| Well… I survived the West Coast Trail! In the photo above my friend Caroline and I are happy to have survived the challenging boulder section on Day 2. 75 km over 7 days – here are some more fun stats: – I started with a 40 lbs pack including water, personal belongings and my portion of the group gear (one food bag containing 1-2 meals, fuel bottle and half a tent)no book, no cell phone 1 journal – I expected to be blown away by the spectacular scenery (see below for two of my favourite photos from the trip) and happy to have challenged myself physically but I didn’t expect to gain a whole philosophy for aging, which came about after meeting countless people in their 50s, 60s and even 70s hike the trail! One thing that stuck with me was learning how two independent groups of older women were approaching the trail: they each were taking 8 days, 7 nights to complete the hike whereas our group was hiking it in 7 days, 6 nights. I think 8 days/7 nights is a wonderful metaphor for keeping active as you get older: tack on an extra day, take a bit more time, stop and smell the roses and continue to experience all the amazing things you love to do. |
[originally published August 2021]
Dr. Cynthia Chan 