Tips for Older Hikers and Backpackers

For the Older Hiker there are certain considerations before we go out and “hit the trail.” Even though age is just a number, we're all going to get old one day. We can still hike and do long distance trails even when "Father Time" sneaks up on us but there are some things of which we need to be aware.
The contents in this video is applicable to everyone but especially those who are members of the older generation.

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[apollogames]

I am 15 years old, I’m watching this video because I’m about to go on my first back packing trip with my 64 year old grandfather and I just wanted to understand what he is going through so that I can understand why he might take a break every mile or so that I can know how to help him out with what ever he needs. So thanks for thinking about this subject and posting it on here for everyone.

[wanjiyamni]

Hi Rev, I'm 68, female, and weigh 50 kg. Last summer I hiked the Patjelanteleden in northern Sweden. I took it slow and made it in 12 days.
I have one artificial hip and a small part of my lung is missing due to lung cancer. I write this to encourage folks like me.

[marclucier]

I’m 57 and this video gives my great hope. Thought I was slowing down because I couldn’t “hack” it. But I’ve slowed down and lightened up. Feel young again

[kddonath]

‘Age is just a number’ but it does come with a reality!😊

[rickostheimer]

Hi Rev, I'm now 76 and have now reached 16, 000 miles of backpacking beginning when I was 61. I think the most important tip you gave was "don't try to keep up with younger hikers". Second most important was "lighten up". What you didn't mention was using trekking poles. That has been key to me as my right knee talks back to me and the poles help reduce the stress on my joints. One other tip resulted from a chance encounter on the AZT after a long 2000 climb in midday sun. I met a 40-something man on an ATV on the forest road at the top of the climb. He asked, "Hey old man, are you OK?" I pointed out to him (I was 71 at the time) that I wasn't old, but simply "advanced middle age", then yogied a cold drink. Thinking of my age that way has helped me keep in the long distance hiking game. ----Handlebar

[NeilWatson]

"Because I can" is the greatest answer to almost anything

[deborahmcsweeney]

My grandpa took me backpacking growing up. He hiked every day on a mountain near his home. At 86 he came down with cancer. He kept hiking. His last hike was on a Friday, he went to his bed on Saturday and died the following Wednesday. I miss him so much! I'm now 56 and want to start hiking. This inspired me that yes I can do it. What I remember about hiking was, you see the most beautiful places on Earth that you can't really get to otherwise. I miss it. I guess I better start getting in shape! Lol Thank you!

[azguyknight]

Great video, Rev. Though I have hiked most of my life I didn't take up back packing until age 74. I'm a firm believer in "If you want to keep moving you have to keep moving." At 78 I spend much of my summer and fall backpacking in the mountains of western Colorado.

[lynnnorthrup]

I couldn’t resist watching this video. I’m 83 and still going strong, but a little slower, but still hiking. Your tips are spot on. Lighter pack plus use all the technology. Carry a Garmin inReach, just in case plus you can text without cell service. I have gone to lighter forward versus the heavy hiking boots. Thank you for encouraging older people to keep enjoying nature. It’s good for their soul and mental outlook. As you say, age is just a number and I plan to keep on going until I can’t. 😀😀😀😀😀👍👍👍👍👍

[TSchra]

Hi Rev, I am in the process of early retirement at 54 years old. I have been watching all these younger hiker videos and thought I want to do that! Then I felt sorry for myself and said I am too old to be doing that. Then I stumbled across your videos and I am impressed by your fortitude! The information you have provided me is priceless and I am excited to try this as a new hobby!

[susanalcorn]

I am 80 and I continue to hike and occasionally backpack. I started backpacking when I was 48. Since then I have completed the John Muir Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Patagonia Circuit route, Mt. Kilimanjaro, and thousands of miles of the Camino de Santiago routes. Since one of my missions has been to encourage others (particularly women) to hike and/or backpack more, I have written about it. I hope this doesn't break any rules, but can I mention that I have written a book called, "Walk, Hike, Saunter: Tales and Trails from Seasoned Women Hikers." I interviewed 32 women--all over 45--and their stories are fun to read and inspiring. WOMEN--I don't think the Gatorade bottle will work for you--try a qt. sized yogurt container. Same warning: don't tip it over accidentally!

[soteriamediaproductions]

I section hiked 108 miles of the Appalachian Trail for my 50th birthday. I ran into a group of older men at a watering hole. One man, who you very closely resemble, Rev, said he was in his mid sixties. Then he pointed and said, “see that fella coming up the hill? He’s 84 and can out pace any of us.”
THAT was encouraging!

[mysterylovescompany]

Thank you for this video; I'm only in my 30s, but have a severe spinal injury, which effects my physical life in terms of lower-body control, carrying capacity, stamina, general fragility & chronic pain...& I like to hike. Every bit of advice you gave here is of equal value to those of us hiking with disabilities as it is to those who are elderly, & I am sure this vid will prove invaluable to other physically compromised backpackers like me.

The most valuable things I have personally learned are
1. To pace myself like a tortoise (go slower to more reliably actually _arrive_ rather than pushing myself too hard + then collapsing part-way)
2. To trade up to an internal-frame pack rather than trying to use a frameless one like everyone else does; the extra heft is more than offset by the greater ease of carriage
3. To fuel up a little better than everyone else since I need more energy to do the same things, so I accept the weight hit of carrying more food
4. To prioritise rests + sleeping comfort - so, when necessary, I will sacrifice weight anywhere else that I need to in order to be able to take the cushiest possible pad + a "real" pillow (in my case, this means taking a Trekology inflatable instead of just trying to make do with the ol' stuff-sack-full-of-clothes jerry-rig), & also a chair
& finally
5. To never travel without both regular-duty pain relief - so, ibuprofen + paracetamol + some self-heating stick-on patches - & also The Good Stuff[tm], for in case of real pain emergencies taking me involuntarily off-trail in unsuitable locations. And also, if I've had to take more than 3 doses of _that_ in succession, the acceptance that it's ultimately okay to abort the trip, go home + return to try again another day.

[garlandbest]

Can't stress enough the use of hiking poles. They help with balance and reduce so much stress on the joints. They make my hike that much better.

[backpacker]

One of the best advantages of being an older hiker is that it's usually a lot easier for us to afford to lighten our load. Some of that lightweight gear gets pretty expensive. No way I would have been able to afford most of it in my 20s. But right you are, once I got my baseweight down to around 15 lb, everything got easier and I wasn't ever in pain. Now I have several loadouts on a spreadsheet. 15-16 lbs for when I want lots of luxury items and comfort, 12 lbs for when I want to be lighter, and 10.5 for when I'm going to be doing a lot of climbing or technical work and need to be as light as possible. It's made all the difference.

[drcuni]

Hi my friend, greetings from Brasil. You speak slowly, so I can understand you well. I think one day I will do Appalachian trail, so I am preparing. I am 45 but I think that I will start the AT when I be 60. You are a big inspiration. Thanks

[reneeavery]

What a great video! I'm a 64-year-old woman who started hiking and kayaking a few years ago. So good to hear you offer your wisdom and words of encouragement. In 2020, I rafted the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon and had a freak accident with a crush injury to my right lower leg. Surgery, rehab, the whole nine yards. The next year, I went back and did that trip from start to finish. Why do we do this? Because we can!!

[JonJaeden]

In 1981 while descending Mt. Whitney to the Portal with my father-in-law, we encountered a heavy snow pack that forced us to glissade on our sleeping pads. When we re-connected with the trail we met a woman who was turning back as she could not get past the deep snow. She was 85- or 87-years-old, carrying a full pack. It was Hulda Crooks ... Grandma Whitney. This was, if memory serves, her 18th attempt at Whitney, having only begun hiking when she entered her 60s. When she passed away at about 100, one of the peaks on Whitney was named in her honor. I still have the tract Crooks -- a Seventh-Day Adventist -- gave us. I'm now 70, hoping to make a few more Sierra miles before I go.

[iwantcheesypuffs]

It's why some have two water bottles. Small mouth for drinking and the other - not for drinking. Very handy when the wind is howling and it's - 15 degrees in the middle of the night

[highdesertforester]

I'm 74 and have been hiking and backpacking since I was 16. For the past 4 summers I have been doing the Washington part of the PCT. This summer I hope to finish my last section: Stevens Pass to Rainy Pass. Your tips are spot on. In my nightly prayer I always make sure to thank God for my good health. So many of my friends are not so fortunate.