to regain some of my old vigor.

My father is 87 this year. Last year we went into Brule a couple times. My grandfather lived to 101, though he quit the bwca at 93 or 94. Hope to have something like that time left.

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bojibob

04/13/2012 12:06PM

I turned 50 this year and decided that now is the time to take my trips down a notch.

I'm not out there to prove how far/fast and deep I can go anymore.
My trips will now be 4-7 miles a day Max and also have some layover days. I only plan to be on the water 4-5 hours Max per day

I will take more gear for my comfort and enjoyment and will portage less. I will let the minimalists carry less, go faster and further. They WIN!

"One inch on the map ~ is not one inch on the ground"

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AndySG

04/13/2012 12:18PM

My 60th is coming up this July. I have already been taking it "easy" on my trips. Once camp is set up, I like to stay put exploring and fishing for at least two days. I have no desire to push myself to the point of pain and fatigue. Just being able to go assuages my ego just fine. And, I'm hoping to go for many years to come.

Sincerely yours, Andy

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oldgentleman

04/13/2012 12:28PM

quote RaisedByBears99: "
A sedentary job for the last 25bunch years hasn't helped. Retirement will, I HOPE, give me a chance to regain some of my old vigor."

I retired in July of 2009 after 40 years of sedentary work. Since that time I've lost about 30 pounds.
There's hope!

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mc2mens

04/13/2012 12:44PM

I'm in my early 50's and have always basecamped in the BWCA. I enjoy fishing so much there. I also enjoy relaxing evenings and mornings. I'm not into taking down and putting up camp everyday. Not my bag. You talk about basecamping as if it were a bad thing or something only old and out of shape people do. Not so. I can still kick some ass. I just choose to relax and enjoy my surroundings while I'm there. Make camp home for a few days. Get to know the fishing holes on a lake. Cook up some good meals and spend quality time with my trip partners.

"Big fish eat little fish."

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Spartan2

04/13/2012 01:00PM

Wow! I didn't realize what I was starting, Jason.

An interesting topic. As everyone knows, because I always talk too much around here, we have slowed down considerably. It is because of me, not Spartan1. I have allowed myself to become more overweight (unfortunately after a really successful weight-loss program a few years ago when I lost 67 pounds, exercised vigorously, and was in pretty good shape for my age.) Because of arthritis that is becoming gradually, but relentlessly, worse, I am in what looks like an inevitable slowdown.

We are not ready to quit. I have nothing against base-camping and we may do that now more and more, but we do prefer to move camp every few days at least, take layover days, and see more territory. We like smaller lakes and shorter portages, and we do enjoy the tandem experience. However, this year, we are planning a trip with another couple, and that couple is younger and stronger than we are (read that: one of them will be carrying my packs!) We will see how that goes, and how we end up feeling about a group canoe trip experience. It is VERY hard for me to give up the total canoe trip experience. If you have read my last trip report, you know that I feel a bit unsatisfied when people do for me and baby me. I WANT to portage my packs, I WANT to do my share.

I have begun to realize, though, that we will not be doing this forever. I guess we always knew that, but I think it is becoming more of a reality for us, and it hurts. I am sure it would have hurt at age 80, too, but at age 67 (or nearly there) I didn't think I would be quite at this point. I have a lot of good intentions about getting in better shape and getting stronger. . .I do wonder, though, if it is going to happen.

And if it doesn't, we will probably end up renting a cabin on the periphery of the BWCA and taking day trips. The canoe country is just a place that draws our spirits and our souls each year and we need to be there.

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mocha

04/13/2012 01:13PM

just turned 50 last november. the past years i've stepped up the ruggedness of trips because i don't want my body thinking it's 50.
my doctor commented that i had a special birthday, i said it was no big deal, 50 is just a number - my chronological age, it's not the age i feel inside. he just smirked at me and said, "50 is 50, you are 50 inside and out." i think i should fire him! what a bad attitude.

one thing i have noticed is my depth perception is getting worse, so on rocky portages i really have to take my time and watch my step. for now, i'm choosing to ignore other aches and pains.

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Spartan2

04/13/2012 01:43PM

I, too, was able to choose to ignore a lot of aches and pains at 50. When I look back at trips we took 16-17 years ago, and compare them to the last couple of years. . . .the difference is very dramatic.

Not saying it will happen to you. Just saying that things you can ignore at 50 aren't always things you can ignore for the rest of your life, unfortunately.

For all of us, there comes a point when our bodies either quit suddenly or we begin a steady decline. Die or get old. That isn't a sad or a bad thing, it is just the way of life. If we are going to get old, we want to get old as gracefully and in as healthy a way as possible. I applaud all of you who are keeping fit and active and staying as young as possible, in spite of whatever the calendar might say.

Keep paddling.

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jwartman59

04/13/2012 01:45PM

i am fifty two and have had parkinson's disease for twelve years. i am not old but my body probably won't be winning many awards. i can still put in a full day of paddling and portaging, in my wood canoe, and probably out paddle a lot of the puffy thirty year olds i am passing. i have to work really hard to keep up what i have.

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ghamer

04/13/2012 01:49PM

57 here. Around the campfire, my buddies and I often discuss how long we think we will canoe tripping. I hope to be going for another 15 years anyway. I am on my 3rd canoe... each one has been about 15 lbs lighter than the previous one. So that has helped a lot.
I also lightened the pack by replacing my heavy and bulky Thermarest with a high quality blowup mattress... it's even thicker. Now if I can just reduce the size/ weight of my camera bag:-)
But for the first time I will be taking a camp chair this year.
Our tripping style has never been to cover a lot of miles... maybe 40 miles in a week.
The intent has been to explore as much of the BWCAW as we can while younger, then as we slow down, revisit some of our favorite spots.
I plan to go up there just as long as possible, making the necessary adjustments along the way.

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oldgentleman

04/13/2012 02:11PM

quote mc2mens: " You talk about basecamping as if it were a bad thing or something only old and out of shape people do. Not so."

No, I don't look down on base camping. I've done it before and will again.

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Arkansas Man

Moderator

04/13/2012 02:15PM

I am currently 55 years old, and I portage and everything much easier now then I did in the past! The reason is that I started cycling a little over 3 years ago and I am now probably in the best shape of my life fitness and cardiovascular wise. I have also had 4 knee surgeries and a partial replacement on the inside half of my left knee, and they do not bother me anymore because my leg muscles are so much stronger! Now that I had my Morton's neuroma repaired in Dec. I can't feel the toes on my right foot, and it does not hurt to walk and carry things... this year ought to be a blast!

I am glad because my tripping partner, (my wife may not be able to do as much as she has in the past because of a scapula fracture she suffered in a cycling accident! It makes paddling, and carrying things hard for her... but I would paddle it all and carry it all just to have her go... because she so loves it!

Cycling also builds my endurance, my fastest 100 mile ride is 5:21:0 last year, I am looking to beat that this year!

Bruce

Good Paddling, Great Fishing, and God Bless All...

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Curmudgeon

04/13/2012 02:19PM

quote mc2mens: "I'm in my early 50's and have always basecamped in the BWCA. I enjoy fishing so much there. I also enjoy relaxing evenings and mornings. I'm not into taking down and putting up camp everyday. Not my bag. You talk about basecamping as if it were a bad thing or something only old and out of shape people do. Not so. I can still kick some ass. I just choose to relax and enjoy my surroundings while I'm there. Make camp home for a few days. Get to know the fishing holes on a lake. Cook up some good meals and spend quality time with my trip partners."

Like!

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Curmudgeon

04/13/2012 02:20PM

quote mocha: "just turned 50 last november. the past years i've stepped up the ruggedness of trips because i don't want my body thinking it's 50.
my doctor commented that i had a special birthday, i said it was no big deal, 50 is just a number - my chronological age, it's not the age i feel inside. he just smirked at me and said, "50 is 50, you are 50 inside and out." i think i should fire him! what a bad attitude.

one thing i have noticed is my depth perception is getting worse, so on rocky portages i really have to take my time and watch my step. for now, i'm choosing to ignore other aches and pains."
I'd fire him! Then let him know why. You are his paying customer and his comments does not in any way that I can see contribute to the betterment of your health. Just because you are a certain age doesn't mean you need to feel any particular way.

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bhouse46

04/13/2012 02:29PM

Passed my Medicare physical today and grateful I still am on no prescription meds. Like RaisedbyBears I would run the portages with canoe and pack in my late 30's, now I pace myself and carry one load at a time. I accept the years are doing their toll, mostly because of the abuse I gave my body when still "invincible", but I also know taking care of what I have will allow me to enjoy it longer. I did pull out from one solo trip because my heart was not doing what I wanted. I came home and got working on getting back into shape. It is fine now and the EEG this morning proves it.

My advice beyond the take care of what you got is pay attention to what you got. Listen to your body and make trips plans that allow for pacing as your body and mother nature allow. And you young whipper-snappers, take care of it now and enjoy it longer.

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mocha

04/13/2012 02:53PM

quote Arkansas Man: "I am glad because my tripping partner, (my wife may not be able to do as much as she has in the past because of a scapula fracture she suffered in a cycling accident! It makes paddling, and carrying things hard for her... but I would paddle it all and carry it all just to have her go... because she so loves it!
Bruce"

this is the most wonderful statement of love and affection i've heard in a long time!

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Spartan2

04/13/2012 03:12PM

quote ghamer: "57 here. Around the campfire, my buddies and I often discuss how long we think we will canoe tripping. I hope to be going for another 15 years anyway. I am on my 3rd canoe... each one has been about 15 lbs lighter than the previous one. So that has helped a lot.
I also lightened the pack by replacing my heavy and bulky Thermarest with a high quality blowup mattress... it's even thicker. Now if I can just reduce the size/ weight of my camera bag:-)
But for the first time I will be taking a camp chair this year.
Our tripping style has never been to cover a lot of miles... maybe 40 miles in a week.
The intent has been to explore as much of the BWCAW as we can while younger, then as we slow down, revisit some of our favorite spots.
I plan to go up there just as long as possible, making the necessary adjustments along the way.
"

That's an exquisite photo, ghamer!

I think your philosophy is pretty much what we have done. We started out with longer trips than 40 miles a week, certainly, but we have now begun to slow down and revisit favorite places, or go to places we haven't visited that are easy to get to and not a big challenge. (For example last year we spent six lovely days just on Kawishiwi, Square and Kawashachong, right before that area burned. I wouldn't trade that trip for anything.)

It isn't a contest, you know.

And last year, for the first time, we took a chair. I was resistant, but I loved it. It helped me a lot.

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Chilly

04/13/2012 03:14PM

Worst mistake of my life was turning 73.

"Now days these kids take out everything: radar, sonar, electric toothbrushs" Quint

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cinna

04/13/2012 03:20PM

Older Gent,

I say don't worry about it. Do whatever you feel like and never mind what others think. There is no logic in anyone setting a bar for anyone else. We are ALL a bunch of gentrified outdoorsmen just trying to have some fun. For me, if I can find solitude in nature it matters not where and how.

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mooseplums

04/13/2012 03:31PM

I'm 52, and I'd say I take more ambitious trips than I took when I was in my 20's. I spent a lot of years basecamping. That was fine with me then, but I feel I missed opportunities to see, and experience different lakes. Now I do loops, that allow me to see more country.

"I am haunted by waters"~Norman Maclean "A River Runs Through It"

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bellolake

04/13/2012 03:37PM

As the years seem to be flying by at ever increasing speed, I've had to make adjustments to compensate for the age factor. I still feel like I can do the same things I've always done, just not in the same way or at the same speed. I think it is important to recognize your limitations as they change over time, but I'm not about to give up my activities just because it isn't as easy as it once was.

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kanoes

04/13/2012 03:43PM

ill be 54 in october. i have no intention of slowing down. one thing last falls trip gave me was the confidence to do bigger and longer solos. im not going to let that slip away from me.

i think bigfoot is blurry. (mitch hedberg)

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OneMatch

04/13/2012 04:01PM

I am not old because I am still immature.

Do as much as you can now. You never know when tomorrow doesn't come.

Great thread, great responses

We all have to believe in something. I believe I'll go paddle.

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bwcasolo

04/13/2012 04:05PM

i turned 56 in dec. after 7 year absence from solo trips, i am back at it again. i am fortunate to have my 81 year old mothers genes. i bike to work, and pump a bowflex regularly to stay strong. i have lighten my load quite a bit. i will see allot of the bwca next month on an aggressive trip. i have a very young mind and so far the body is gliding along! i am thankful for that! paddle on.

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emptynest56

04/13/2012 04:13PM

Maybe this is my favorite thread-ever! Spartan 2, your words are very inspiring. Whatever age has taken away from your physical frame, it has given in wisdom. Bruce, your words were inspiring also.
My brother and I were doing a Sept trip in 2005 and met a tall older man on the Ensign to Vera Lakes portage. He was carrying a large pack and his son was bringing up the rear with the canoe. After talking with this man for awhile, I asked him how old he was. He told me 83 and his son was 56. When my brother said he had just had heart valve replacement surgery in April that kiboshed our annual summer trip, the man shook his hand and said he was proof there is life after heart surgery. What an inspiration he was to us.
At 55, I am lucky enough to be going strong yet, but on a trip if the reward doesn't seem to match the effort to get there, we might decline to go there.

"Did you bring the coffee?" "No. I thought you were."

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oldgentleman

04/13/2012 04:49PM

quote kanoes: "ill be 54 in october. i have no intention of slowing down. one thing last falls trip gave me was the confidence to do bigger and longer solos. im not going to let that slip away from me."

I was 54 when I made my first Boundary Waters trip.

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grampgramp

04/13/2012 07:05PM

I will be 55 this summer, I was 48 when I made my first trip, I have a lot of time to make up, I made two trips last summer, the second after being diagnosed with cancer. I had major cancer surgery last fall, I will be doing a solo trip this June. I work out, lift weights a couple times a week and I have regained nearly all my strengh I lost while recovering from my surgery. I have 5 grand kids{and many more to come I hope} that I want to introduce to the BWCA. I want/need to keep doing this as long as I can.

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Sierra1

04/13/2012 07:48PM

I'm 56 and have been going to the BWCA for many years. I don't single carry portages anymore. My canoe is lighter as is the gear I carry. I seem to have troubles with stepping down from rocks and logs that are well off the ground. I have no problem setting up a base camp and fishing the local lakes and rivers. The trips I take now are mainly solo's. If I go with others I tend to make the trips with more portages and more travel days. It is nice to slow down just a bit to actually enjoy the country; not see it as a through point on a journey but as a destination unto itself.

Watch out for that rock!!!........ Oooo.... That's going to leave a mark...

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HighPlainsDrifter

04/13/2012 08:39PM

I will be 65 this year. I once thought that I could go on forever.

My health is good, but my body now reminds (in the words of Buddy Guy)........ "that I done got old, and can't do the things I used to do". Biggest ache are my shoulders and that is a bitch for one who loves the canoe..... too many years of abuse I guess.

I still plan canoe trips in my mind. My old team of trippers are now tied up (or in their grave). I built a solo canoe with the idea that if I was to get up north it would be alone. I have not gone solo with it yet and I need to do that....... (I do not do well with my mind when alone in the woods). Group of old folks paddling solo canoes would be good (if similar abilities and desires).

In the mean time, I am building another canoe. I get as much pleasure out of building as I do paddling..

"Boredom, Tyler - that's what's wrong. And how do you beat boredom, Tyler?... Adventure...(Never Cry Wolf, 1983)

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awbrown

04/13/2012 08:54PM

quote oldgentleman: "I wanted to expand a little on Spartan2's comments regarding age, but didn't want to hijack RaisedByBear's thread. I'm about the same age as spartans 1&2 so we have something in common aside from the fact that we went to that excellent school.

I had an incident last year falling down on a portage that shook me up a little. I've discussed the age and ability thing with friends and family and of course have gotten a variety of opinions.

My wifes standard comment, "You're not as young as you used to be."
My son, "You don't need to go all hardcore all the time, you could just relax and fish."
My friends seem to think I'm going to be able to keep on trippin' forever. They think I'm a tough old bird, an opinion I've always encouraged. ;)

I have my trip planned for this year. I wouldn't consider it hardcore, but it's certainly not going to be base camping. I'm going to seriously lighten my pack, something that I have never done before. Also going to go slower on the portages.

So you other people in your 50's, 60's, 70's, Whaddaya think?

"

Most of us male types think we're pretty tough, and even more so the male types that pursue things like canoe tripping.........and then along comes a reality check like a fall on a portage. As we age, we all have a "fall on a portage" or similar incident that gives us a rude reality check.

All of a sudden, we begin to doubt ourselves, ....maybe even question whether we should stop this crazy, dangerous activity.....after all, we are alone out in the wilderness, it's a long way to go for help, the hospital is a long way away.....sit in front of a fireplace instead of a fire pit....maybe I should stop this craziness........maybe I should take up basket weaving like my kids think I should do!!

You can lighten your gear...... switch to a better pack.....you can alter your tripping plans......you can base camp.....take more lay over days....You can do any number of things that make your tripping easier on your aging body.

But the biggest hurdle is to lighten the load on your brain.......regain your self confidence.

You've had your "fall on a portage", and you are taking steps to deal with the reality that you, physically, can't quite do what you used to be able to do. You are over the hump, you are now aware that you have limitations.

You'll be fine. Keep on tripping.

Keep the open side up

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awbrown

04/13/2012 08:54PM

Keep the open side up

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tobiedog

04/13/2012 08:58PM

57 here and I'm sitting on the couch with a back support pillow and a heating pad- should not have done that Easter softball game with the kids! I'm very disgusted with my bad back but we stay in a cabin on the edge and go in and out. You guys are inspiring!

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oneportage

04/13/2012 09:28PM

I am 52 and still carry a canoe and a pack across most portages with out stopping. when I can no longer do that I will try 1 1/2 trips across. after that double, triple, or crawl across portages. I can not imagine not going on a canoe trip. I am lucky, I do not have any physical issues,yet. I understand that as we age our bodies change and not everyone will have the same experiance. I think any way a person can experiance the bwca is great. basecamp, travel every day ,or day trip, just so you get there. I hope to have many more years to canoe because there are to many places I have not been. has anyone noticed that as you age some things do not bother you as much like mud, rain, pain etc?

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AdamXChicago

04/13/2012 11:12PM

quote bojibob: "I turned 50 this year and decided that now is the time to take my trips down a notch.

I'm not out there to prove how far/fast and deep I can go anymore.
My trips will now be 4-7 miles a day Max and also have some layover days. I only plan to be on the water 4-5 hours Max per day

I will take more gear for my comfort and enjoyment and will portage less. I will let the minimalists carry less, go faster and further. They WIN!

"

Ditto for me. I train longer, but at a tempered speed - gradually building up strength and stamina starting Jan 1st of each year. As I turn 50 next month, I'm investing in lighter gear and plan on enjoying the tenor of my future trips, not the pace...

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Beaverjack

04/14/2012 04:36AM

I'm of the opinion that you don't "go softly into that dark night." You go kickin' and screamin' and make them shove you into the box. I'm goin' to push it, at every opportunity. I ride my bike around the most boring area I can think of (farm fields), but it keeps me fit. Lifting weights some. Sometimes it's only for one two week trip that I'm living for every year. That's kinda sad, but that's what our rat race is all about. If we were living the dream, we wouldn't need BWCA.com, now would we? I say keep going hard, train to make it possible, and if you buy the big one on a trip, consider yourself lucky. My life insurance is the best retirement plan my wife's got these days.

That said, I do notice that it's harder to push it like I should be able to. I was barely able to get my Prospecter up on the truck the other day. Pulled a muscle in my arm doing it. It's never been that hard before. I figure that I'll start flipping a canoe around every few days just to make them lighter. I also lose my balance when I should be fleet of foot like I've always been. I stepped off a rock with a canoe on my head last year and nearly broke my leg. Maybe I'll try some yoga for that.

The point is not to change what I try to do, just try to prepare for it better knowing that the grim reaper is trying to make me wilt in the face of life so he can torture me before he takes me away. I wish I could get a bead on that bastard and send him back to hell for all of us, but until then, I guess it's hand-to-hand combat in my case.

Tony

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TomT

04/14/2012 05:05AM

quote Beaverjack: " My life insurance is the best retirement plan my wife's got these days.

"

If she starts telling you to do more trips I'd get worried if I were you. :)

I'm 52 and luckily - for canoe tripping anyway - I have a physical job that keeps my weight down and me in good shape. That said, I do not have the endurance I once had. The good news is I think I have aquired some of that old age wisdom and now canoe trip smarter.

A lot can be said for preparing for a trip beforehand by training for it. Then, if you plan on looping, try to really lighten the load. We are very fortunate these days to have the technology of ultralight canoes and gear. I think of people like Dorothy Molter, Bob Cary, and Sig Olson who had to really work hard in their old age. No, these days we are very lucky. The key is to work out and prepare your body year round.

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overthehill

04/14/2012 07:45AM

I'll be 55 very soon and just the last couple years have I really noticed my endurance dropping fast. I have a somewhat physical job and when 8 hrs are done; my body tells me intead of my watch.When thinking of tripping/portaging I excuse myself by saying,"What's the rush? It's the things along the journey moreso than the destination." Goals are good, and it's good to push a little; but I'll never see every cranny of Bdub anyway.

I think every major mistake I ever made was because I was either pushing too hard with a sense of urgency or just plain impatience and impulsiveness, so I find myself repeating my favorite saying to myself (actually my Grandfathers' echo)

"Not To Hurry; Not To Worry" ;) oth

Not to Hurry-Not to Worry

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donnan

04/14/2012 07:58AM

We are 71 and 61 and still have 6 canoe trips planned this summer. So far, we're doing ok. There are a few changes-the portages are harder and we feel it more. Every year, we wonder how it is going to go. One of our trips is through Lake One. We have always made it to the northern part of Insula on the first day. That route, before the fire, provided many campsites to stop at if we needed to. We are second guessing that entry this year, because there will be fewer campsites to stop at-if we need to.

This is an interesting thread to read, because we are there, age wise that is. We don't talk about it ending, just changing. Last year we did a tow across Lac La Croix and spent a week there and only did one short portage. We're thinking we could do that or entry lakes if necessary. Neither one of us wants to give it up.

So far-71 is the oldest I have seen. Anyone older?

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PINETREE

04/14/2012 08:16AM

Being 62, I know having a Quetico and a BWCA to go to,has created a situation that makes me and gives me a reason to get and stay in shape. If we did not have these areas present I would not have as much incentive to stay in shape.Yes it is getting a little harder,but I still can paddle longer now than when I was 20.
I think I peaked in strength and endurance at age 50.

The BWCA has given us as side benefits this wonderful forum and a reason to stay in shape. I also think as you get older you see more and observe more in the canoe areas you missed or took them for granted when you were young and under 40.

Sig: All of us our Dreamers. Dreams are what started everything. We our asking ourselves a great question? all of us interested in wilderness preservation are asking...What kind of world do we want.?

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TomT

04/14/2012 08:40AM

quote PINETREE: "The BWCA has given us as side benefits this wonderful forum and a reason to stay in shape. I also think as you get older you see more and observe more in the canoe areas you missed or took them for granted when you were young and under 40."

Definitely agree. Having a trip planned is great incentive to work out. Also, I stop to notice things more now (on a trip), especially when I'm solo.

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Ozarker

04/14/2012 08:41AM

I'm 58 and the Mrs. turned 60 last month. The biggest thing I've noticed about approaching "seasoned citizen" status is that I don't jump out of bed raring to go in the mornings. It is taking some time to get the bod warmed up and moving. I just have to take things a little slower, but I can still do it. I still see me canoeing and tripping for at least another 15 years or so, good Lord willing.

"Paddle faster, I hear banjo music!"

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Longpaddler

04/14/2012 12:43PM

I can so relate to this string. Just turned 62 and had my second knee surgery...early so I can make my annual trip to the northcountry this August (first time to WCPP). I've been doing 2-day paddle in, basecamp, then 2-day paddle out trips the last several years to compensate for my "basketball knees". This year in WCPP I will be going back to portaging every day. I know I will have to go a little slower than I used to...but I'll compensate by spending two more days than I used to...."oh darn"...lol

..there is nothing- absolute nothing- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats - Wind in the Willows

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Traveler

04/14/2012 01:35PM

I turn 57 tomorrow. I still love the canoe trips but I don't get more than a few lakes from the truck anymore. This has not reduced my pleasure though, just the risk. Lord willing I can keep this up for at least 20 more years.

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The Great Outdoors

04/14/2012 02:11PM

quote mocha: "just turned 50 last november. the past years i've stepped up the ruggedness of trips because i don't want my body thinking it's 50.
my doctor commented that i had a special birthday, i said it was no big deal, 50 is just a number - my chronological age, it's not the age i feel inside. he just smirked at me and said, "50 is 50, you are 50 inside and out." i think i should fire him! what a bad attitude.

one thing i have noticed is my depth perception is getting worse, so on rocky portages i really have to take my time and watch my step. for now, i'm choosing to ignore other aches and pains.

"
50?
WOW, that's pretty old!! :)
Bwahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!

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bruceye

04/14/2012 02:44PM

In my personal opinion, there is not even the question of 'when will I stop". I will continue as long as my body lets me and make whatever adjustments in gear, weight, and distance that need be.
I turned 53 in march and at the risk of sounding haughty, I must say even to my own surprise, am in better physical shape than most guys 10 years my junior. This I can attribute to the loving protection of Jehovah, which in my youth, to me, was an unkown concept.

At the same time, I harbor no illusions over what tomorrow will bring with a realistic view that "time and unforseen occurence befalls us all". Ecc.9:11. But till then, yes, I will paddle, canoe country and if it so happens that the choice's of a foolish old man caused death to find him on the waters or shoreline of that beautiful place?

Know that he left this world... a happy man. :)

Bruceye

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KarlBAndersen1

04/14/2012 03:15PM

I'm 58 and decided to move to Minnesota in July. Near Grand Rapids.
I'm self employed, so have no excuse to not be on the water whenever there's an opportunity.
I don't want to miss any more chances.
"I am haunted by waters."

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PINETREE

04/14/2012 03:56PM

A few years back ran into a individual who was 76 and was doing a 2 week solo up to Kawnipi area. Said he goes solo now because he outlived a couple of wife's.

Really the new old I think is more toward 70 now,than say our parents era. If I am feeling good I can keep up to the young crowd,usually. It is the recovery time is slower. Also like it was in the past years,I seem to get stronger after a few days of paddling. The body is amazing how it adjusts. Maybe a little Aleve to sleep better.

Sig: All of us our Dreamers. Dreams are what started everything. We our asking ourselves a great question? all of us interested in wilderness preservation are asking...What kind of world do we want.?

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emptynest56

04/14/2012 04:00PM

quote oneportage: "I am 52 and still carry a canoe and a pack across most portages with out stopping. when I can no longer do that I will try 1 1/2 trips across. after that double, triple, or crawl across portages. I can not imagine not going on a canoe trip. I am lucky, I do not have any physical issues,yet. I understand that as we age our bodies change and not everyone will have the same experiance. I think any way a person can experiance the bwca is great. basecamp, travel every day ,or day trip, just so you get there. I hope to have many more years to canoe because there are to many places I have not been. has anyone noticed that as you age some things do not bother you as much like mud, rain, pain etc?"
I agree. Also seems though that the highs of life are dulled also, except for one: The first walleye bite of a trip. Gets me every time.

"Did you bring the coffee?" "No. I thought you were."

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oldgentleman

04/14/2012 04:14PM

It's a fact that a planned expedition encourages me to keep in shape. I've always been pretty active for a desk jockey but since my first BWCA trip in 2000 I've been actually training for the next trip. I think I'm as strong as I've ever been, but tendons aren't as stretchy, joints aren't as limber. I have noticed that my balance isn't as good. That's a concern for the hiking I do in Colorado, where you really don't want to fall down! I have pretty good stamina but once I stop I need to rest longer to catch up.

Anyway, I'll always spend a lot of time outdoors. Just have to make the adjustments.

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nctry

04/14/2012 04:26PM

Thought of this thread last night when I had my grandson at the circus and took him on the big blowup slide. He wasn't able to climb up himself, so I had to put him on my shoulders and pull us up there. The forth time was a bugger. A little reality check to get my working out to a higher level. I'm fighting some physical things too, but like to blame it on old age. :)

Nctry Ben

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joe47

04/14/2012 10:02PM

What a great thread! I'm 64 and retired last September. The stressful sit-down job was trying to kill me. No more excuses for not making the B-dub each year. Bought a Prism kevlar ultralight to help with the portages. I loved reading the various posts, some very thoughtful, dare I say soulful folks here. Maybe we should have an old geezers rendezvous. Problem is, seems like none of us feel like old geezers, so no one would show up.

Joe

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eagle93

04/14/2012 10:52PM

Will turn 62 this summer. For the last 12 years have lead 30+ groups of high school students in the BW. I was always able to keep up with them. However, joints are not what they used to be. I will retire in about 35 days, then MY trips begin. Travel when I want, stop when I want, fish if I want, or do nothing if I want. First trip May 17th. Plan to continue until I can't . Mom lived to 87, Dad to 92. I have a long way to go.

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oldgentleman

04/15/2012 10:49AM

quote eagle93: "Will turn 62 this summer. I will retire in about 35 days, then MY trips begin. "

quote joe47: "I'm 64 and retired last September. The stressful sit-down job was trying to kill me. "

Retirement is great. For those of us with sedentary careers it can be a real life saver! I can't believe these people that retire and are bored.

Of all the things I've done since retiring, the best thing for me is having a leisurely breakfast with my wife. No hurry, no schedule. We talk, watch the birds and have another cup of coffee, stress free!

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TomT

04/15/2012 12:57PM

That's why I buy lotto tickets.

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airmorse

04/15/2012 01:14PM

This will be the first year that my uncle will not be going with us. He has made every trip for the past 20 years. Due to parkinsons disease and the difficulty he had last year he has decided to end his yearly adventure to the BW.
He is not that old but is one of the unlucky few that contracted this disease at a relatively young age.

He has had the deep brain stimulation surgery and that gave him two more years than he would have not had to go to the BW and the surgery greatly reduced the meds that he had to take and the associated side effects.

Many times it's not age that limits us but poor health. Be grateful for your good health and your ability to continue to go to the place we all love.

"It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and you think you've got the stock market beat...but a man worth while is a man who can smile when his shorts are to tight in the seat", Judge Smails.

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Spartan2

04/15/2012 02:10PM

quote joe47: "What a great thread! I'm 64 and retired last September. The stressful sit-down job was trying to kill me. No more excuses for not making the B-dub each year. Bought a Prism kevlar ultralight to help with the portages. I loved reading the various posts, some very thoughtful, dare I say soulful folks here. Maybe we should have an old geezers rendezvous. Problem is, seems like none of us feel like old geezers, so no one would show up."

Welcome to the board, Joe.

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Kevlar

04/15/2012 02:54PM

What a great thread! I'd like to thank all the contributors, but especially Spartan 2 for always getting it said just right, and awbrown, and Ghamer, what a pic!

I'm 68, and have done at least 4 trips a year since 1977, taking my students and now guiding for the local city rec. dept. I also coached cross-country running and ran all year round except when I could cross-country ski, and I often threw in some weight work. I never was a good athlete, but I stayed in shape.

Now the down side...I can't do what I used to, even with the exercise program. I have had rotator cuff issues, leg tendon issues, lower back issues...none requiring surgery, but maybe all of them from lack of specific physical training aimed at those areas. I have gained 20 lbs in the last 12 years, don't have the good sense of balance or the strength I once had, get tired more easily, and take three days or more to recover from a 5 day canoe trip.

I don't intend to quit tripping, but I already have started to temper how I do trips. I am often guiding (with my guide partner) rookies, so we usually take it a little easier anyway. Shorter days, more likely to declare a windbound day, shorter loops. Some trips are sort of a basecamp style, with maybe two nights here, travel, two night there.

As somebody else said here, I cannot imagine my life with no BWCA in it, in some way, shape, or form. If it comes to that, I will have a very hard adjustment. I hope there are some younger people willing to take me, as I took them. Now I'm beginning to not like this thread!

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Kiporby

04/15/2012 03:02PM

quote mocha: "quote Arkansas Man: "I am glad because my tripping partner, (my wife may not be able to do as much as she has in the past because of a scapula fracture she suffered in a cycling accident! It makes paddling, and carrying things hard for her... but I would paddle it all and carry it all just to have her go... because she so loves it!
Bruce"

this is the most wonderful statement of love and affection i've heard in a long time! "

Bruce is the man!

There is a light and it never goes out. Morrissey

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PlumberDave

04/15/2012 05:11PM

57 here and have been tripping for over 30 years. I would always go hard and fast because that is how I was introduced to the BWCA.

Phase one: As mentioned above would do single portage with double packs and less gear. Traveled with friends. Would go fast and hard.

Phase two: Introduced kids to BWCA. Had to bring more things with such as clothes, food, medicine, etc.
Would on some occasion do a double portage and shorter trips with less portages.

Phase three: Older now, kids are older now wanting to do more portaging and further trips. I am moving slower now, more cautious, watching my every step.
I have high blood pressure, take med. I run 4 miles a week, that's not alot but it is good for me.
I take more things with me now like chair because my lower back needs rest. Kids still want to try new routes and go in further.

I will continue tripping as long as I can I don't care what people say. I customize each year for what I think I can handel or what I want to handel.
I say, you know your body limits and you should do what you think you can handle

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butthead

04/15/2012 07:19PM

I'm an old muscle car gear-head, so I think in those terms. Just need to lay off the throttle a bit more. My be capable of an impressive burst of speed but I have matured beyond that!

butthead

“There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life.” ? Frank Zappa

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Savage Voyageur

04/15/2012 07:31PM

I'm 55 and going strong. I will be going as long as I have my legs. Last year I met a family grandson, son/wife and 70 year old grandfather on the Splash portage. They paddled the length of Moose Lake while we waited for the tow. They almost beat us back to LaTourells. We did the tow because of a timing thing but it made me think, Good for them.

"So many lakes, so little time."

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greenydd

04/15/2012 08:53PM

took a few canoe trips with church youth group when i was 'young' but ive been tripping seriously since 1992. i look back on stories from 10 or so years ago when tina and i said, 'as the years go by, we will take shorter trips, cross less lakes and portages and spend more time at a base camp.' well its been the total opposite for us! seems like every year the trip gets bigger and bigger. im not gonna tell you how many lakes we plan on crossing this may...not yet anyway! i want to make sure we get it all done, then i'll fill you in :O)

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RaisedByBears99

04/15/2012 08:53PM

My father has always been a dynamo. For most of his life, if he wasn't moving fast or working hard, he was sleeping. He had a tendency to fall asleep in church and snore - getting many an elbow in the ribs from my mother. He wasn't one to sit when he could stand, walk, run, or fix something.

There is a particularly bad portage we take to a "secret" fishing hole. It was with great surprise, a few years ago, that I heard my father say, "I don't think I ever want to do this again."

I just couldn't believe it, but I'm starting to know how he felt.

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john 800

04/15/2012 08:55PM

You guys sure are all in a hurry to get somewhere for a bunch of hippies....

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DanCooke

04/15/2012 09:09PM

56 here with one hip replacement and double hernia fix. Easier tripping now than leading up to the hip replacement. My Fathers Last trip in was at 69 and he had to catheterize himself to relieve himself, My father in-law was 75. We had to help them the last few years but they still enjoyed the time, even though it was hard for them. We all go at the rate our bodies allow us, but whatever the rate it always will bring a smile to my face.

Dan Cooke

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Spartan2

04/15/2012 09:16PM

Hippies?

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CabSauv

04/15/2012 09:51PM

My wife and I just attended her uncles funeral where the Fisherman's Prayer was used. Part of the prayer asks that "...I might fish all the days of my life", which just started us thinking about what we want to do "all the days of our lives". For me, it is getting to float my canoe on a quite lake. I'm hoping to take some form of BW trips for years to come but know that those trips will look different years from now than they do now at age 52.

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john 800

04/16/2012 12:37AM

quote Spartan2: "Hippies?"

Ok, there was a thread a few days ago on smoking pot that got me thinking, many here were around in the 60s and 70s and are of the right age to be a "flower child". Plus we all are on this website because we enjoy camping on quiet lakes out in the woods, not trying to pigeonhole everyone but most of that screams hippie :) Not that there is anything wrong with that.

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RaisedByBears99

04/16/2012 02:11AM

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Spartan2

04/16/2012 05:52AM

quote john 800: "quote Spartan2: "Hippies?"

Ok, there was a thread a few days ago on smoking pot that got me thinking, many here were around in the 60s and 70s and are of the right age to be a "flower child". Plus we all are on this website because we enjoy camping on quiet lakes out in the woods, not trying to pigeonhole everyone but most of that screams hippie :) Not that there is anything wrong with that. "

Yeah, well, john800, there are lots of us here who are perhaps the right age to be hippies, but are pretty much the other type. Have never smoked anything in my life, let alone pot, my husband is a Viet Nam vet with two Purple Hearts, and I guess it just amused me because the hippies I knew back in the 60's (went to college with a few thousand of them) would never have worked hard enough to have done a wilderness canoe trip! The real hard-core hippies were also hard-core lazy. LOL!

Maybe I am mistaken, though. There could be many former "flower children" in our group. I must admit that I was amazed by the positive responses to the thread about people smoking weed.

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PortageKeeper

04/16/2012 07:13AM

56 and will still single portage on solo trips. Don't do base camp trips unless portage clearing.
I do definitely feel the difference though. Takes longer to get going in the a.m., travel days are shorter and I bring a chair on every trip.
Learning all the tricks to make life easier in camp helps... no more balancing on a rock at lakeside to pump water, if getting fire wood means getting all wet and cold while tripping through the woods and brush, then I don't, I have ALL my cooking stuff and food near my chair in camp so I don't need to get up again 'til after the dishes are clean... ok, that's just plain lazy.

“The more you know, the less you carry” Mors Kochanski

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oldgentleman

04/16/2012 09:02AM

Well, we never really considered ourselves hippies, but we were free spirits. Did a lot of traveling. Went to Woodstock. Met a lot of people. With a lot of the 'free spirits' did a lot of hiking, back packing, raced motorcycles, canoeing and camping. We loved getting outdoors. Still do.

Of course we all held regular jobs, so we weren't really hippies.

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Freddy

04/16/2012 12:05PM

58 here, and still in good health but my wife and I routinely remind each other that the clock is ticking. We still do strenuous backcountry mountain hiking and canoe trips with multiple portages but we need to train a lot more than we used to and we are all to aware that we will soon need to give some things up.

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul" John Muir

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Scout64

04/16/2012 05:31PM

Not 50 yet, but it is coming up quickly. About 5 years ago, I started to filter my water. Last year was the first year I brought a chair and a sleeping pad. This year I bought OTBs for ankle support. I was thinking the older I get the less I would bring to lighten the load. Who knew it would go the other way.

"Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit."

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john 800

04/16/2012 08:50PM

quote Spartan2: "quote john 800: "quote Spartan2: "Hippies?"

"

I guess it just amused me because the hippies I knew back in the 60's (went to college with a few thousand of them) would never have worked hard enough to have done a wilderness canoe trip! The real hard-core hippies were also hard-core lazy. LOL!

"

Thats were I was going also... just in a different way :)
I think its funny and interesting how many of us really dont fit with the hippie/earth muffin mold, its all good and everyone is welome here though except a few :)
Dont mean to hijack, continue on to reading glasses, whole grains and viagra. All of which are important to a good trip

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Wetlander

04/16/2012 09:28PM

quote mocha: "just turned 50 last november. the past years I've stepped up the ruggedness of trips because I don't want my body thinking it's 50.
my doctor commented that I had a special birthday, I said it was no big deal, 50 is just a number - my chronological age, it's not the age I feel inside. he just smirked at me and said, "50 is 50, you are 50 inside and out." I think I should fire him! what a bad attitude.
"

I got a crazy idea early this year that I wanted to try and run a marathon, and what better marathon than Grandma's in Duluth?! I have been training since last fall and a couple months ago I started to get a lot of pain in my left knee. I have never been a runner, but I have also never had any injuries. I went to the doc and told him what was going on. He told me that maybe I am just not meant to be a runner, maybe I am getting to old.... I will be 29 in May. I kind of wanted to punch him...

Sorry, I got a little off topic, back to your regularly scheduled programming!

The greatest wonder is that we can see these trees and not wonder more.-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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PINETREE

04/16/2012 09:47PM

I think running on hard pavement is very hard on knees. Try sod,dirt roads,or like I do in my sporadic running, I use the high school track
which is kind of rubberized material.
Alternative do some long distance biking or off paved trail biking.

Sig: All of us our Dreamers. Dreams are what started everything. We our asking ourselves a great question? all of us interested in wilderness preservation are asking...What kind of world do we want.?

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SunnyDay

04/16/2012 10:11PM

http://whistlestopmarathon.com/

This marathon is through the woods on an old railroad bed. On a crushed limestone(?) gravel bed. It's gorgeous as it's run in the fall. I don't run, but have walked half of it.

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RaisedByBears99

04/17/2012 12:03AM

quote oldgentleman: "quote eagle93:
I can't believe these people that retire and are bored.
"

Ditto! My younger brother - who retired years ago, is constantly coming to me and asking for ideas for a hobby. The man has never had a hobby! He is bored stiff.

I, on the other hand, have always had way too many hobbies. Even retired, I doubt I will have time for half of them.

In 56 days I get to find out. ( I think I added this up the other night and came up with 48. Math was never my strong suit.)

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PINETREE

04/17/2012 07:47AM

When you retire one of your new daily jobs should be to exercise with the time you did not have available in the past. The people who have done that on retirement are reaping the benefits.

Sig: All of us our Dreamers. Dreams are what started everything. We our asking ourselves a great question? all of us interested in wilderness preservation are asking...What kind of world do we want.?

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Wetlander

04/17/2012 10:29AM

quote PINETREE: "I think running on hard pavement is very hard on knees. Try sod,dirt roads,or like I do in my sporadic running, I use the high school track
which is kind of rubberized material.
Alternative do some long distance biking or off paved trail biking."

I live on a gravel road so that has been where I do most of my running. When its cold outside, I go run on the indoor rubber track. I have actually found that I am in less pain when I run on pavement vs gravel. Rubber is the easiest of course but I can't stand to run laps. BORING. I think it is the unevenness of the gravel that is causing me to do too much extra twisting at the knees, but who knows.

I'll quit now, sorry for the semi hijack

The greatest wonder is that we can see these trees and not wonder more.-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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joetrain

04/17/2012 10:52AM

I am now 56 and honestly feel better than when I was 36. I no longer smoke and generally take much better care of myself then before. I work in construction so my job is physical which in my opinion has helped me stay in shape. I have made close to 40 trips to the quetico and a few years ago purchased a Souris River Q17. This canoe and lightening up on my packs have made my trips so much more enjoyable. It never hurts to have a younger partner and not to be ashamed of letting them carry more of the weight. I say go as long as you are able , dont rush because wherever you are going will still be there even if it takes a little longer to get there. Have fun and God bless ~JOE~

al dio sia la gloria

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Unas10

04/17/2012 04:50PM

quote Wetlander: "quote mocha: "just turned 50 last november. the past years I've stepped up the ruggedness of trips because I don't want my body thinking it's 50.
my doctor commented that I had a special birthday, I said it was no big deal, 50 is just a number - my chronological age, it's not the age I feel inside. he just smirked at me and said, "50 is 50, you are 50 inside and out." I think I should fire him! what a bad attitude.
"

I got a crazy idea early this year that I wanted to try and run a marathon, and what better marathon than Grandma's in Duluth?! I have been training since last fall and a couple months ago I started to get a lot of pain in my left knee. I have never been a runner, but I have also never had any injuries. I went to the doc and told him what was going on. He told me that maybe I am just not meant to be a runner, maybe I am getting to old.... I will be 29 in May. I kind of wanted to punch him...

Sorry, I got a little off topic, back to your regularly scheduled programming!"

Maybe he was just not meant to be a doctor.

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Jeriatric

04/17/2012 05:20PM

In my mid-sixties, I feel that I am aging about twice as fast as I did in my mid-fifties and, perhaps, three times as fast as when I was in my forties. Each passing year seems to do more damage than the previous year.
I also think that it is easier to get out-of-shape and harder to get back into shape than at any time when I was younger.
I hope to keep track of our most seasoned members here as the years pass. I hope they don't just fade away when they can no longer "trip" but will continue posting. I am sure we can learn something from their experience in growing older.

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TomT

04/17/2012 05:55PM

quote Jeriatric: "I also think that it is easier to get out-of-shape and harder to get back into shape than at any time when I was younger.

"

Yes!! If I don't do anything physical for one week I'm screwed. It then takes about 2 weeks to get my strength back and the soreness out. It's much better to just make working out part of the lifestyle.

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Ho Ho

04/17/2012 07:15PM

Great thread. So many responses so I read some completely and skimmed some others, but found it all very enlightening.

I'm at the young end of the "old" spectrum as defined in this thread - 51. But I do feel effects of aging in terms of slowing down. In my 40s, I felt like I was in as good a shape as I had ever been in my life. I still feel like I'm in good shape, but sadly age is more than just a number, there is a reality to it, and it will slow you down. I think or at least hope that it will be many years, though, before it materially affects my ability to take the canoe trips I want.

But when it does, I have a plan - the same as the Spartans' plan - take younger people with you and have them do the work! Even if the younger people are in their 50s. :-) So I'm working on introducing the youngsters to canoe tripping now. There's lots of unselfish motivations for that - basically, I like the kids and I love canoe country. There's also a selfish motivation - some day when I'm old they'll take me canoe tripping.

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SunCatcher

04/17/2012 08:08PM

Wow a lot of philisophical stuff in here.
I am just a mere double nickel, and out of shape (but round is a shape) I never started doing all this physical por taj ing crap till 2009, so it is fairly new to me. I learned quickly that, time is not that darn important on a por tajh. It is not a race, and thank goodness or I would have lost. :)
So I will go now till I croak out there some where and the Mrs will have to understand, that alltough she married a greek god, now I look like a godamn greek.
SunCatcher

Dad Always said "We don't Always catch fish...but we ALWAYS have a good time"

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PINETREE

04/17/2012 08:47PM

Time for a hearing aid,already got the bifocals in my glasses.
The other year in the spring we were canoeing and I told my nephew I am not hearing any grouse drumming this year. He promptly points out 2-3 birds drumming close to where we were,that I could not hear. Also I don't hear a lot of the song birds chirping. Yes, I can still hear about half of them.

Sig: All of us our Dreamers. Dreams are what started everything. We our asking ourselves a great question? all of us interested in wilderness preservation are asking...What kind of world do we want.?

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oldgentleman

04/18/2012 03:43AM

quote PINETREE: "Time for a hearing aid,already got the bifocals in my glasses.
The other year in the spring we were canoeing and I told my nephew I am not hearing any grouse drumming this year. He promptly points out 2-3 birds drumming close to where we were,that I could not hear. Also I don't hear a lot of the song birds chirping. Yes, I can still hear about half of them."

I'm with you on the hearing aids. I've had them for about 4 years now. The problem is that they are so small, fragile and expensive that I don't take them out into the wilderness. Wearing them in the rain could cost me 4 grand. On the plus side, those night time noises don't keep me awake.

I did buy some hunters sound amplifiers. They look like big, clunky hearing aids but they're under $100. Maybe I'll hear the loons this year.

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oldgentleman

04/18/2012 03:48AM

quote Jeriatric: "In my mid-sixties, I feel that I am aging about twice as fast as I did in my mid-fifties and, perhaps, three times as fast as when I was in my forties. Each passing year seems to do more damage than the previous year.
I also think that it is easier to get out-of-shape and harder to get back into shape than at any time when I was younger.
I hope to keep track of our most seasoned members here as the years pass. I hope they don't just fade away when they can no longer "trip" but will continue posting. I am sure we can learn something from their experience in growing older. "

I feel the same way. I just turned 66 last month and it seems that I've aged a lot in the last year in spite of being more active than I was before retiring.

So Jerry, since we have so many other things in common, we'll keep in contact as we go,eh?

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Beaverjack

04/18/2012 06:38AM

Did something to my upper arm. Don't know how, but I now see stars when I put on a shirt, use an ATM out the window of my car, or try to flip a canoe up on my head. Won't seem to get better. This never used to happen.

Tony

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TomT

04/18/2012 06:43AM

Not sure if I wanted to start a new thread or not, but have any of you considered being cremated and having your ashes spread in a favorite lake?

It's a tad morbid but damn if I don't want my ashes in Quetico. There's several pros to this for me. I hate the thought of being embalmbed and having people parade past my ugly corpse and comment "how good he looks". Yuk! Also, it will spare the family the price of a burial.

Any thoughts on a morbid Wednesday? I know the lake I want to rest in, do you?

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mocha

04/18/2012 07:07AM

pinched nerve in the neck? rotator cuff? don't mess with that pain.

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Beaverjack

04/18/2012 07:56AM

quote TomT: "Not sure if I wanted to start a new thread or not, but have any of you considered being cremated and having your ashes spread in a favorite lake?

It's a tad morbid but damn if I don't want my ashes in Quetico. There's several pros to this for me. I hate the thought of being embalmbed and having people parade past my ugly corpse and comment "how good he looks". Yuk! Also, it will spare the family the price of a burial.

Any thoughts on a morbid Wednesday? I know the lake I want to rest in, do you?"

I plan on being creamated and either thrown off the pass overlooking Shosone Basin, or taken to BW (no lake selected yet). It will depend on what my son is willing to commit to. I want to make sure I'm not just thrown off a bridge into the Ohio River. Don't want to spend eternity mixing with municipal sewage and being filtered by water treatment plants, then dumped into a landfill. I guess I better hurry up and decide on a good lake.

Tony

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Spartan2

04/18/2012 02:32PM

quote TomT: "Not sure if I wanted to start a new thread or not, but have any of you considered being cremated and having your ashes spread in a favorite lake?

It's a tad morbid but damn if I don't want my ashes in Quetico. There's several pros to this for me. I hate the thought of being embalmbed and having people parade past my ugly corpse and comment "how good he looks". Yuk! Also, it will spare the family the price of a burial.

Any thoughts on a morbid Wednesday? I know the lake I want to rest in, do you?"

Interesting. I don't consider it morbid at all. I have our funeral bulletins already designed (an artist friend of ours did a charcoal sketch for us), our obituaries written (except for some necessary updates, of course) and my own memorial service planned. After spending most of my life in church music, there was no way that someone else was going to choose that music and those scriptures! LOL!

I have specifically stated that I wish to be directly cremated and not to have any "viewing" at the visitation for family and friends. Just lots of photos. Our ashes will be taken to the BWCA if our family is able to do so, and yes, the lake is specified, although if they are unable to get to that lake, they will know that an alternate is acceptable.

We also have wills, advance directives, etc. Just common sense, in my opinion.

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MrBreeze

04/18/2012 02:47PM

I will hit the half century mark in a few months. Some days i get up and feel 30 years old, other days i feel 80 years old. It is not so much that I can't do the things i used to do but that it sometimes hurts a little more afterwards. Nothing a few asprin cant fix though. My grandmother told me once that age is a state of mind, not how old you are physically. As long as I don't hinder or slow down my paddle partners, I will be there. They still fight over having me in their canoe because I can pull from the bow with the best of them. And I am still an ox at the portages. I just hit the sack a little earlier and sometimes stay in it a little later.

Don't let a number keep you from what you love!

I wish I were, I wish I might, I wish I was in the BWCA tonite!

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Wetlander

04/18/2012 02:58PM

I seem to remember being told it was illegal to place human remains into MN Lake, ashes included.

What are they going to do, arrest you?!

Anyone else hear of this?

The greatest wonder is that we can see these trees and not wonder more.-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Spartan2

04/18/2012 03:15PM

I didn't say my ashes were going IN the lake.

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Jeriatric

04/18/2012 07:16PM

quote Spartan2: "quote TomT: "Not sure if I wanted to start a new thread or not, but have any of you considered being cremated and having your ashes spread in a favorite lake?

It's a tad morbid but damn if I don't want my ashes in Quetico. There's several pros to this for me. I hate the thought of being embalmbed and having people parade past my ugly corpse and comment "how good he looks". Yuk! Also, it will spare the family the price of a burial.

Any thoughts on a morbid Wednesday? I know the lake I want to rest in, do you?"

Interesting. I don't consider it morbid at all. I have our funeral bulletins already designed (an artist friend of ours did a charcoal sketch for us), our obituaries written (except for some necessary updates, of course) and my own memorial service planned. After spending most of my life in church music, there was no way that someone else was going to choose that music and those scriptures! LOL!

I have specifically stated that I wish to be directly cremated and not to have any "viewing" at the visitation for family and friends. Just lots of photos. Our ashes will be taken to the BWCA if our family is able to do so, and yes, the lake is specified, although if they are unable to get to that lake, they will know that an alternate is acceptable.

We also have wills, advance directives, etc. Just common sense, in my opinion."
Whoa! Have you viewed the Northern Lights yet? Wasn't that in your bucket list of things to do?
I'm not serious here. It's just my way of introducing the "bucket list" idea into the conversation.

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Jeriatric

04/18/2012 07:22PM

quote oldgentleman: "quote Jeriatric: "In my mid-sixties, I feel that I am aging about twice as fast as I did in my mid-fifties and, perhaps, three times as fast as when I was in my forties. Each passing year seems to do more damage than the previous year.
I also think that it is easier to get out-of-shape and harder to get back into shape than at any time when I was younger.
I hope to keep track of our most seasoned members here as the years pass. I hope they don't just fade away when they can no longer "trip" but will continue posting. I am sure we can learn something from their experience in growing older. "

I feel the same way. I just turned 66 last month and it seems that I've aged a lot in the last year in spite of being more active than I was before retiring.

So Jerry, since we have so many other things in common, we'll keep in contact as we go,eh?"
Yes. Not even trembling, arthritic fingers could keep me from the keyboard.

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ron1

04/18/2012 08:54PM

moving thread; even though it's my bedtime I couldn't stop reading it. After seeing that most of you are in your 50's and 60's I have to say thanks for making me feel so young at 45! :-) But things are already falling apart; can't read things with my right eye unless I move them away from me. This hit me hard since I have always been blessed with above average eyesight. I have some sort of injury in my right hand that keeps it from full strength and gives a sharp pain at times when I use it, and my left knee goes out ever more frequently. What am I going to be like at 65?!?!?
But seriously, this thread will motivate me to make every effort to keep a bwca trip in my regular schedule since our time here is not infinite, and in fact is growing shorter with every passing year.

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Spartan2

04/18/2012 09:04PM

To jeriatric:

No I have not seen the Northern Lights yet. Please don't think that because I have my final preferences planned out and have let my family know what to do with my remains, that I intend to cash out in the near future! I still have lots of things/places on my bucket list! LOL!

We have two vacations planned for this summer, we hope to go to the Rose Bowl in December, and we have booked a Caribbean cruise for February. We may be slowing down, but we aren't giving up!

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Curmudgeon

04/18/2012 09:11PM

I'm only 42, I'm still in pretty good shape, but I don't have as much energy as I did when I was in my twenties. I feel just as good and better in some ways.

But I now I'm in my last decade of youth.

I gotta say however, even tough I have ways valued fitness, and physical activity, I do not mind slowing down. After being on the go for so many years, I am happy to just sit around and be an arm chair adventurer most of the time. I really enjoy being a homebody.

I no longer feel I have something to prove to myself or others. I do what I wanna do, stop when I want, and don't worry if I ain't as good at it as I once was.

Now if my neighbors say this post, they'd probably say, you are constantly doing something.

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missmolly

04/22/2012 10:05AM

I was talking to a 63-year old canoeist and he said he's breaking down. I'll be 56 this summer and after hearing of his woes, I added a third trip up north this summer. One is solo, one's with a woman I met here, and the third is with an outdoor writer I've read and admired for years.

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butthead

04/22/2012 10:14AM

I like to follow Peters advise.

butthead

“There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life.” ? Frank Zappa

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kabloona

04/22/2012 10:49AM

I am 46.. I am very very active and in great shape no extra weight!
But my joints are paying the price.
I treat every day like it is my last, since I live 40 min. from the Superior National Forest I actually go camping,fishing or paddling almost every week. I have every spare second of my life devoted to the outdoors.
I am not going to be the guy that says gee...I wish I had when I was healthy, And I tell my friends that I will not push a wheel chair. Come with me now while you still can!
The one thing I have noticed about my aging is that I do not have the balance that I used to..

In place is a plan for me to actually pass in the woods with re supply help from family/friends.... I will not spend one second in a hospital or nursing home..

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missmolly

04/22/2012 11:00AM

quote kabloona: "I am 46.. I am very very active and in great shape no extra weight!
But my joints are paying the price.
I treat every day like it is my last, since I live 40 min. from the Superior National Forest I actually go camping,fishing or paddling almost every week. I have every spare second of my life devoted to the outdoors.
I am not going to be the guy that says gee...I wish I had when I was healthy, And I tell my friends that I will not push a wheel chair. Come with me now while you still can!
The one thing I have noticed about my aging is that I do not have the balance that I used to..

In place is a plan for me to actually pass in the woods with re supply help from family/friends.... I will not spend one second in a hospital or nursing home.."

Wow. You're gonna die in the woods! No lovelier place to let go.

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Mashuga

04/22/2012 11:17AM

I'm 58 and have the aches and pains that go along with it. The last 5 or so trips have been with my 24 year old son who is a personal trainer and competes in crossfit. I have never base camped and now that I'd like to do that he won't let me. He likes to see how many miles we can do in a trip and that means one trip portages too. I like camps near the water and he likes them up high. I will admit that after each trip I'm amazed I can still do it. When it gets too difficult then I'll base camp.

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tonyyarusso

04/22/2012 11:21AM

Write your will and health care directive, keep up on your life insurance, buy a PLB, and hit the trail. If you still have minor children it's more complicated, but once they're grown does it really matter if you go doing what you love?

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yellowcanoe

04/22/2012 11:33AM

I totally missed this thread with packing for a week long canoe trip next week.

I started soloing at 50 and ran through portages in Quetico and other areas till 60. Now I find myself doing a lot more paddling but less portaging. Before a ten mile day was a lot. Now its a morning paddle.

Ergo the next week trip with some 1600 rods of portaging might be an eye opener. And in the snow too.

I am very aware that "trips in the future " could be "never trips" or "only in your dreams" so we are in early retirement doing trips like never before. We have talked about the Yukon for years..but always work was in the way. This year it is now or perhaps never.

We are leaving July 15. I will be 66 a couple of weeks thereafter. Hubby is already 66.

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Jeriatric

04/22/2012 11:36AM

Growing old is not all bad. If you should break the leader on your ultra-light rig, you might find a replacement as near as growing out of your ear.

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PINETREE

04/24/2012 10:21PM

Brother is 69 and we just got done today doing North bay to Agnes back thru Sunday and still can do the Agnes to Meadow and Sunday long portages.
I sometimes think we forget were getting older once we get going,and my brother at least knows if getting out of breath take-a-break you have all day.
I know rocky areas getting out of canoes and balance is getting harder.

Sig: All of us our Dreamers. Dreams are what started everything. We our asking ourselves a great question? all of us interested in wilderness preservation are asking...What kind of world do we want.?

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mutz

04/25/2012 12:44AM

I'm 61 and have finally realized that whether I'm on a cruise, vacation in Florida or on a canoe trip it's no longer balls to the walls, I've been there done that and now I have no place to go and all day to get there, so slow down, smell the roses and enjoy life.

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missmolly

04/25/2012 06:18AM

quote PINETREE: "Brother is 69 and we just got done today doing North bay to Agnes back thru Sunday and still can do the Agnes to Meadow and Sunday long portages.
I sometimes think we forget were getting older once we get going,and my brother at least knows if getting out of breath take-a-break you have all day.
I know rocky areas getting out of canoes and balance is getting harder."

Losing balance is what scares me.

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Big Tent

04/25/2012 04:21PM

This year one of our group is recovering from a double lung transplant and he is 69. We are making some adjustments and we all hope to have a great time. He has missed the last 3 years due to his breathing issues so we are excited and apprehensive at the same time. Wish us luck!

Jay

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missmolly

04/25/2012 04:33PM

quote Big Tent: "This year one of our group is recovering from a double lung transplant and he is 69. We are making some adjustments and we all hope to have a great time. He has missed the last 3 years due to his breathing issues so we are excited and apprehensive at the same time. Wish us luck!

Jay"

Luck.

And luck, luck, LUCK!

It's great you're sticking with your buddy.

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