One local couple at Abbotswood at Irving Park (a Kisco Senior Living Community) is hiking their way to a healthy lifestyle while continuing a lifelong passion for the outdoors. Born in the green hills of Vermont, Sue Beck, 83, always loved the great outdoors. She didn’t care if the sun was shining or if there was a foot of snow, she was out walking and taking in the world around her. It’s Beck’s love for nature that got her husband Bill Haney, 80, out on the trails with her in 1988 and still does today. The couple started hiking the Appalachian Trail together on a bit of a whim, starting on the lower end of the trail and deciding they might as well complete the entire 2,200-mile trek. Having completed the trail in 2001, today the experienced hikers continue hiking and camping when they have the chance and believe their health has benefitted from years of building strength and endurance due to their hikes.
“Hiking has been great for the both of us and has really kept us moving,” said Haney. “I read a book not too long ago that explained how being active in your 50s and 60s improves your chances of maintaining good health in your later years. For Sue and I that’s certainly been the case – call it good genes or good luck – we’re happy to still be able to do something we enjoy together. Though I have to say it’s much more enjoyable now. I used to be the mule for the trips, carrying around 50 pounds of equipment, but that’s not the case these days.”
For those who don’t know, the hiking community is incredibly tight-knit. While hiking a trail, groups will often leave one another messages at rest points, signing in with their trail names to let fellow hikers know who’s on the trail. Beck and Haney’s moniker, the NC Pole Cats, differentiated them from other teams as the pair used walking poles to help navigate rougher areas of the trails. By coming up with a name and integrating themselves into the hiking community, they were able to seek help when needed and rest assured that someone was always there to lend a helping hand. According to Beck, it can be quite dangerous when you’re out on the trails, and they weren’t immune to injuries and other emergencies, so it was nice to know that even when it seemed like the couple was on their own, others were looking out for them.
It’s this knowledge Beck and Haney carry with them today when they camp and hike smaller trails. They believe in the importance of continuing their adventures and are thankful to have the ability to be outside and stay active. The pair is currently planning for their next trip when they will visit the Green Mountains of Virginia in September, where they plan to hike the trails of Hungry Mother State Park.
“My entire life I’ve loved to be a part of nature any way I can, but this has been a hobby and a passion that has brought a lot of joy and special memories I couldn’t have imagined,” said Beck. “It’s even more special to have Bill come along with me and achieve something so rewarding together. There’s nothing like the feeling of completing a trail and being able to say, ‘wow I did that, what a victory.’”
“At Abbotswood at Irving Park, we are dedicated to ensuring that our residents are equipped to live the lives they love,” said Allison Pait, executive director of Abbotswood at Irving Park. “Sue and Bill are an inspiration for all of us to use the activities we enjoy most to stay active and live life well. We hope that by sharing their story, others will be inspired to get out and better their health and well-being.”