Three weeks in the Sonoran desert

[DeathValleyDazed]

Dazed, when do you expect age to stop you.  I'm 69.  I think you're a few years younger?  I don't plan to stop though I can't do the distances I used to be able to manage.  My attitude is that if I stop, I die, so...  I just keep going   

I remember many years ago meeting an older couple in Mammoth hiking They were probably in their late 70s and they said they did that hike every year, because they knew that once they stopped doing it they wouldn't be able to do it again.

Okay now, I generally avoid discussing age because I don't want to curse myself and also that our experiences in Death Valley are not for competition but pure enjoyment. I'm 69 and turn 70 in a few months. Now get this about one of the most "amazing" experiences I've ever had in DEVA which is age related. 

In March of 2019 I was patting myself on the back and while resting and searching for my water stashed previously for the return decent I thought for an old goat like myself hiking from Badwater to Dante's Peak was damn good. When who should appear casually strolling up behind me after following me up the route (unbeknown to me) was an elderly couple both with waling sticks (not walking canes!) They must have been at least five and maybe ten years older than me. They acted like their hike was just another walk in the park. They were not heading back down but had secured a car ride from family members and said they'd like to visit but that they'd better hurry over the Dante's Parking to meet their family, which was still at least another mile of hiking. 
This hike was very challenging for me but they were so casual about it I was gobsmacked. LOL FYI - here's the video but I was not present of mind enough to request a photo of the "elderly couple."  Anyway, I hope to keep hiking and my motto still remains, "If I can see it, I can hike to it."