NEXT AVENUE ARTICLE
The Unexpected Rewards of Hiking With an Older Friend By Kate Ramsay-Scott
After a few emotionally draining hiking trips, where everyone else's moods and problems dominated the conversation, I craved companionship with people who shared my need for quiet contemplation out in nature. I joined a local hiking group. On the morning of the trip, a small eclectic group gathered, a colorful parade of backpacks and hiking boots. "Gloria!" someone shouted as an elegant woman in her 70s approached us with a broad grin. She was tall, with close-cropped hair, and was rocking a large pair of silver hoop earrings. With her chic sunglasses and puffer vest, Gloria looked too glamorous for someone about to hike a trail. When we arrived at the trailhead, the group set off in an excited gaggle of chatting and I stood at the back with Gloria as she made the final adjustments to her knee braces and tightened her lumbar support. Gloria wasn't a fast hiker, but she kept a steady and even pace. I was happy to wait while she got a better grip on a tree during a challenging climb or contemplated the best way to navigate a slick rock shelf. After an hour or so, Gloria turned around with a kind smile and said, "Sorry, Kate, I hope you don't mind but I don't like talking much when I'm hiking." She gestured to the green forest around us, "My husband recently passed away after being sick for a long time. Hiking out here is my time to have some moments to myself.”
"My husband recently passed away after being sick for a long time. Hiking out here is my time to have some moments to myself.”
I appreciated her candor and told her it suited me perfectly because I didn't like talking much either. We joked that we were the perfect hiking team and passed the day in an easy and companionable quiet. Since our first meeting that day, I've followed Gloria up and down mountains, survived sweltering heat waves and slogged through deep snow drifts. We've bonded over our love of dogs and often laugh about the time I had to push her trapped hips through two gigantic boulders.
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