Hiker, 65, shares wisdom

on the Appalachian Trail

BY LAURA KIRSHENBAUM
FOR THE SUN CHRONICLE

The first words she said to me as she slowly inched into view were, "I'm not too old." Quite taken off guard at such a bold statement, I replied, "That's great . . . but what's your name?"
As it turns out, this short, 65year old woman from Maine uses "Not Too Old" as her trail name and every day she proves that she is truly not too old.  Sylvia "Not Too Old" Young (how ironic to have a last name like Young) is a perfect example of how age is irrelevant on the Appalachian Trail.
Every day Sylvia wakes up, quietly ties her laces on her boots (which look more like black cinder blocks than boots), straps a 40-pound backpack to her small 5- foot-3-inch body, and with crooked wooden sticks in both hands inches closer to her home state with each small step.

Svlvia "Not Too Old" is hiking the Appalachian Trail for the second time.  The first time she hiked it in sections and took six vears to complete it.  This time she's attempting the through-hike by completing the whole trail in one year.

Despite her age and her tendency tof getting stress fractures in her feet, Svlvia presses on, covering about 10 to 12 miles each day.  Never do vou hear a complaint either.  Even when asked how she's feeling after a long, hard day of hiking through slick mud and rain, "Not Too Old" replies simply, "not too bad."

Veteran hiker
Sylvia "NotToo Old" Young of Maine is one of the many interesting people city native Laura Kirshenbaum has met on the Appalachian Trail.  The 65-year-old proves age is irrelevant on the AT.

"Not Too Old" and other people like her have taught me a great deal while on the trail.  I think the most important lesson. though, is patience.  The older people on the trail seem to be very tuned in to their physical abilities.  They listen to their bodies.  They stop when their body says stop and go slow when their body says go slow.

Young people, like myself, still test our body, tied try to push it for more miles or a faster pace. But no matter how hard we push or how fast we

go, the older folks are never far behind.

I haven't seen Svlvia "Not Too Old" for several weeks now and I miss her dearly.  I miss hearing her stories about her previous hike or her life back in Maine.  I miss drinking coffee with her at the diner in Hot Springs, N.C. But most of all I miss her smiling face in the shelter at the end of the day.  I hope our paths cross again soon, but if not I wish her good luck with rest of her journey to Mt. Katahdin.