Caribou Gear

Feelin' it.

Gunner46

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Joined
Dec 6, 2003
Messages
3,307
Location
Frigid Ohio
I dunno. Y'all tell me. I only clocked off 27 miles of boot leather, in 4 days, and I'm feeling it.

A couple of joints I didn't know existed have now introduced themselves, very rudely I might add. The muscles aren't bad to say, but Man do I need some WD-40 on the squeaky parts!!

Is this what it's like to get 'old' ?

Old Frats out there. Gimme some pointers on keeping it real-in-the-field !
 
....it aint for sissies ,if you wanna be outdoors at our age, But not giving up...
 
Keep getting your legs strong and you'll be fine.One year I didn't and paid for it with jello legs on day 4.Realized I couldn't get an elk out at that point so went antelope hunting.Its a mistake I never made again.Don't think you need to go back 6-7 miles.I usually camp at about the 2 mile point and fan out daily from there.Never had any reason to move camp on any hunt as I was always in elk.If your joints hurt maybe some arthritis meds will help.I take them and they help a lot but joints are full of arthritis.You don't need to be a tri-athlete to elk hunt.Thats only I magazines.Heck, my spot in Wy. I have to hike a whole 300 yards from a roadside camp to the elk,but it is uphill,lol.Don't train so hard you walk past all the elk.Spend as much time on maps as the treadmill
 
legs and core strength along with cardio training will pay big dividends.

I assume you are backpacking.....If so, buying a good mattress, it makes a huge difference on aches and pains.
 
I have found that stretching a LOT before and after my runs and hikes helps immensely. I hate doing it as it seems like a waste of time when I want to just get going, but I have hurt enough the following days that I am stretching more now. Is anyone out there an exercise guru that would know which stretches I should be doing for my "knee pits" ? As in the back side of my knees are awful sore, I must be missing something in my stretches. On another note, I messed up something in my shoulder and am scared as heck that I may not get to bowhunt elk this fall. Can't even pull my daughters little 20# school bow back right now. Bad deal. I have been through the same thing with my other shoulder and had surgery. I am going to keep working on my legs and hope that I can at least go to call elk for my hunting partner. Ya, getting older sure has some disadvantages for the body, but life is still good as I get to goof off more :)
 
"but life is still good as I get to goof off more".

DAMN ! You just Had to go and tell everybody the secret........
 
I have arthritis & joint issues from a bad bout of Lyme's disease a few years back. Glucosamine, trekking poles, making the switch to ultra-light gear where possible, a great load-bearing pack (I've gotta Mystery Ranch that makes a 50lb pack feel like a 30lb pack) and not eating dairy before or during any time in the woods is really helpful for decreasing inflammation & taking the pressure off. Seems weird but lactose can be a hidden inflammatory substance. I notice a huge difference when I avoid it. And I shouldn't leave out the time-tested ibuprofen & ice. Rivers are great substitutes for ice packs, at least out west.

I did 150 miles with just me and my pack in the backcountry on the northern Continental Divide last summer and managed to get through it w/my arthritis using those practices. Worst day was a 2500ft drop over the course of ten miles. I was basically crippled for two days after that hike out. But after a few more intense painkillers and a lot of ice, I was back on the trail within 48 hours.
 
One thing that has helped me a lot the last 2 years for my joints has been supplementing fish oil pills. I noticed my knees and shoulder joints being more stuff and sore than normal 2 years ago when working out. I started taking these pills again and it made a big difference after about a week or 2.
 
legs and core strength along with cardio training will pay big dividends.

Thru the summer I hit the gym 4 or 5 days a week and focus on legs and core. Then as season gets closer I'll shift the focus to cardio and throw in a heavy leg day and a core workout once a week. I take glucosamine daily and stretch before and after. When hunting I try to eat a lot of protein not much dairy and toss in a couple aleve or ibuprofen every morning.
Even after that, last year I packed out my cow solo almost 2.5 miles in two trips and I was wrecked for almost a week!
 
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