My paddling universe has grown considerably smaller over the years. Now in my 80s, I’m happily content with small, lightweight boats paddled upon small waters. Winding channels through salt marshes, slow moving streams, quiet bays and lakes are now my favored paddling arenas. Someone once said that “It is the end of things that gives them their savor”. In recent years I’ve come to appreciate that sentiment along with the small paddle craft, especially the pack canoe, of which I’ve become ever more fond. I’ve come to savor and treasure the hours spent in small boats upon small waters.
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That’s a great place to be! My goal next year is to try for more relaxed paddles. We can share stories.
Hello eckilson
At 62 You are a baby! I am now 83 and still kayaking 3 seasons a year on Cape Cod in Mass. Over my fleece long johns I wear a 2 piece neoprene suit in cold weather, Chota boots and Sealskinz socks. Neoprene hat, gloves, wonderful. The group I lead just switched over to hiking two weeks ago, but we will return to kayaking as soon as possible. We do not have whitewater on Cape Cod, but do have some swift rivers and it is quite tidal. Much fun. Do not give up!
Margot
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Isn’t it so nice to be called a baby! Especially when the person means it.
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Not always 
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Ok, how about if they think you look young?
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Better
Mine are all relaxing until Ma Nature decides otherwise but NOAA is my friend.
In my Scouting and hiking days, a trip planned was a trip made.
I’ve become a fair weather outdoorsman.
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Some of the best trips were adverse weather. Sitting around the fire at night and seeing perfectly shaped snow flakes on a picnic table. The ice sheath cracking off branches and falling in the wind as they make the tinkling crystal sound. The saturated colors of the forest wetted from a light drizzling rain. The unique squeak of snow as the temperature drops through 10°. Waking up to the sharp divide of a clearing sky as the clouds of passing storm retreats. Its all good. Very good. It continues whether we’re there or not!
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Thanks Margot - here’s hoping that I am still going at 83 like you.
The Cape is a great place to paddle - nice flatwater and of course the ocean and the bay. I usually do more hiking than paddling in January and February as well, but I don’t stop paddling completely. A lot of people prefer to do pool sessions in the coldest months, which makes it tougher to find paddling partners. Maybe I should take the opportunity to learn to roll. 
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The best thing about winter on the New Jersey coast is that I’m then in Florida paddling my Feathercraft Aironaut among the mangroves. Years ago, clad in wet suit and wool, I paddled until ice formed or my fingers froze. No mas!
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Agree with Jyak - some of the very best and, of course most memorable, trips I’ve made have been in less than ideal weather.
This post reminded me of a Thanksgiving day jaunt - a short overnighter - that I once took. It was solo because nobody else wanted to paddle on a cold thanksgiving and miss family gatherings. (My family was gone by that point.) It snowed while I was having dinner by the campfire on the sandbar at the tip of a wooded island. Very quiet and peaceful. The snow continued through the night: a fairly wet heavy snow as early season snows often are. I awoke several times during the night when the weight of the snow pressed my small solo tent down on my stomach and required some thumping on the tent to get it to clear, though I remained nice and toasty warm in my sleeping bag. Maybe got five or six inches that night.
The next morning was clear and the whole world - tree limbs were coated in snow and the willow saplings were coated in frost which glittered in the sun as the grey river rolled by. And there were terns, hundreds of terns, surrounding the island. Simply beautiful. I can still see it now. I’ll never forget that morning.
But I don’t know if, at 70, that’s a pleasure I feel comfortable indulging in any more. My balance isn’t what it used to be. I went for a decade between swims back then and never ever had trouble getting up from a kneeling position. I’m less certain of those things now and solo tripping in the cold is no place to push your luck. I hate to think I’ll never see another morning like that again, but I also hate to think after all these years paddling that I haven’t developed a bit of realistic prudence. I hate to think that after all those years that I failed to develop the ability to accurately assess my circumstances and act accordingly. That would be kinda’ dumb of me.
I bet most of us have some similar memories. They are the treasures accumulated over years spent paddling. And I bet many of us are also considering whether we should continue to indulge in such activities. Youth and middle age were sure nice while they lasted, though.
Such are the thoughts of a fellow procrastinating going out and shoveling a wet heavy early season snow. I wonder if the terns are out by that island today.
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A wise path, to consider one’s physical abilities at any age. I gave up downhill skiing for XC due to lack of access to decent ski hills, but after getting run over by an out of control neophyte, it wasn’t a hard decision. Also have given up my equestrian work. My thinking is that down hill skiing and jumping horses now entails strong possiblities of damaging falls. I have never broken any bones, but not interested in trying it out at the age I am now. I’d prefer to be able to do other activities that I may be hampered from doing if I had a bone break, like the XC skiing, snowshoeing, kayaking, sailing, gardening, fitness workouts, etc.
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Peak physical condition and the ability to recuperate begins to slow as we pass through teenage years. The posters on this thread understand that, but I doubt many accept it. I don’t. Healing takes longer, but desire continues to grow. Judgement improves, which is why unsafe behavior or suggestions draw such ire. It isnt so much negativity as much as reflection. Maybe from valuable lesson learned the hard way.
Some activities contributed to wear, but we grow from the experience. Once you’ve done it, how critical is it to repeat. We can only enjoy so much of a good thing. It’s still worth pursuing new exeriences. So it may mean staying within certain limits and reduce challenges. That doesn’t mean we have to reduce expectations just because we have limitations. Still plenty of places to see, and many sights are closer than we think. Just might have to get a wide canoe and help putting your rocky chair in it, then ask someone else to paddle for a while.
Presently, I just work harder at it. I won’t stop until it becomes too much like work. In the meanwhile, I think about those memories and wonder what the blazes I was thinking about. On a trip to Elizabeth Furnace in the Shenandoah Mountains, I did a camping trip with a friend and our sons. After a vigorus hike in warm winter weather, the frozen ground (hint) had defrosted into mud. Shedding layers didn’t prevent overheating. We were a muddy mess and wanted to clean up (primitive site). Starting dinner and boiling water for the clean up, my friends said, “Better hurry, the water is freezing in the collapsable jug.” That splash down was brisk, but incredibly refreshing. That was the night of perfect snowflakes. I’ve done that a few times, but who in their right mind would want to do that again. Figure now I just got more common sense.
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If you’re getting older and feel unsteady paddling is the least of your problems. Unless you engage in a resistance program you will keep losing muscle mass and bone density. IF you don’t die of cancer or cardiovascular disease then some kind of fall, fracture, osteoporosis and the wasting away associated with that could be in your future.
Best solution is to hire a personal trainer that specializes in mobility and training older people. Above all else get your glutes strong, most people hardly use theirs.
I was in my late 30’s and starting to develop shuffling gait. I was afraid of parkinson’s and what the heck was going to happen in my 50’s, 60’s and beyond. I ran a lot, walked a lot, kayaked a bunch and thought I Was active. Hiring a trainer and starting a 3-5x a week (season dependent) resistance program changed my life. My balance isn’t great now but I would qualify it as average or acceptable. For me that’s a huge change. I don’t feel like I am going to fall in my mid 40’s and every year my balance is getting better and better. Still not into tippy fast kayaks though.
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My strategy is fat slow kayaks and try to make them go fast. It aint over until the lady with horns on the steel gelmet sings. It actuall hurts more the less you move.
That’s to frustrating for me. Zero glide it seems forget about initial effort.
There’s always glide.
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Haaa!