My new friend Tony Hyde of Warner, New Hampshire is exactly the kind of guy that Tom Brokaw wrote about in his book “The Greatest Generation.” And exactly the kind of guy I want to be when I grow up.
Tony served with distinction in the famed 10th Mountain Division of ski troops in WWII, rising from Private to Captain. He eventually commanded a heavy weapons company in action against German forces in Italy, including the legendary taking of Riva Ridge. For his service, Tony won two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart (“everyone who was wounded got one” ) for running afoul of a German hand grenade. Finally, Tony also was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action, which he found out about 57 years later, by accident. “I was doing my job” is how he describes that day on the battlefield.
Home from the war, Tony raised a family, built a business, and, apparently, skied like a madman. He raced on the Masters and Nastar circuit until age 84, when macular degeneration finally stole the sight in one eye and left him almost blind in the other.
Tony wrote me this past spring, after reading about skinning up closed ski resorts and skiing down. He described his own experiences with skis and skins in his 10th Mountain training
I was intrigued, immediately asked him to come skiing in the excellent New England Handicapped Sports Association adaptive ski program at nearby Mount Sunapee in Newbury, N.H. But another illness kept him immobile until after the snow had melted.
In one of his emails, Tony mentioned that Active Outdoors opportunities were few and far between for a “one-eyed octogenarian.” Hmmm . . .
Not far from Tony’s home, N.H. Route 114 from Bradford, all the way through Henniker and Weare is one of the nicest bicycle routes in New England. For 20 miles or more, the shoulders are usually wide, hills are moderate, the scenery pleasant and traffic is generally light.
In other words, it’s a perfect place to take a new stoker for a ride on a tandem bike. Riding stoker doesn’t require a lot of strength, nor does it require any navigation or shifting. So it’s a great way to get an older person or someone with a disability out and enjoying cycling.
On Memorial Day, my sweetheart Marilyn and I met Tony and his wife Elizabeth in Bradford. The plan was for Tony and me to ride as far as he could comfortably, with the girls leapfrogging ahead in the car.
Tony rode stoker like he’d been doing it all his life. We practiced with a few turns around a large paved parking lot, then off for the open road.
I’ve always loved the feeling of freedom you get pedaling along on a bicycle, enjoying the breeze in your face, getting your heart pumping and your lungs working the way they were meant to. I couldn’t see Tony on our ride, but I could sure hear the pleasure in his voice.
We flew along a few miles, past a beautiful lake, struggled only a little up a couple of hills (what good is life without challenges?) and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We thought we were just getting warmed up when our nervous chaparones called a halt to the proceedings, claiming that Tony “looked tired,” a claim which he stoutly denied. I stayed out of the discussion.
It was only then I found out that Tony had already marched several miles that morning as one of only two World War II veterans in the Warner parade! Hope I can do as well at 88.
Active seniors: Reasonable Goals
Undertaking any outdoor activity with anyone facing observable limitations, whether they are old, young, sick, not in good enough shape, or inexperienced means adjusting your goals to allow them to succeed.
There’s nothing worse than watching someone who should be enjoying themselves having a miserable time because they or someone else set unreasonable goals that they couldn’t accomplish.
I know too many cases where parents (fathers seem particularly prone to this folly—I’ve been guilty myself on occasion) turn their kids off to the outdoors by demanding too much, too early.
But it’s the same with anyone. When my sweetheart Marilyn and I first discovered each other, she’d had very little experience in the outdoors, had never really hiked, hadn’t biked in decades, hadn’t skied in years. So adventuring together has been a learning process for both of us. She’s had to learn new skills and how to coax more from her body than she thought it could do; I’ve had to re-learn how to slow down and enjoy smaller “bites,” something I hadn’t had to practice since my sons got better than me at everything.
When Tony and I started our ride, we had set a tentative goal of riding all the way to an ice cream place in Henniker, NH (about 12 miles). We didn’t make it all the way. Could we have gone farther? Probably. Would it have made the day any more pleasurable? Probably not. OK, so Tony and I didn’t get as far as we’d hoped. Life is like that. You deal. And, maybe, you don’t march in a parade and go biking on the same day . . .
To console ourselves, we replaced the calories we’d burned with chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream at a nearby stand. Not a bad reward at the end of a wonderful bike ride!
Shortly after our Memorial Day ride, I got a note from Tony telling me he was working out harder on his Bowflex and rowing machine to get his legs in better shape to complete our ride next time. About a month later we met on a lovely summer day and flew together about 12 miles, easily completing the ride we had hoped to accomplish on that first day. The ice cream sure tasted sweet after that!
No matter how old you are, you can always get yourself out and do something–often more than you first imagined.
Active Seniors: Other Outdoor Options
I’ve been trying to think of other ways to get Tony or someone like him outdoors for a little adventure and exercise. The tandem bike worked well but it might not be right for everyone.
So far, I’ve figured that he could easily paddle with me in a canoe on a pond or quiet river. The canoe would be easier to get into and out of than a tandem kayak—though we might explore the idea of a sit-on-top kayak . . . We’ve also decided he can probably raise sail (and, knowing Tony, a little Hell,) or use the oars in a small boat. I can’t see that he’d have any problems walking on a smooth rail trail, or getting on cross-county skis on flat ground next winter.
I’ll bet you or someone you know who could use more time outdoors. What are you waiting for? Life isn’t a spectator sport, get out and enjoy!