Feeling older!!! I was wondering when it would hit me and I found out on our last trip (8/19-8/22). The years of playing high school/college football and working construction for a large number of years came to a head on our Mudro trip this year. I have always been able to just put my head down and push through anything. This was the first trip where I got really tired. When we got to camp on Fairy I was absolutely spent. I turn 44 in September. I hope this was just an off trip! Anyone else have anything hit like this? The change from one year to this blew me away!

Mike

Welcome to the club. This is one of the reasons I switched from a tent to a hammock. I too was in a physical job all my life. I was never at a desk job. It caught up to me too. You just need to adjust your mind and your trips accordingly.

I hear ya. I used to be able to carry a 3 person aluminum forever. I can still carry a load, but I move with a slower pace these days. One of the things that has helped me is lifting weights. I lift 3x a week year round and bike as often as I can. I found that shedding a few pounds has helped me significantly. Turn 55 in a month! The other thing I suggest is bringing a tripping partner who is younger! I'm hoping to make the annual trip into my 70's.

Never a desk job here either. My "big step" years were at 41 and 58. Whether a gravy day or not; when 3:30-4:00 come my body now says, "Get off your feet!" And cringe at plumbing under a sink or vanity, running baseboard, and doing upstairs baths. I'm past 60 and hate stairs. Used to sprint up 2. steps at a time. No more.
After a two day drive to Ely, and just a few portages the next day; when camp is made and dinner done......sometimes I'm done too! :) oth

I noticed I had to be much more careful with foot placement. Especially on the rocky portage at Mudro. I'm a big guy but I have always been very agile...now I have to walk slowly and plan my steps in not-so-good terrain. It is nice to take the portages a little slower though. Some of them are very pretty. I'm kinda weird anyways...I like portages! I am also enjoying lounging around in camp in my Eno hammock. I generally like to unplug when in the BWCA but a very pleasant surprise was listening to the Twins play while I was swaying in a hammock. Sometimes its the simple things.

Mike

Unfortunately, we have to work every harder to have ever less of what we once had for free. However, we can have small victories. I leap up the first three steps in my house's outside staircases and at the beginning of the summer, I barely cleared that third step. Now, I'm got some wiggle room. I'm 61. The thing that scares me is falling. I'm fine now. I fall well. I actually fell in the woods this morning, hauling brush, but I fear the day when I won't fall well.

pp, you might have just have an off trip. Energy doesn't always ebb. Sometimes it flows to us.

quote plainspaddler: "Feeling older!!! I was wondering when it would hit me and I found out on our last trip (8/19-8/22). The years of playing high school/college football and working construction for a large number of years came to a head on our Mudro trip this year. I have always been able to just put my head down and push through anything. This was the first trip where I got really tired. When we got to camp on Fairy I was absolutely spent. I turn 44 in September. I hope this was just an off trip! Anyone else have anything hit like this? The change from one year to this blew me away!

Mike"

Your just a young pup yet. When I was a young pup your age like 25 years ago I was fortunate to be very active and working out and my endurance probably peaked at about age 42 or so.
The biggest thing is stay in shape with aerobic and strength work. Think of long distance runners,some are at their best at age 40.
I think when I hit age 60 it slowed me down. But now it is like hills and valleys with valleys getting more frequent.
But like I mentioned earlier if I have a good season health wise and work out I can still single portage 1 mile portages if I have a period of not feeling run down. I will say my strength now is like 50% of what it was when I was 40. Especially the upper body.
My biggest problem is recovery time after a few days of very hard exercise. Wore out for a longer time.

As years go bye it is much harder to stay in shape and takes more effort and hope for good health to be able to do such. Fatigue from health problems can be a big setback. Also it is tough to learn how to eat healthier and as you get older it is harder to carry that extra weight.

Here's my experience, plainspaddler-

I had similar experience in 2015 when I was 64 and just could not do the trip I had planned. I was struggling to lift packs/canoe and do portages. I hadn't been well (bad cold I thought) right before I left and afterwards the doctor thought I may have had some sort of virus and a post viral fatigue. I also hadn't been able to work out normally due to a foot problem.

Last year I decided to get in better shape and I did. I also lightened the load a little and did quite well on a long loop last Sept. A month later, I had a heart attack! I'm uncertain just how it is going to go this year, but I'll find out soon.

My first advice would be to see your doctor, make sure everything is OK. Take better care of yourself with diet, proper sleep, rest, and exercise - aerobic, strength, balance, flexibility.

Good luck!

I've been a desk jockey for 35 yrs.
My knees have been giving out since 2008.
Doc says we've trimmed as much as we can and now it will just degenerate for a while.
Then we'll look at replacement.
I'm such a smart guy!
I went into Wabakimi last year with a broken knee.
I lasted 4 days.
Geez, what an idjit!!
My rt shoulder is torn up.
My lower back hurts pretty much all the time...
Meh.
I can still walk and paddle...so next year its Wabakimi again.
I, too. went to a hammock about 5-6 yrs ago.
What a relief!
....
Hey! Hey, you darn kids! Get off my lawn!! >:-o

quote boonie: "Here's my experience, plainspaddler-


I had similar experience in 2015 when I was 64 and just could not do the trip I had planned. I was struggling to lift packs/canoe and do portages. I hadn't been well (bad cold I thought) right before I left and afterwards the doctor thought I may have had some sort of virus and a post viral fatigue. I also hadn't been able to work out normally due to a foot problem.


Last year I decided to get in better shape and I did. I also lightened the load a little and did quite well on a long loop last Sept. A month later, I had a heart attack! I'm uncertain just how it is going to go this year, but I'll find out soon.


My first advice would be to see your doctor, make sure everything is OK. Take better care of yourself with diet, proper sleep, rest, and exercise - aerobic, strength, balance, flexibility.


Good luck! "

Good luck and hope things go well.

The best thing a person can do is live with the reality that all things come to an end.
Your age, a medical condition, or an accident, can all change the path one has blazed in life.
Best thing to do is know when it's over, unlike an athlete that wants to play one more season.
There are many other things to do and enjoy, rather than mourning about what used to be. :)

That's great advice TGO.
A sixty year old guy I know was running out of energy and not feeling virol anymore so He ordered a trial size of a Testosterone replacement product he saw on The Justice Network TV channel called "Besties-4-Testes". The stuff was a ripoff and didn't boost anything. I think it was repackaged Ben-Gay because it burned when you applied it!
I think he has since excepted the aging process but still falls for some of the products he sees on TV and in his SPAM folder.
Good luck to all those aging.

quote The Great Outdoors: "The best thing a person can do is live with the reality that all things come to an end.
Your age, a medical condition, or an accident, can all change the path one has blazed in life.
Best thing to do is know when it's over, unlike an athlete that wants to play one more season.
There are many other things to do and enjoy, rather than mourning about what used to be. :)"

True words.

quote The Great Outdoors: "The best thing a person can do is live with the reality that all things come to an end.
Your age, a medical condition, or an accident, can all change the path one has blazed in life.
Best thing to do is know when it's over, unlike an athlete that wants to play one more season.
There are many other things to do and enjoy, rather than mourning about what used to be. :)"

Very true words...I was joking with my wife that there will come a time that we go one portage in and wave at all the people going in deeper! I'm ok with slowing down a bit and realizing that life does have limitations. I try to not live in the past but being a former 4 year starter in a college football program makes it hard when you can't push like you used to. I was a very driven person. But that person was 25 years ago too!

In retrospect, I think a big part of my problem on this trip was I didn't eat a breakfast or anything on the put in day and take out day until we were at our destinations. Lesson learned.

Mike

Working in addiction recovery I was introduced to the Serenity Prayer long ago. I say it a lot more now. At 70 I can do more than I could at 60 due to more effort taking care of myself. I had a brief, but scary, medical event and started turning things around. The usual diet, exercise, stretch, relax stuff. Even so the serenity to accept what I can not do is just as important as the courage to do what I can.
Sometimes having something scary happen can be a good thing. And a visit to your doc if you have not been in awhile is a good idea, just so you know what you are working with as you start making adjustments.

I'm 52 now and I think my tripping partner is like 65. We still managed to get to the top of Agnes Lake in Quetico from PP on the first day. We both had our issues in the past with health, but with continued work on our bodies keeps us up with the ability to paddle and portage many miles. Start working out more. Work on your stamina. Remember it is a marathon and not a sprint. Take your time, don't be in a hurry.

I turned 60 this year and did my most difficult trip. 6 portages over a mile in length. The brain still thinks my body is 40. 40 was a great age but I am in much better shape now than when I was 40. Like someone mentioned, recovery time is a lot longer.

Might want to have your thyroid checked. Mine went bad a couple of years ago and you want to talk about dragging butt...

I'll give you some hope, plainspaddler! My husband and I are about your age (a little older in one case, a little younger in the other). Last year, I struggled hard, for the first time ever. This year, after a back surgery and minus 25 pounds, we pushed harder, went farther and just got back a couple of days ago. It was a total revelation to realize that nothing hurt!

We missed our annual trip three years ago because my husband spent the summer in the ICU and then physical rehab. The majority of that time, he was unable to move from the neck down because his nerves had been attacked by a virus. I wasn't sure if I was going to be bringing home a husband who would be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, one who would be walking with a cane, or one with semi-normal function. The next year, after an amount of effort and mental determination that I can't begin to fathom, he was portaging the canoe on our trip again.

In truth, all of our paddling days are numbered, but given some luck and preparation, most of us can postpone the inevitable for a little while!

I would guess, at age 44, this is a wake-up call, not a last call. Of course, as was suggested, get the doc to check you out first (boonie's story is frightening!)

Personally (I'm 67) I've had to make adjustments along the way. No more aluminum canoes, and (I solo) I triple portage. During the year - and actually during my whole life- I have kept physical, running, hiking, lift weights (ok - only 30 pounds) push my lawn mower, shovel snow with a $9 shovel, etc. etc. Often while I'm doing these repetitive chores I think, "Well, I'm staying in shape for my next paddle."

Good luck and may you have many more wonderful years of joyful paddling!

Dave

quote RetiredDave: "I would guess, at age 44, this is a wake-up call, not a last call. Of course, as was suggested, get the doc to check you out first (boonie's story is frightening!)


Personally (I'm 67) I've had to make adjustments along the way. No more aluminum canoes, and (I solo) I triple portage. During the year - and actually during my whole life- I have kept physical, running, hiking, lift weights (ok - only 30 pounds) push my lawn mower, shovel snow with a $9 shovel, etc. etc. Often while I'm doing these repetitive chores I think, "Well, I'm staying in shape for my next paddle."


Good luck and may you have many more wonderful years of joyful paddling!


Dave"

Thinking about paddling and camping probably the number 1 reason to push myself in keeping in shape. Another plus on how the BWCA benefits me.

My theory is that it's all about hydration-- but what do I know? :)

" Thinking about paddling and camping probably the number 1 reason to push myself in keeping in shape. Another plus on how the BWCA benefits me."

My thoughts exactly, Pinetree!

AdamX

Welcome! In a few weeks I celebrate my 55th trek around the sun. In the meantime, I am slower to rise, slower to turn and pretty much slower to do everything. That said, I can still sit, squat and flop, so I cannot complain. Everything is slower, and that is ok. As long as I remember this, all is well!

quote Frenchy19: "Welcome! In a few weeks I celebrate my 55th trek around the sun. In the meantime, I am slower to rise, slower to turn and pretty much slower to do everything. That said, I can still sit, squat and flop, so I cannot complain. Everything is slower, and that is ok. As long as I remember this, all is well!"

As Toby Keith sings....i ain't as good as I once was! Going slower just makes you look at things better since your not in such a hurry right?

Mike

I'm 57 and do notice my endurance is not what it once was. But about 10 years ago I started to eat well. Much less fast food, pizza etc. much more salads and fruits & veggies. I work a very active job so that helps. So now I'm a little slower but I feel I'm smarter now too.

Another big thing for me is I use very high quality supplements. They have really helped with my joints and overall energy. Gotta stay active and really watch your food and drink.

At 48 I'm still going strong but I'm aware that at some point I won't be able to what I can now. I'll just take more time and enjoy the time I have out in the woods.

quote The Great Outdoors: "The best thing a person can do is live with the reality that all things come to an end.
Your age, a medical condition, or an accident, can all change the path one has blazed in life.
Best thing to do is know when it's over, unlike an athlete that wants to play one more season.
There are many other things to do and enjoy, rather than mourning about what used to be. :)"

No. Wrong. I don't accept this.
I can accept older and slower, but not over. Age and medical condition can change and then I will adjust. There is always one more season. And I will prepare and be ready!

Boonie and Dave beat me to it.....as a cardiac nurse, I think if nothing else has changed and you are now tired doing what you've always done without a problem before, you need to discuss this with your doctor. A cardiac stress test might be in order for you. It's not something I would just ignore and chalk it up to aging. You know your body better than anyone else and if there is a big unexplainable change, you owe it to yourself to have a conversation with your doc.....just my two cents worth.

quote bobbernumber3: "

quote The Great Outdoors: "The best thing a person can do is live with the reality that all things come to an end.
Your age, a medical condition, or an accident, can all change the path one has blazed in life.
Best thing to do is know when it's over, unlike an athlete that wants to play one more season.
There are many other things to do and enjoy, rather than mourning about what used to be. :)"

No. Wrong. I don't accept this.
I can accept older and slower, but not over. Age and medical condition can change and then I will adjust. There is always one more season. And I will prepare and be ready!
"

No, I can attest that on a whim your paddling days can be over. Going in one lake is almost more than I could do now. I'm going on two years of severe neck pain. I've tried a lot of things and now the neck problem is on the back burner because of cancer. If I was a car they'd send me right to the crusher... haha. I still do what I can, but I had to put the canoe away... several tries had me in very severe pain shortly after each time. But I have to say, it was worth it a couple times just to feel like I could still do it. What TGO said was right on!

I think bobbernumber3 doesn't realize that a lifestyle can change quite rapidly through many things you cannot control.
He'll learn sooner or later like everyone else does.
Simply put: "Ya don't have to like it, unfortunately you'll have no choice but to accept it!!" :)

I am 53 and am going on a BWCA in 2.5 weeks. I feel better than I did last year, and last year I felt much better than the year before. 2 years ago I went in mid-July and the rain, heat, humidity and mosquitoes nearly killed me. I also had a knee injury and had to wear a knee brace the whole time and could barely walk. We did the Lady Lake chain which had some pretty long and hilly portages. Last year we went from Sawbill to Cherokee and back. It was tough but I felt great and could have done much more but as a group we decided not to, partly because of one member having a tough time do to a pre-existing injury and one guy severely overpacking. This year our route has changed multiple times and we have planned better, reduced our pack weight several times in recent months, and are just generally more prepared (tarp and tent pre-rigged with ropes, practiced tying various knots, left out a lot of unecessary and redundant equipment), and I have dropped 20 lbs. We also picked a week that it wasn't going to rain. And we decided not to lug along our fishing equipment since neither one of us is that much into fishing, especially the cleaning part.

Thanks for all the advice. We started eating healthier a while back. I have celiac disease so I can't have gluten anyways so that eliminates a ton of junk food. Last year was a very stressful time for our family. I am a law enforcement officer and I worked over 1700 hours at the DAPL protests here. I then went right from that to working my normal overtime that I have always worked. I just recently had my physical and I'm down 20 pounds from a month and a half ago so that's a step in the right direction. Thanks again guys for all the support and letting me whine a bit ;)


Mike

quote plainspaddler: "... and I'm down 20 pounds from a month and a half ago so that's a step in the right direction.



Mike"

That is a LOT of fluctuation in a short time. We are pretty close in age, and in my experience when I let the weight creep up, and then start exercising, I feel 'low' for at least the first week. Couple that with getting a weeks worth of exercise during the first day of a BWCA trip, and yeah, your gonna feel old. Also loosing that much weight that quick will probably release some amount of toxins stored in the body fat you are shedding and making you feel worse.

I normally start a trip feeling at least a little old, and finish feeling like I could do the same trip right now in half the time (but I'm out of vacation!)

quote Northwoodsman: "I am 53 and am going on a BWCA in 2.5 weeks. I feel better than I did last year, and last year I felt much better than the yet"

Here! Here! Maybe it's because I'm a woman, but it seems like it took until my mid-40s to figure out what my body needed and the best ways to use what nature gave me. The joint pain that plagued me since I was 10 finally eased up and I'm now better able to manage my long existing physical conditions. Maybe it's because my joint pains started so young, but at 51 I feel like things are getting better, not worse.

I used to say that if I could not portage a canoe at least a mile without stopping, I would not go at all. That ended at age 65 even with kevlar replacing the aluminum 18.5. Now i base camp within a 2 or 3 portage range from the entry point.

I also have been known years ago to state that i would contract with God to stay healthy and check out on my 70th birthday. Am glad that contract was never agreed to by the deity or i would now be gone.

I used to say that if I could not portage a canoe at least a mile without stopping, I would not go at all. That ended at age 65 even with kevlar replacing the aluminum 18.5. Now i base camp within a 2 or 3 portage range from the entry point.

I also have been known years ago to state that i would contract with God to stay healthy and check out on my 70th birthday. Am glad that contract was never agreed to by the deity or i would now be gone.

Mudro to Fourtown kicked my butt last year. I was over-weight and my asthma was in full gear. In December I started watching what I ate and began going to the gym. Now it's 90 pounds lighter and all sorts of extra energy. No more asthma. This year's Boundary Waters trip was a breeze.

I always thought-kind of joking they could open a old folks home in Ely for Us Old Timer canoe people. We could do daily exercise with a short paddle on like Fall lake. Boy we could tell a lot of stories around the evening fire. Some with a little exaggeration.

have you thought that there might be a medical cause like lymes,

There was a time I talked just like bobbernumber3. This was never going to happen to us. We would be canoe-tripping in our eighties--until we died.

But there are conditions and situations that bring canoe-tripping to an end. I am not going to enumerate what is going on with us, as it is private and no one's business. But there are some things that have to be done to continue a healthy life that cannot be accomplished in the wilderness.

And also, when balance issues and pain issues arise that make a fall or climbing on rocky landings just too dangerous. . .it isn't just the paddling to that next lake that is involved.

We have made our concessions. We have just enjoyed nine glorious days in the north country with our teenage granddaughter this month. We are now headed south with heavy hearts because this year's adventure is coming to a close. We hope to return. But we have made wonderful memories.

It wasn't a canoe trip. We only spent a few hours in the BWCA. We didn't trek in the Q. But we had fun, we enjoyed a few adventures, and it was better than sitting at home. And while I miss real canoe-tripping fiercely, I am still content right now. It is the correct decision.

quote Spartan2: "There was a time I would have talked just like bobbernumber3. This was never going to happen to us. We would be canoe-tripping in our eighties--until we died.


But there are conditions and situations that bring canoe-tripping to an end. I am not going to enumerate what is going on with us, as it is private and no one's business. But there are some things that have to be done to continue a healthy life that cannot be accomplished in the wilderness.


And also, when balance issues and pain issues arise that make a fall or climbing on rocky landings just too dangerous. . .it isn't just the paddling to that next lake that is involved.


We have made our concessions. We have just enjoyed nine glorious days in the north country with our teenage granddaughter this month. We are now headed south with heavy hearts because this year's adventure is coming to a close. We hope to return. But we have made wonderful memories.


It wasn't a canoe trip. We only spent a few hours in the BWCA. We didn't trek in the Q. But we had fun, we enjoyed a few adventures, and it was better than sitting at home. And while I miss real canoe-tripping fiercely, I am still content right now. It is the correct decision."

Well said! I will continue to go to the Northwoods even when my paddling days are over. We will do the same as you guys and enjoy a cabin trip.

Mike

quote riverrunner: "
have you thought that there might be a medical cause like lymes,"

I don't think it is Lymes. I have only pulled off a few ticks this year and they were wood ticks and not deer ticks. They weren't latched on either. I did get Rocky Mountain spotted fever last year from a tick though. That was not a fun ordeal!

Mike

My eye-opener trip was around age 55. I came home thinking it was time to find a new hobby and that I was too old for this sport... probably same as you were feeling. I started a light workout routine and since have had some of my best trips ever! Adjust your lifestyle and your trip style and enjoy many future outings.

quote plainspaddler: "
In retrospect, I think a big part of my problem on this trip was I didn't eat a breakfast or anything on the put in day and take out day until we were at our destinations. Lesson learned.
Mike"

Pretty sure this was the problem. You were running on empty. No wonder.

I'd get a physical then start watching your diet and just get on a regular workout schedule. You'll be fine.

quote eroom: "Mudro to Fourtown kicked my butt last year. I was over-weight and my asthma was in full gear. In December I started watching what I ate and began going to the gym. Now it's 90 pounds lighter and all sorts of extra energy. No more asthma. This year's Boundary Waters trip was a breeze."

You deserve a heaping handful of cyber-pats on the back!

Interesting topic which has been on my mind for some time. I'll be 70 this fall and have been wondering how much longer I can trip. A few weeks ago I got back from a 19 day trip covering the Kopka River in the Wabakimi area. I was worried about my ability to do this trip but am proud that I completed it. It was easily the hardest thing I ever done over that time frame.

The biggest issue for me was diminished agility. I fell a number of times while portaging, twice while carrying a royalex canoe. But with the encouragement and support of my 53 yo trip partner I completed the trip and the bruises and scrapes are healing. I learned that with the proper attitude and reasonable physical conditioning I can do more than I thought I would be capable of at my age.

Now I am determined to continue tripping as long as I can and am planning on other Canadian rivers. Earlier someone made a comment about traveling with younger trip partners. Definitely a good idea as long as you can hold up your end things.

You rock, John (Deerfoot)! Look forward to hearing about your trek next March (in Madison), if not sooner. Attitude counts for a good deal (though bones, tendons, muscles, etc., still kinda dictate...).

I have ZERO medical knowledge but, 44 seems a little young to be overwhelmed physically on any BDUB trip. Personally, I'm 54 and not a marathon runner by any means yet my son and I set new personal records for speed and distance traveled in Quetico this summer. Point being I would be getting a complete medical evaluation before i would accept being that physically limited at age 44. Good Luck.

This and other threads about getting old get good responses. Perhaps that retirement center in Ely is not a bad idea....
Aging has had its impact on endurance, but mostly on recovery time. I recall the first day often being tough, but after a couple days "getting in shape" and things going pretty well after that. Now that "getting in shape" does not happen the same way so planning shorter travel days if there are long portages is important. Being in shape before heading out is critical and planning a relatively light day the first day to help adjust from the travel are also more important. Paddling does not seem to have been affected as much as portaging.
I realize further adjustments will be required and eventually I will need the serenity to accept my tripping days are over. That reality is sinking in and I am making every effort to get to some of the wilderness places I have always wanted to experience while I can. Leaving this afternoon for a backpacking solo in the Colorado Rockies.

This and other threads about getting old get good responses. Perhaps that retirement center in Ely is not a bad idea....
Aging has had its impact on endurance, but mostly on recovery time. I recall the first day often being tough, but after a couple days "getting in shape" and things going pretty well after that. Now that "getting in shape" does not happen the same way so planning shorter travel days if there are long portages is important. Being in shape before heading out is critical and planning a relatively light day the first day to help adjust from the travel are also more important. Paddling does not seem to have been affected as much as portaging.
I realize further adjustments will be required and eventually I will need the serenity to accept my tripping days are over. That reality is sinking in and I am making every effort to get to some of the wilderness places I have always wanted to experience while I can. Leaving this afternoon for a backpacking solo in the Colorado Rockies.

71 and solo backpacking in the Rockies? You are a tough hombre!

I started building houses when I was 14 and didn't stop until I was about 55. I'm now 63. My late 40s and early 50s was the most fit I've ever been. In fact - I sort of wish I hadn't quit.
I'm now a bit looser. Gained a bit of flab from non-use.
When I was 53 I took a 20-something nephew on a trip and I wore him out.
Stay busy - stay active. See your chiropractor regularly - like clock work.
Don't let that number on your driver's license make you THINK you're old and weak.
Ignore it as long as you can.
Attitude is so important.
Start planning your trips for next year today and have something to keep you excited.
Ride that bicycle.
Ignore DQ and like Dolly Parton says, "Keep your head out of the lard bucket".

I think I just had an off trip. I am pretty fit and still very strong. I am amazed by the stories on here! It makes me want to trip until I absolutely can't carry a canoe anymore...maybe my son can do it for me then! He is 7 now and will no doubt grow to be a big strapping boy. He comes from big sturdy stock on both sides.

Mike

Hey PP, hang in there. All the stuff you guys with younger children have to do would wear anyone out! It will actually get better. I hit a real rough patch in my 40's with all the busyness and stress. And the 50's were like the renaissance. More energy, better outlook.
I am 61 and did my 41st marathon last year. I am hoping the stem cell treatment in my knees keeps me going both there and portaging. If not, well I had my fun.
Take time out of the day (20 min at least) for exercise. A lot is perched on your shoulders besides the canoe. Take care of you.

plainspaddler, I hear ya. We went in on that same Mudro route, stopping to basecamp on Fourtown. Those rocky portages will make you stop and reassess. Or, at least, force you to say (outloud), "You are not a young buck any longer. Look at where you step. This is not a race."

Most of us in our group are now into our 60s, with a couple of 70s. We have been challenged in the past by some nasty falls and some ankle and back problems. We talked seriously this time before heading in about how we depend upon each other to make it across without injury. It never gets easier, but you adjust and enjoy.

quote plainspaddler: "I think I just had an off trip. I am pretty fit and still very strong. I am amazed by the stories on here! It makes me want to trip until I absolutely can't carry a canoe anymore...maybe my son can do it for me then! He is 7 now and will no doubt grow to be a big strapping boy. He comes from big sturdy stock on both sides.


Mike"

One doesn't have to look far to find a role model here, huh?

Another great thread.

I like BobDobbs' post, and I am firmly in the bobber#3 camp. Barring some serious debilitating illnesses, have to fight it kicking & screaming and adjust things like diet, sleep, and exercise along the way. Almost everyone goes through ups & downs, I'd guess. Work/financial stresses can take their toll just as being sedentary & eating junk can. Not buying the "getting harder to do stuff you like? Accept it & give it up" defeatist approach.

quote HowardSprague: "Another great thread.

I like BobDobbs' post, and I am firmly in the bobber#3 camp. Barring some serious debilitating illnesses, have to fight it kicking & screaming and adjust things like diet, sleep, and exercise along the way. Almost everyone goes through ups & downs, I'd guess. Work/financial stresses can take their toll just as being sedentary & eating junk can. Not buying the "getting harder to do stuff you like? Accept it & give it up" defeatist approach. "

It isn't an accept it and give up approach, it is a fact that one must face reality, sooner than later.
Some cannot accept this.
The feeling of invincibility is alive and well in theory, not so much when you enter the real world!! :)

I'm just 54 now but when the time comes, I plan to retire from the BW gracefully... like my hero Brett Favre when he retired from Football.

quote TangoCharlie: "I'm just 54 now but when the time comes, I plan to retire from the BW gracefully... like my hero Brett Favre when he retired from Football."

Ha!

Yup, Brett's selling jeans on TV.
Too bad there aren't many options like that for old farts who can't cut it in the woods anymore!!
Well, I guess one could break out the photos of trips taken years ago,open a beer, turn up the stereo and put the song "Glory Days"on, while grooving of days gone by. :)

quote The Great Outdoors: "

quote HowardSprague: "Another great thread.


I like BobDobbs' post, and I am firmly in the bobber#3 camp. Barring some serious debilitating illnesses, have to fight it kicking & screaming and adjust things like diet, sleep, and exercise along the way. Almost everyone goes through ups & downs, I'd guess. Work/financial stresses can take their toll just as being sedentary & eating junk can. Not buying the "getting harder to do stuff you like? Accept it & give it up" defeatist approach. "

It isn't an accept it and give up approach, it is a fact that one must face reality, sooner than later.
Some cannot accept this.
The feeling of invincibility is alive and well in theory, not so much when you enter the real world!! :)"

Guess I worded that a tad harshly. I mean you can hold that stuff off as long as possible by staying fit & active... & not overly stressed, to the extent that's possible.
Eventually, you're right. I look at what I always saw as my dad's "invincibility". Tough, fit, 30 yrs in the army, still working out, running, playing tennis & traveling into his 80's, was sure he could still kick my ass if so inclined.....a few short years later, he's in his mid-80's and stuff is catching up - mental sharpness, physical effects from Agent Orange, strength, etc,.. :( ...it's hard to see this. (But - his dad was like an old man in his 60's...he could have been like an old man too at 75 but was far from it, I think in large part due to his approach)

I agree. We have seen it many times. For me, meeting an 85 year old with a heavy pack on the Vera to Ensign portage, his late 50's son bringing up the rear with the canoe.
My canoe partner this year, survived stage 4 melanoma in his 50's, returned to running, became a vegetarian, ran Boston last year in 4:07 at age 66, and is going back again to Boston next year.
So one day we will succumb. At least we got the most mileage out of life's treads,

Getting older is certainly an eye opener for sure! As mentioned your thought process and your approach to it has a lot to do with your acceptance of it as it progresses. After I turned 50, I had more medical issues occur than I like to think about, 2 knee replacements, Atrial Fibrillation and Cardiac Ablation, Thyroid removal, and recently it has been little things like Trigger Finger in both hands. But I still do all I can do! It was only last year that I decided instead of carrying a SR 18.5 in Duralite, and a pack over a portage I was just going to start carrying one thing at a time (if the portage was long). Easier to walk carrying lighter loads. So my next trip I will try that, even thought about going to a SR 17 Kevlar... but we will see.
At 60 now about to turn 61 I am finding that the more active I am the better I feel, but how long I can stay active is starting to decrease a bit. It also seems like as I get older, there is not enough time to the things I want to do! Anybody else find that to be true!

Growing older is not always easy, but sure beats the heck out of the alternative!!

Bruce

It is tough to see what age does to a person. My dad will be 67 this November and he has been a hard working SOB since he was 12! He started his own construction company when he was 20. My brother and I always worked through middle school and high school with him. My one brother didn't go to college and worked with him right after high school (baby brother never had to work with us...go figure). I worked with them in my summers through college. I taught school one year then worked almost 10 years with them building houses. I quit that almost 11 years ago. I still go back and help my Dad out every now and then.

When I was younger my dad was larger than life...pound for pound probably the strongest guy in my hometown. His crew was for sure the strongest and biggest crew of guys around. Shortest guy was 6'1" and smallest weight wise was minimum of 250 lbs. I have seen my dad lift some very heavy things and work 100 hour weeks. Since I don't work with him everyday I hadn't seen how much he slowed up until this last spring. He is so crippled and beat up! A lifetime of hard work really catches up with a guy!

I felt as if I was turning my back on my blue collar roots when I went into Law Enforcement but after seeing my Dad I know I made the right choice. I would have been in the same boat.

Getting old ain't for sissies!!!!!! :)

quote plainspaddler: "It is tough to see what age does to a person. My dad will be 67 this November and he has been a hard working SOB since he was 12! He started his own construction company when he was 20. My brother and I always worked through middle school and high school with him. My one brother didn't go to college and worked with him right after high school (baby brother never had to work with us...go figure). I worked with them in my summers through college. I taught school one year then worked almost 10 years with them building houses. I quit that almost 11 years ago. I still go back and help my Dad out every now and then.


When I was younger my dad was larger than life...pound for pound probably the strongest guy in my hometown. His crew was for sure the strongest and biggest crew of guys around. Shortest guy was 6'1" and smallest weight wise was minimum of 250 lbs. I have seen my dad lift some very heavy things and work 100 hour weeks. Since I don't work with him everyday I hadn't seen how much he slowed up until this last spring. He is so crippled and beat up! A lifetime of hard work really catches up with a guy!


I felt as if I was turning my back on my blue collar roots when I went into Law Enforcement but after seeing my Dad I know I made the right choice. I would have been in the same boat.
"

Construction work is a good career but so many friends have problems later on in life because of it. But at the same time it keeps people fit and active also. Some people sit behind a desk and get fat and have a heart attack.

For TGO. Heck, for all of us!

Hey, we all get older. Always felt it was more mental than physical. Last years trip i confirmed it. Gonna turn 54 next month yet found that i can still out paddle and out portage the teenagers we go with each year. What i found was I had a little less patience for some of their teenage attitudes. That is how you know you are getting old. I was planning next years trip with my buddy a couple of weeks ago and we decided going a little deeper into the woods while we can and to try to remember what it was like to be young. Maybe if we push the youngsters they wont be quite so rambuncous and crazy. Just remember, "I think i can, I think I can, I know I can."

Going to be 55 in three weeks...I hear ya. I do not agree with the "more mental than physical" take. If your body hurts, pay attention! That said, I creak and groan more than ever before, but I will not stop doing the things I love. I just take more time doing them. Grateful to be alive!

When I get camp set up and I can kick back in a hammock or chair all the creaks and groans to get there are worth it. When I can hear a loon or even a silly red squirrel instead of a car it is worth it. When I get out of the tent at night to answer mother nature's call I am in awe of all the stars! Stars that look like you could reach up and grab them...it is all worth it. I will fight to keep going to the BWCA until I can't go. I read a great article in the Boundary Waters Journal last summer and the message of the article was GO WHEN YOU CAN! That is sound advice!!!

Mike

Missmolly, that was great. Big. Boss fan.
My my.E street band was young.