If you want to keep getting out you might have to mix it up. Travel down a different lane. I simply plan to keep on paddling as long as i can even if it is different then how i used to do it . Right now the kayak with the racheting backband seems to be key for me. Comfort and ergonomics is the most important thing now. Im only 62 but i played pretty hard for a long time and dont regret any of it. The important thing for me is just to go regardless of how i do it.
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@tdaniel absolutely. Iāve often considered a wheelie thing to carry the kayak between the launch and the truck but I notice that it gets easier to carry the boat as the season progresses. I donāt let anyone help carry my boat when I solo. I just say its the only way I can maintain the conditioning for when Iām alone.
I managed to bypass permanent shoulders damage by going to low angle and locking out the damage with the paddle box. Put the joints in isometric tension to isolate the movement. Most pain is still tolerable, so I can still accept it and ignore it as a part of life. Pain is a warning sign. As long as the source is clear, that my body is boogered up, I just deal with it, nothing new.
I will also continue until it becomes too much like work. Hopefully, the great kids I train will look down on me and help me manage the difficult transportation issues, so I can do some easy trips out and beyond.
If you inherited a boat from a mentor or family member, help them get out on occasions and be patient with them. The comradery is good on occasion.
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āMoving onā is a thought I just canāt bring myself to entertain just yetā¦ BUT, damnit, my knees are starting to bother me a lot. So I think I can continue canoeing as long as I donāt kneel ALL the time, as I used to. Folks tell me that kneeling is verboten after knee replacement , so thatās an option I will avoid if I can.
Two problems there - 1) when I donāt kneel by butt goes to sleep and my legs soon follow. Then I have trouble standing up from a full squat to get out - especially on steep muddy banks.
And 2) I donāt know what to do with my pedestal seat boat. I love it, donāt want to sell it, but why should I store a boat I canāt use (at least for extended periods)? And I keep hoping the knees will improve if I just paddle/kneel more - they used to be stiff at the start of every season, maybe now it just lasts a bit longer to get into condition. Maybe itāll pass as it always has.
But āmove onā? Quit paddling? No. Not acceptable. Cut back, sure, but not moving on.
At 71 I still sleep better in a tent on the ground than I do in a bed at home. No RVs, like many of my friends use, for me. I can still toss a Grumman (or any lighter boat) on my shoulders and carry it over most trails. Maybe not over boulders or for long distances without a break, but neither can many younger less arthritic folks.
Like WildernessWeb, TheBob, Durangoski, I plan to pass on before I move on.
Perhaps my longest trips and most challenging waters are in my past, I donāt knowā¦ but I never was, nor claimed to be, a Verlen Kruger or whitewater wizard. Iām just a guy who likes to paddle and has all my life. I guess Iām better than some and not so good as others, just like perhaps, well, everyone else.
But someone may one day have to pry a paddle from my cold dead fingers, as some say of other things. 
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Favorite trip was under the tree canopy in the Dahlgen Campsite on the AT, where it crosses the Old Route 40 on South Mountain. Just a pup tent mosquito net liner because the tree canopy overhung enough to ward off the morning dew. Still nothing like sleeping on the ground.
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Just read that an extensive recent double blind research study showed that there were the same reports of āreliefā from lower back pain from participants given opiates and those given placebos.
Iām a current guinea pig myself in a similar University medical system study looking at 4 different protocols for chronic lower back pain. I was randomly selected for the āno pharmaā regimen, only chiro manipulation and PT guidance on daily strengthening and stretching exercise. Wonāt know until next year how my group fared compared to the groups that got either just chiro or just PT, or the group that got only āpain managementā pharmaceuticals.
I was relieved to be chosen for the physical treatments as all pain meds upset my system (I can barely tolerate Ibuprofen and it doesnāt seem to help that much anyway.) And I have the fairly rare genetic strain of lacking the gene that produces the CYPD2D6 enzyme necessary for metabolizing codeine (to convert it to morphine analog) and 40 related and commonly prescribed substrate drugs including anti cancer agents like Tamoxifen and even Prozac and Haldol. Apparently 6 to 10% of people of Caucasian heritage have this trait, smaller percentages in the Hispanic and African lineage groups. Kinda important to know if you lack this enzyme and there are now genetic tests for it. But I think a clear indication is that codeine and Vicodin have virtually no effect on oneās pain and only cause nausea and disorientation.
But back to the back pain protocol: So far I have had no lower back pain for nearly 5 months since starting the program and maintaining the recommended exercise routines. Not bad for being just turning 73, having osteoporosis (including in my spine) and still hoisting 50 pound boats solo, running heavy lawn mowing equipment up and down hills, climbing ladders and moving a lot of furniture over the past few months.
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I was eligible for knee replacement for my right knee 10 years ago. I still get around well enough though I do have some pain when I do. I recently went into PT about 4 weeks ago. Iām not pain free, but I have seen improvement I have 2 more weeks left. I rarely take anything for pain. I find that core strength helps dramatically for lower back pain. When one uses their core for paddling it makes it stronger. BTW, my Dad has problems with codeine and many other pain meds. I donāt. I feel the same way about this as PJC, but I rarely kneel in a canoe for any length of time anymore.
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As physical ability and body damage limits our activities, that doesnāt have to be an end to the game. Thatās the time to seek lighter boats and paddles, focus on efficiency, remain active while placing less demands on ourselves, and take up mentoring. Passing on what has been learned through long, hard experience should take the sting out of slowing down.
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How is your brain replacement coming along?
They are still looking for one big enough!
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Do they download the old one, or do you get 2.1 option.
Donāt need a brain anymore, just a wireless gigabit connection to ChatGPT.