The benefits of nature at any age
My mom has had this quote from Mark Twain on her wall ever since I was small: “Age is a matter of the mind. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” As I continue to age myself, I of course appreciate that quote more than ever, and part of my mission is to encourage people to enjoy nature at any age.
Limits and Possibilities
My husband, son and I recently returned from a two-night backpacking trip (my first!). As I was talking about that trip in an online group, one woman told me that she doesn’t camp anymore because of her age. She’s 75 and her husband is 78. However, she said they still go on short hikes.
During the course of our backpacking hike, we encountered people of all ages. Our son, age 7, was one the youngest, but we did see several other children as well. We also passed people well into their 80s who were on the trail for a day hike. Most notably, we passed a grandmother with her teenaged granddaughter who backpacked in and camped for one night.