You're generalizing. There are 40 year olds going on 70 and there are 70 year olds going on 40. It's a matter of the individual's level of activity and to some extent genetics. No doubt I was much more capable when I was 40, but there are a lot of 40 yo's that can't keep up. But I'm not 70

Obviously you hit a nerve,Teacher RO, but this comes at a time when I am preparing for field work next week requiring some hiking and allied strenuous activity. I was out today on a shake down cruise to see how the body was doing (with particular emphasis on the knees!). I have to laugh, because years ago would have covered the very same terrain without a second thought; now I check to see if all systems are in order.

It is perfectly true that strength, vigor, etc. tend to decline with age, but to some extent experience and judgment compensate - this will vary with the individual, of course. In the coming month, my odometer will turn over to 79, and I look forward to continuing field work as the big 8 0 approaches. I clearly must devote more time and effort to strength and, especially, flexibility. My doc tells me I am an excellent candidate for knee replacement and that will help, if I do my bit. Aging is not for the faint of heart.

My model is a fine wonderful lady, age 91, whom I harnessed and belayed as she went over the edge to perform some very meticulous digging. The job required great precision and her work was impeccable.

Happy Birthday a bit early, hikermor! Hopefully I will get a chance to meet you up in the Hills while you're still doing field work!

IMHO, to a large extent age really is just a number. No doubt our physical capabilities decrease with age but I have seen quite a few remarkably fit old geezers and all too many 20-somethings in hopeless shape, not to mention seriously lacking in the skills and judgement department.

I don't think the gentleman in question did anything altogether foolish or inviting disaster. Going out solo that time of year at night may have been risky, but I suspect it wasn't the first time he did something like that either. More likely than not it was an unlucky turn of events. Not necessarily due to a lack of gear either.

Note the following sequence - headlight burning out, sat phone broken, then running out of gas. So it seems this gentleman's gear gave up much sooner than he did.

Also, carrying a sat phone indicates a pretty good level of preparedness IMHO, it's not something often carried by most people outdoors - even though in that environment I suppose it is more common and certainly more necessary. Anyway, sat phones tend to be pretty robust devices. If his broke I think it's fair to say an ordinary smartphone (whether a dual-core with 2 gigs of RAM or a 32GB super-octocore) with an onboard GPS would have failed just as easily. Going back to basics and carrying a plain old compass might have been helpful, though.

Come this July, I will be in Hot Springs digging mammoth bones - if the Good Lord's willing and the creeks don't rise!