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08-12-25 | 01:05 PM

#98

indyfabz

Senior Member

Joined: Jan 2010

Posts: 45,426

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Quote:

Originally Posted by jackb

I'm 77 and my wife is 74. We did the GAP in Sept. of 2024. Best Rails-to-Trails we have ever done.

If you like to ride, that liking should keep you in the saddle for many years, until you can't ride anymore for physical reasons. I try to ride three days a week for around 20 miles per ride. In the winter I downhill and cross-country ski. I also hike a lot. All this keeps fit without trying. Fitness is a by-product of doing things that I like to do.

I once rode across the country unsupported with a small group that included a guy who turned 77 during the trip. When we finished in Bar Harbor, he started riding home to the Philly suburbs. His wife finally made him quit in CT and came to pick him up. He was a tough bird. Spent over two years in a Nazi POW camp as a member of the RCAF. Lived to be 90.

If you haven’t done so, you might want to check out the Mickelson Trail in SD. More “rugged” than the GAP, but a MTB is not required. Transportation is a bit of a PITA. But one thing you could do is use Hill City as a base and do day rides. I’m pretty sure there is at least one shuttle service there that can pick you up or drop you off at various trailheads. If you fly out and rent a vehicle, Mt. Rushmore is an easy drive from Hill City. Custer is another possible base with indoor accommodations and places to eat.

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