{"id":834,"date":"2015-09-27T21:22:45","date_gmt":"2015-09-28T04:22:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/craigromano.com\/blog\/?p=834"},"modified":"2020-12-21T13:54:15","modified_gmt":"2020-12-21T21:54:15","slug":"ninety-years-young-and-an-inspiration-to-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craigromano.com\/?p=834","title":{"rendered":"Ninety Years Young and an Inspiration to All!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

By far Bronka was one of the most fascinating people I have ever “hiked into.”<\/p><\/div>\n

I hit the trails for inspiration, redemption, and rejuvenation. A primeval forest grove, placid lakeshore, flowering alpine meadow, and a summit view of a sea of serrated summits can have quite an effect on a restless and anxious soul. The natural world is my opiate, my muse, and my motivator. It has never failed me.<\/p>\n

Humankind on the other hand is a mixed bag. A day reading the news can have me in no time heading for the woods to take refuge from the madness our society is capable of wreaking.\u00a0 But humans are capable of greatness, great deeds and great feats as well. And when I meet an inspiring person in the backcountry\u2014the positive effect on me is synergistic.<\/p>\n

This summer I had the fortune (or fate if you will) to encounter on the trail a truly inspiring individual, Bronka Sundstrom. I was hiking up the Dry River Trail in the Olympic National Forest when I encountered two well-seasoned hikers coming down the trail. As I always do, I stopped to say hello\u2014and leave the window open if a short conversation manifested. And it did.<\/p>\n

While we were chatting I noticed a very distinct European accent. So I asked my new acquaintance where she was from originally. She answered Poland and then told me she lives near Mount Rainier. It didn\u2019t take me long to piece it all together and I exclaimed\u2014\u201cI know who you are\u2014you\u2019re Bronka!\u201d She was pleasantly taken aback. I continued, \u201cI interviewed you for a magazine article well over a decade ago about you being the oldest woman ever to summit Mount Rainier!\u201d<\/a> She was 77 when I last talked to her. Seventy-seven and she summited Rainier\u2014the oldest woman ever to do so\u2014simply inspiring.<\/p>\n

But then it dawned on me\u2014if that was back in 2002\u2014then she must be 90 now\u201490 and out on a 7 mile hike. She confirmed she\u2019s 90\u2014and then her hiking partner said, \u201cI\u2019m ninety too.\u201d Which is what I heard\u2014but what he actually said was, \u201cI\u2019m 92.\u201d Holy Methuselah Batman! How cool is that!?<\/p>\n

We chatted awhile (so much to talk about) and I found out that Bronka is also a Holocaust survivor. Though she doesn\u2019t talk much about that\u2014it\u2019s Rainier and the outdoors she spends the most time talking about. This woman and her hiking companion as well are truly inspirations. As I move deeper into middle age and worry that someday I won\u2019t be able to get out as much and as far as I\u2019d like\u2014I need only look at Bronka and think there are so many more years ahead. Granted when it\u2019s time to go it\u2019s time to go\u2014but we can do so much here to postpone our date with the grim one. Live a simple life\u2014eat well and balanced\u2014exercise regularly\u2014count your blessings\u2014be part of things bigger than yourself\u2014develop strong and loving relationships\u2014and hit the trail often! I hope to see you on the trail when I\u2019m 90\u2014actually make that 92!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I hit the trails for inspiration, redemption, and rejuvenation. A primeval forest grove, placid lakeshore, flowering alpine meadow, and a summit view of a sea of serrated summits can have quite an effect on a restless and anxious soul. The natural world is my opiate, my muse, and my motivator. It has never failed me.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2102,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,16,22],"tags":[71,194,221],"class_list":["post-834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-day-hiking-olympic-penisula","category-musings","tag-bronka-sundstrom","tag-olympic-national-forest","tag-rainier-climber"],"yoast_head":"\nNinety Years Young and an Inspiration to All! » Craig Romano<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/craigromano.com\/?p=834\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ninety Years Young and an Inspiration to All! » Craig Romano\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I hit the trails for inspiration, redemption, and rejuvenation. 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