Never too old

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."

Tony served with distinction in the famed 10th Mountain Division of ski troops in WWII, rising in rank 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 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.

In a recent email, Tony mentioned that outdoor opportunities were few for a "one-eyed octogenarian."

That got me thinking...

Not far from Tony's home is one of the nicest bicycle routes in New England. For 20 miles of more, from Route 114 in Branford, all the way through Henniker and Weare, the shoulders are usually wide, hills are moderate, the scenery pleasant and traffic is generally light.

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 out and enjoying.

On Memorial Day, 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 headed off for the open road.

I couldn't see Tony on our ride, but I could sure hear the pleasure in his voice.

We flew along for a few miles, struggled only a little up a couple of hills and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

We thought we were just getting warmed up when our nervous chaperones called a halt to the proceedings, charging 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.

Goals and Limitations

Undertaking any outdoor activity with anyone facing palpable 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.

I know too many cases where parents (fathers seem particularly prone to this folly and 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 roaming 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 at everything than me.

When Tony and I started our ride, we had set a tentative goal of making it all the way to Henniker (about 10 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.

So Tony and I didn't get as far as we'd hoped. 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!

I just got a note from Tony. He's working out harder on his Bowflex and rowing machine to get his legs in better shape to complete our ride next time.

I can't wait.