Age No Barrier To Embracing Life

But one year some friends invited us on one of New Zealand’s Great Walks and we were hooked. We’ve done many tramps around Aotearoa since then, making lifelong friends and seeing wonderful remote landscapes we would never otherwise have seen. We especially love being off-grid for a few days and away from the continual demands of our phones. It’s rest for the soul.

Now we’re in our late fifties and we are certainly not the fastest trampers on the track. This year we walked the Tongariro Northern Circuit and were frequently passed by younger, fitter walkers. As we’ve become older we’ve stopped worrying about how fast we’re walking or how early we get to the hut. The most important thing is that we enjoy ourselves and that we all get there together leaving no-one behind.

We take our time, stopping often to enjoy the view, to talk to people we meet on the track and to give our tired lungs and wobbly knees the chance to rest. We’re conscious of and allow for each other’s varying needs and abilities. And we remind ourselves that, if it’s taking us an extra two hours to get to the hut, that’s an extra two hours we’ll have to experience the beauty of the bush, the sky and the mountains.

Aware that we’re probably as old as the parents of many of our fellow walkers, we also hope that they’ll be inspired by our example and realise that it’s still possible to do all sorts of things as they get older. Every tramp we do is a physical and mental challenge but we don’t have to give up the things we love just because we’re aging. As long as we know our limits we can stay active for we are all - young and old - so much stronger than we know.

A Prayer for Hikers

E te Atua, God of the mountains,

today we pray for courage

to face the challenges ahead,

the times when bodies, hearts, knees,

feet and spirits will be tested;

may we remember that we are all

stronger than we know and

may we go forward in safety,

confidence and the love of friends.

Amen.