NHTrucker, I wasn’t referring to you, but unfortunately, I reluctantly welcome you to the busted up club. Its just proof that age has no monopoly on pain. There are many “old” timers who still have the stamina and fitness of a youngster. There are many youngster who are working hard to join us. May that event be a long time coming.
My family reminds me often, maybe all that bike riding is the reason you have bad knees? I say, “And . . . ? Maybe it’s just old age! Maybe I always had bad knees and now they’re just starting to hurt. The good news is that the knee pain distracts me from the shoulder pain.”
“Nah, it’s just the cards we’ve been delt, so its what we play.”
I just turned 75 and I also mostly kayak alone. At my age and being widowed I find few others my age of either sex that want to go and do what I do. I often camp ( in a little teardrop trailer) and kayak in somewhat remote places that either require or recommend a 4 wheel drive to get to. My kayaking is mostly lakes or calm rivers where I might also try to catch my dinner. At this point in my life I have rheumatoid arthritis and bad knees along with a couple of other things as well. I try to keep it reasonably safe and when in remote areas I have a GPS messaging tool. Some places were so out of the way that I did not see another person for days at a time.
Like you I rather die doing what I love than waste away sitting on my couch.
Here’s to both of us still doing this for the next 10, 15 or more years.
We had two gators, one nearly 4’ long, who were rounded up in the peri-urban outskirts of Pittsburgh last year, both apparently heading for a stretch of the Monongahela River where I often paddle. Apparently a local reptilophile lost control of his little zoo and had some elopements.
It would have been quite a surprise to see one of them along the river bank or popping up beside my boat. Though I imagine the gaggles of Canada geese that line the Mon’s southwestern shoreline might have harangued the poor gators mercilessly had they reached the water.
I’m in the same boat – at 71 my friends fall into 4 groups:
those with no interest in paddling or camping
those who would like to join me and are retired (like me) and therefor have the time, but who have various health issues that hold them back
those who are younger than me and still working and therefor lack the time to join me
those with the time, motivation, gear and enthusiasm but who live 500 to 1000 miles away from me.
I bought a box truck conversion motor home last year in which I can haul my kayaks and/or solo canoe and am trying to find fellow vagabonders to join me in paddling and camping trips locally and farther afield. Covid pretty much quashed most such adventure plans though I did make several solo trips in the rig,
I live in Vancouver, WA so many places here in the PNW to go for paddling. I have made a couple of trips to Arizona the last couple of years and will probably go again around mid Feb. of next year. I plan on 3 to 4 weeks. I camp in a little teardrop trailer and my kayak is an ORU folding kayak that fits in the back of my little Jeep Renegade. I want to go back to the Temple Bar campground on Lake Mead which is near the entrance to the Grand Canyon. It’s a great campground and part of the National Recreation area so as a senior it only costs $10 a night. After that perhaps on to Patagonia Lake. I have also made a few trips into Idaho and want to go to Montana next year too. I am working on one of my “bucket list” kayaking trips to go to Alaska and kayak on some of the lakes around Denali. As you can see I like to keep going. I do admit that I have to pace myself while doing all this but taking one’s time also lets you enjoy all the beauty. I would not mind finding a nice lady to go with me but they seem to range from those wanting to climb mountains or go on multi night hiking trips to staying at home quilting with few in between. I would also like to meet up with other men who enjoy these things and we could end the day’s worth of camping and kayaking sitting beside the camp fire with a beer or good bourbon swapping tall tales.
I’ve kayaked around Vancouver, BC, but not the Washington city. I spent 10 days exploring Idaho back in 2005 with a friend who lived in Boise at the time – wonderful state! No paddling, we just camped and day hiked in the Payette NF, the Sawtooth Range above Redfish Lake, Craters of the Moon and over the Oregon border in the Owyhee Mountains. I’ve visited Montana several times, mostly backpacking in Glacier in my younger days.
If you want, we could keep in touch and exchange contact information. I do hope to do a western trip with my box truck motorhome next Spring and/or Summer and maybe we could meet up if our routes overlap. I travel with folding kayaks too, been using them since 2002.
I don’t know if others are reading this exchange but any other like minded people are welcome to join in with contacting and possible meets. It doesn’t have to be our age group, anyone who just enjoys camping and kayaking.
I should have added that not only men are welcome. The ladies also have a lot to offer. To be more inclusive I should say that all libations alcoholic or non welcome at fireside, it doesn’t have to be just beer and bourbon. Please keep it in moderation though.
There is a “Going Paddling” section in these forums for connecting with others who have similar destinations and trips in mind.
Forums like this one have been the best resource I have found in the 20isome years since I bought my first touring kayak for finding good paddling companions.
When I took a solo trip to England in 2017 with one of my folding kayaks I connected beforehand with a very active paddling club in the town I was going to stay in via “The Song of the Paddle” forums over there. Two of the club members even showed up at my rented cottage within a hour of my arrival to welcome me! I took two wonderful river trips with them during my 10 day stay there.
I’ve learned on this forum based on the paddling exploits and age of posters here that I’m a youngster at 59. I have no “chronological” excuses, so I keep quiet when the topic turns to age and activity even though I have put on some hard miles.
I swear that most of the posters here are some sort of Atlantean super race.
Thanks I will check it out. It always takes a while when one joins a forum to find out all the features. Just for info my folding kayak is an Oru Beach. I bought this one because it is an open type and can double as a fishing kayak. For me the convenience ( folds into the size of a large suitcase )and light weight ( 26 lbs) made it the best choice for me. I plan on flying to Alaska next summer and can just pay the extra luggage fee to take my kayak.
if you ever get back down to Arizona one place to possible check out is Apache Lake at the “Burnt Corral Campground”. It is East of Phoenix in the Tonto national forest and many of the camp sites are right on the water. Step out of your tent or RV, walk 30 feet and you are in the water. The only drawback to get there is 10 miles, after leaving the paved road, of often very rough, narrow and curvy road. If you meet someone coming the other way one of you has to pull to the side, if you can at that spot. It took me almost an hour to get in the last time. Big RVs or trailers should not even try and a 4x4, although not required, might be recommended if they have not graded it recently but if you take it slow most anyone can get in. The trip is worth it though.