Page 49 - Southern Oregon Magazine Summer 2022

WHICH LONG DISTANCE HIKES HAVE YOU DONE?
MARY: The Pacific Crest Trail, the Oregon Desert Trail, the Grand
Enchantment Trail, the Colorado Trail, the Arizona Trail, and 600 miles
of the Hayduke Trail. And then I've done half of the Continental Divide
Trail and 500 miles of the Appalachian Trail. Also, The Great Glen Way
in Scotland and the Kumano Kodo Buddhist Pilgrimage in Japan. And
I’ve hiked across the Brooks Range in Alaska and trekked to Lhotse in
Nepal.

DO YOU USUALLY HIKE SOLO?

MARY: I usually do. Mainly, there are few hikers my age who want
to do those long-distance hikes. Young people want to do it and check
it off their list. Older people know how “to go with the flow.” Hiking
helps you experience the outdoors like no other way. You must endure
the weather and make peace with the animals. I like feeling part of the
ecosystem.

WHAT IS NEXT FOR YOU?

MARY: My cousin's wife wants to hike the Ozark Trail in Missouri.
We're doing that in September.

WHAT IS KEY TO BEING AN ELDER HIKER?

MARY: Number one, believe that you can do it. Start small with a
pack on your back. Do day hikes, start with one or two miles. Then
increase the length five percent a week and increase the weight of your
pack slowly. Always hike with the same shoes you're going to be back-
packing in. And join a hiking group. In Ashland, you could be hiking
every single day of the week with a different hiking group.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU KEEP HIKING?

MARY: I see all these amazing people, like my 82-year-old friend who
is still hiking and healthy. That gives me inspiration. It's “use it or lose
it.” The challenge is mostly mental. I remind myself of a quote I learned
in the 70s, attributable to the civil rights movement: “Power is the abil-
ity to define yourself and act on that definition.” As older persons, we
must create our own definitions of who we are and then act on those
definitions.

summer 2022 | www.southernoregonmagazine.com 47