These days, it’s more important than ever to maintain good health and fitness, no matter what your age.
But you’re busy, and can’t possibly squeeze in time for fitness training around your demanding job, family and household duties. I get it.
What’s on your bucket list?
Inundated with things that we have to do, it’s easy to put off optional activities – including taking better care of ourselves physically.
But if you (like me and many other older adults) want to enjoy bucket list adventures that include active travel and hiking in remote places, it’s time to start training!
Each year, starting January, I do an 8-week hike training program to get ready for upcoming Spring hikes – and beyond!
View at Hanging Rock State Park
It’s really to get fit for outdoor adventures in any month after weeks of Winter hibernating and celebrating 🙂
Read on to learn how you can personalize your training, with our without my 8 week plan, to help you get ready for adventure at any age!
It could be due to health considerations, or maybe you don’t enjoy all of the setup and planning – or you could just really appreciate modern conveniences on your vacation.
Whatever the reason for your preference, there are some good options to camping available, even in more remote places.
Some people think that you always have to camp out if you want to do any really interesting hiking.
Camp with bath house and dining hall at Torres del Paine
That’s really only true for some very wild or undeveloped areas, where you need to backpack for more than a day to get to your final destination.
There are similar longer remote stretches on the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail, where you may have to camp for a night or two because you’re so far away from civilization – which is kind of the point for those kinds of trips 🙂
That said, there are a wide variety of beautiful and interesting day hikes – in and out in the same day – that may be found both in the US and internationally, with opportunities for lodging other than camping out.
Have you suddenly become a home-schooler and/or a remote worker because of the new social distancing requirements?
Hopefully, this won’t last forever.
Meanwhile, you could take the kids outdoors for a hike to make it feel a little less oppressive.
Running a 5k with my five year old.
In spite of my asthma, I’ve always been an active person.
Becoming a mother didn’t change that, or my desire to be outdoors in Nature.
But it did change how I could participate if I wanted (or needed) to include little ones.
Here’s how I did it!
When I first discovered recreational hiking, I was working at a full-time tech job, a single mother of a toddler with few babysitters around, and my closest family was 1500 miles away.
So most of my activities (outside of work) included the company of my little Mini-Me, and hiking was no exception.
Going for a hike in a park or Nature Reserve could be a solitary pursuit or an activity you engage in with other people (as on a group hike).
I’ve listed below some basic Hiking Etiquette 101. You should follow these simple rules of the trail to keep from being stalked by Rangers and irritating others on the trail.
We are serious about defending our lawns…
I’ve also included some peeves that are my experienced-hiker version of “Get off my lawn!”
It’s already been a full week since I made the 30+ hour return trip back home from my multi-day hiking and camping trip in Patagonia, at Chile’s famous Torres del Paine National Park.
I had the advantage of making the trip with the wonderful people at G Adventures – and they handled all of the details and the heavy lifting. All I had to do was show up with the right gear, and in good enough shape to make the trek.
Returning to Puerto Natales from Torres del Paine National Park.
NOTE: I finally completed the whole trip report, with advice on what to pack, difficulty level, etc. See the full story here.
Everyone should do some research before trying a new physical activity – and prepping for a hike is no different.
For asthmatics, failing to prepare properly for a hike can have results ranging from mildly unpleasant to catastrophic.
Be prepared, but don’t be so nervous that you don’t go out at all – walking is a natural exercise for us.
Most of us have been doing it since we were very young.
That said, in all of my posts I’m only speaking from my own experiences dealing with lifelong chronic severe asthma, including exercise induced asthma.
Umstead State Parkhas been my go-to hiking place for at least the past ten years. I hike in the forest, or with the forest as a starting place, at least twice per week.
Umstead State Park has a long history: initially a wild hardwood-forested area inhabited with bison, bobcats and elk, it later became the site for indigenous peoples homes and trade, was part of a land grant for farms in 1774.
Finally, in 1934 – through a joint effort of Federal and State agencies – 5,000 acres were purchased to create a public recreation area.
The Civilian Conservation Corp and the Works Progress Administration helped with construction, and the park was open to the public in 1937.
There are so many reasons to love this park, it’s hard to fit them all into a single post. So I’ll just start with my Top 3.
Hiking is exercise, but its also much more than that – it’s a great way for introverts to do something with people with out really having to interact too much.
When I first began hiking as a hobby, I was working at a fulltime tech job, was a single mom of a toddler with few babysitters available, and my closest family was 1500 miles away.
Of necessity, most of my activities (outside of work) included the company of my Mini-Me, and hiking was no exception.
Hiking at Hanging Rock State Park with Peanut!
My daughter loved the adventure, seeing new things, and being an intrepid explorer with her Mama!
We explored local parks and greenways, both on foot and on bikes and rollerblades.
Then, when she was old enough, we were able to visit a lot of State Parks, and go on longer unpaved trails with more varied terrain.
Originally from Minnesota, I’ve made my home in North Carolina since 1996.
As a single mom, I started hiking in this area with my daughter when she was small, and have been leading local group hikes since 2009.
Through the years – in between work and school schedules – we spent as much time as we could hiking across the US and around the world.
In my posts, I share my adventures hiking in exotic far-off locations, and also tell you about unique places you could visit just down the street.
Hiking the rocks at historic Yates Mill.
I’ also share tips on good places to hike or just get outdoors with your kids in the Cary/Raleigh area and beyond.
FYI, I only write about places or experiences I’ve actually checked out myself, so you know it’s good information. (I also try to keep the info up to date if things have changed.)
My goal is to inspire you to try some outdoor adventures of your own – both with and without your children in tow.
No matter what your age (or theirs) the best time to start is right now!
