Member-only story
Aging; Lifestyle, Travel
The Corsican Hike Was Outside My Comfort Zone
But I did it. The fine line between challenge and trouble.
I recently wrote about taking on a challenging hiking trip in Corsica. I hinted at my trepidation of the untested and unknown and wondered aloud if age was a factor.
Well, mission accomplished. We five hiking buddies have stories to tell or not to tell, depending on the audience. There will remain a bit of “what happens in Vegas…” given the intensity of the terrain and personalities. But the experience was positive and a point of pride in accomplishment.
The topography of rocky, narrow paths stretched my stamina, physical and mental strength, and emotional resilience. I had to dig deep.
I was prescient in my “niggling doubt” about the hike.
Before this trip, I wrote,
In the past, my active lifestyle was adequate preparation for a hiking trip. I never felt “too old.” But now? There is a murmur of niggling doubt.
This time seems different. In just a year, I seem different. A little more vulnerable. Is it my imagination or a greater self-awareness?
The insight was revelatory, self-awareness hiding in plain sight.
On a day that required a descent of nearly 4000 feet, we were past a reasonable point of return when we ran into a pair of women hikers from the Netherlands — in their forties.
The disparate age range of our group caught their attention as we shared a water break.
Quietly referring to me and another, one of the women asked, “Are your friends strong hikers? This is a very tough trail.”
They could tell by looking at me and my fellow septuagenarian that we were likely in over our heads. I was, anyway.
Our group spanned 13 years, from early 60s to the mid-70s. At least on paper, we knew what we signed on for — hiking over terrain identified as “strenuous.”
But that’s like comparing Disney’s Magic Mountain roller coaster to a SpaceX moon landing. I had bought the roller coaster ticket, or so I thought.
