Think about your recent hikes. Notice anything about your fellow hikers? About their age? That, maybe they’re a little older than you might think? According to the latest Outdoor Participation report from the Outdoor Foundation, hiking is the most popular form of outdoor recreation for people ages 45 to 64. And it’s not surprising that this trend would be especially noticeable on trails here in the Southeastern U.S. because of the number of older people who relocate here, sometimes to be closer to their kids who’ve moved here, sometimes simply for the more moderate climate.
And even if these folks didn’t hike before, the preponderance of hiking trails here proves an attractive way to stay healthy and enjoy the weather, especially our moderate winters. The seven states that comprise our primary focus area here at the GetHiking! Southeast Podcast — Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina and Kentucky — have a combined 11,500 miles of trail. In fact, more than half of the Appalachian Trail — 1,190 miles — is in the Southeast.
Today, in an occasional series we call GetGoing Over 50, we begin looking at this phenomenon of older adventure-seekers, starting with a conversation with two guys who could be the poster children for the retired, but not relegated to the recliner. Bob and Henry relocated to the Triangle area of North Carolina from Chicago and Long Island, respectively, and are now more active than ever. I caught up with them at the start of one of their weekly outings together, this one an 8-mile hike — much of it off trail — along the Eno River in the Piedmont of central North Carolina.
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