tjspiel

Went winter camping in Northern Minnesota this past weekend (Voyageurs National Park). The trip was organized by two men in their 70's. They've been doing this almost every year since 1966.

One them still commutes by bike all winter long and a few years ago rode with one of his daughters from Minnesota to Maine (if I remember right). Took them 3 weeks and they averaged about 80 miles per day.

He suffers from arthritis, and has had an ankle, hip, and knee replaced. Yet there he was with a big pack snowshoeing through the woods and across the lake with the rest of us. Unbelievable.

After trying to sleep outside in 10 below weather, I don't know if I'll ever complain about being cold again. They were telling me stories about the year that it hovered around -40 in the evenings for most of the trip. I can't even imagine.

In spite of the cold first night, it was an enjoyable trip. Daytime temps were very pleasant and since we were moving around, there was no problem keeping warm. Even though I was a bit uncomfortable that first night, staring at the stars and listening to the wolves howl was a treat.

ItsJustMe

I was just reading an article in an old National Geographic about how to live a long life. They had photos of a 100-year-old guy that still waterskis a lot. He looked damn good; better than most 70-year-olds I've seen.

I sure hope to be doing that well when I'm that age. In fact, it's a large part of why I'm bicycle commuting now.

tjspiel

I'm sure that remaining active has helped this guy age better. He's got some pretty serious arthritis though from what I can tell. It seems to be will power more than fitness that keeps him going.