I’m 52 years old.Had open heart surgery two yrs. ago.Have always wanted to walk the AT. Am I too for over the hill? John B.W.
john
Over the hill? - Appalachian Trail
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#2
No, you are not too old to hike the AT, plenty of men oldder then you have done it. And, if you die on trail, that is a great way to get a shelter named after you, so your legacy lives on, through after a few years your name is only a footnote in Wangfool’s book, and people refer to your last name as a location, not a person… But who cares??
Another Old Man
Old Man
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#3
My opinion is that you can do anything that you set your mind to, however, reasonable precautions don’t hurt - last year there were two 80 something guys out thru hiking, so… if you can walk then you can make it.
scuba
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#4
I too am over the hill but you will be shocked at how many of the over the hill gang are out there are on the AT. The guy I hike with ,Stinger, is almost seventy and can out hike most hikers half his age. We just get up, get going earlier and finish later than our younger friends. Remember it is a hike not a race, so enjoy your journey.
Life is good on the trail…Swamp Dawg
Swamp Dawg
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#5
I have a hero named Merle McDonald who just retired as president of the Colorado Trail Foundation. He hiked the 500 mile trail in about 23 or 25 days. That’s with an average of 10,000 ft elevation.
Tha Wookie
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#7
Age has nothing to do with it. Sure, we’re not as young as some of those whippersnappers out there.
I’ve been section-hiking for ten years now. I hit my thousandth mile on top of Mount Washington, New Hampshire last year. It’ll be arthritis that stops me, not age. Well, that and that really ugly section of the Osgood Cut-off Trail coming down from Mount Madison…
I think I’ll try a section in southern Shenandoah with my sister this year.
Harry Dolphin
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#8
Since when is 52 considered old??? In some circles you might be considered one of the young ones:) Many people start hiking at retirement. And if you were planning your hike on the PCT instead of the AT you might run into Marge (aka “The Old Gal”), a hiker in her late 70s. So, if you really want to hike, go for it, and remember you are only as old as you think!
Kanga
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#9
Hey! Stop with all the “Old people can do it advice.” There’s nothing better than walking into a shelter in the Smokies in March and staring down all those looks I get when the under 25 group sees my external frame Kelty Tioga and Camp 7 winter bag. “Dude, that stuff is so OLD!” they say. There’s nothing like firing up an Ontimus 8R stove (Yes, the one in the metal box!) that puts out more noise and flame than the space shuttle and comparing it to the hi-tech stuff of today. It always gets that intergenerational conversation started. How long will that last if all of my fellow AARP card carrying members show up at the trailhead?
CitySlicker73
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#10
We met Pokie Dot in Pa in '01(her name is 'Dot). She was in her late eighties. A lumberjack-of-a-woman. Bandana, pig tails and a huge pack. Making over twelve miles a day. Looked like she’d been hiking her entire life; kind of that really old tan line thing.
I also remember three senior dudes near Parisburg that made 100 miles a week slack packing and were finishing their last segmant.
:cheers
BW
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#11
I’ve inadvertently allowed myself to become 62. I have been doing two week solo treks into the Sierra for 18 years - and have decided that I will accept geezerhood only when I am no longer capable of strapping on the pack.
Two memorable moments: Along Bubbs Creek in Kings Cyn I ran into a guy heading to the trailhead. He had been out for ten days alone - and said he was 75 years old.
Another occaision I was resting on a hillside on the PCT south of Crabtree before the Guyot Saddle and watched this small solo figure approaching very slowly from the south. Turned out to be a 73 year old Oriental grandmother from San Pedro out alone to climb Whitney from the west. She allowed as how she got tired of spending days at home with her friends gossiping and watching soap operas.
booger
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#12
Hey, CitySlicker73, do we get senior discounts at Hostels and other places like the AMC Huts in the Whites if we show our AARP cards??
another AARP member
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#13
Yes, and don’t forget to get your “Senior Discount” at all the fast food places! Also get discount at many motels, etc.
Ah, there is life after 65! In fact I think a lot of discounts start at 55. Keep on keepin’ on…just don’t spend a lot of time looking in the mirror. Cheers
Lady Di
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#14
I’m 62 years young, and plan to hike the PCT one section at a time. Might take 3 to 5 years to complete, but I’m hoping to make it. Took me 4 years to hike the entire AT when I started at the age of 51. Hope to see ya on the PCT this year! It’s all good!
Pancho
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#15
John,
I’m 56 and my wife (Sunshine) is 53. We hiked the southernmost 500 miles of the AT last year. By the end of the hike we were both in the best shape of our lives and we can’t wait to get back out for the next 600 miles this spring. HYOH and enjoy the trail!
Lost and Found
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#17
I’m also 52. So far this year (2005) I’ve done 7 mountains in Maine. Start slow, your body will tell you when to do more.
Crusoe of Lonesome Lake
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#18
My advice: ask your doctor.
another advice: train gradually because those MUPS can really put your heart in a warp.
have an argonometry check!!
I am 52 and did third of it, I’m back ho,me but my spirit is still out there. Things won’t be the same, ever.
french conection
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#19
Tom Thwaites completed his hike of the AT two years after having bypass surgery. He is still hiking - 15 or so years later. If you have a pacemaker, it may slow you down, but you should be able to continue backpacking. Talk to your doctor.
Spirit Walker
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#20
There is a hiking book by Susan Alcorn “We’re in the Mountaing not Over the Hill” that has stories of women hikers.
Ken was 55 and I was 52 when we did our first thru on the PCT in 2000. The real danger 
is that you won’t want to stop! So we were 2 years older for our 2002 CDT thru and another year older for our 2003 AT thru.
I never thing about age until there is a post like this. I do think that the more years a hiker has, the more patience and resilience with greater mental strength that hiker has to drawn on while hiking.
We met Marge, the Old Gal in Idaho and I want to be just like her when “I grow up”!
One month from today will be our first day on the American Discovery Trail! Woo Hoo! http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=1870
…GottaWalk
Marcia