Why I decide to stay strong…
I am 75 years old and live in Oregon City, Oregon, surrounded by evidence of a cataclysmic event – The Missoula Floods. Although my partner and I live near a major city, no one had taken on the challenge of living on a hillside of rocks left by the flood waters. We built the house in 1989 and I have spent 36 years laboring to honor the unique site and create beautiful gardens.
My other passions are grandchildren, singing, exercising, walking and I am planning the next European hiking trip.
WalkingWomen asked if I would share my struggles and decisions to stay strong as I age – sharing can perhaps help other women.
The pleasure of exploring the world on foot is what pushes me to be stronger than what I need for my daily living. My training for yearly European hiking trips is so important for my health that my doctor urges me to plan the next one as soon as I get home. And I am!
Endeavoring to stay active and fit as I age is vulnerable and fraught with discouraging times. The triumphant fitness I achieved in the winter of 2024 was set back by a serious respiratory virus just months before leaving for a hiking trip in Scotland. Having to sleep sitting up in order to breathe aggravated my left hip and while I was able to hike, my hip remained worrisome.
After returning home I injured my hip even more doing a major garden project. But my partner and I had reservations to hike near Lakes Garda, Orta and Maggiore in May 2025 and I wasn’t going to give up on the brightest spot of my year.
I dreamed of hiking in this beautiful spot..
My training includes a remarkable chiropractor and massage therapist; Nordic walking which increases cardiovascular benefits and lessens pressure on my hips; lunges, squats and clam shells (which I still dislike). Despite all efforts, my hip was not getting better.
Then I found The Psoas Book by Liz Koch, whose life work is all things psoas.
My massage therapist calls the psoas the center of our universe but it shortens and dries with age, which affects the hips. I did, and continue, to do the 5 simple movements from The Psoas Book every night. Not only did my hip improve, I also have better posture, I can stand for long periods of time (I wrote and rewrote this while standing at a tall table), I sleep better and experienced release from trauma stored in the psoas. A lengthened, softer psoas is the most important body change I have ever experienced.
And I went hiking to Lake Garda
Lake Garda and Maggiore were magnificent but the walks were all steep. While I was elated to find that I could do the hikes, the reality of age meant I needed to find easier activities in between the steep hikes. The beautiful surroundings made it easier to accept my limitations.
Months later I still miss opening the shutters in the morning to see the mood of the lake.
For the first time I wore structured but flexible knee braces on the return downhill hikes. They worked and I had no knee pain at the end of long descents.
My advice for women who find it harder to hike in later life:
- Find hikes that are glorious enough to you that they are worth working for
- Modify and redefine success when you need to.
I learned that lesson near the top of Ben Vrackie in Scotland when I got vertigo. Just as I was feeling ill, the only other “old gal” on the mountain gave me precious advice: “You have nothing to prove to anyone. Get down.” My memory of Ben Vrackie isn’t about the disappointment of vertigo, it’s about meeting a wise and warm woman I call my angel.
- Find hikes that lift your spirit and please your palate – they will inspire you to keep/build your strength
While I live in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, I don’t hike in the woods. Hiking involves driving for several hours, walking to a lake and then turning around and walking back to the car and driving home. No historical sites, no pubs, no delicious coffee, and lots of driving (my least favourite thing).
Watching the travel opportunities and collaboration grow at Walking Women fills me with hope and pride. I enjoy arm chair travel while reading the news letter each month.
Walking Women is filled with adventures worth striving for at any age. Seek out what might suit you best and perhaps take a few risks to push yourself !
