When newcomers arrive in Durango, they often look for ways to connect and explore the region’s natural beauty. For many over the age of 50, the answer has long been Seniors Outdoors! – a year-round outdoor recreation and social club that has been guiding members through forests, up mountains and into lasting friendships for years.
The all-volunteer club is meant to address two issues with getting older: inactivity and loneliness.
“I came here and I knew nobody,” said Chris Blackshear, now chairman of the group’s outing committee. “Someone told me about the club, and it’s been a great social network. People know where they’re going, and they can take you out and show you things you’d never find on your own.”
The club counts about 360 members today, with membership normally peaking at around 500 around Jan. 1.
Its calendar is crammed with activities: hikes, bike rides, snowshoeing trips and everything in between. Outings range from easy 2-mile walks to strenuous mountain climbs, ensuring there’s something for everyone.
And safety is central to each trip. Routes are vetted; leaders carry radios, beacons and first aid kits; and members are asked to demonstrate previous experience before joining more technical climbs.
“That’s what separates us from the meetup formula,” Blackshear said with a chuckle. “We have safety in mind, because we’re all old.”
Still, age is hardly a barrier to adventure. Members in their 70s and 80s are often found leading trips or scrambling up peaks.
On a recent outing, club president Magali Salomon watched 10 members descend the rocky, exposed face of Engineer Mountain, a 12,968-foot summit north of Durango.
Just a week earlier, a group had topped Mount Sneffels, a 14,157-foot giant in the San Juans known for its technical climbing. The oldest climber that day was 79.
“We do so much, seniors is not a good name for what we do,” Salomon said. The group has considered a name change, though, she noted, it’s not a simple decision.
As spry as many of the members may be, they are not invincible. During the Engineer trip, one of the oldest members, at 79, started to stumble during the climb to the summit. An experienced mountaineer, she had led expeditions all over the area and had climbed Engineer Mountain many times before, even in her old age.
She ended up unable to summit, and another group member stopped with her. They waited for the rest of the group to finish before making a slow return to the trailhead.
The experience, and the scare, demonstrated the importance of the group’s camaraderie, one of the hikers said. It was also a sobering reminder that eventually, everyone ages out of the club – either no longer mobile or needing to move to a more moderate level of activity.
As trip leader Tom Fiorillo put it, the club teaches members to embrace the “go-go” phase of life before slowing down.
The outings offer more than exercise and scenery. They create connection at a stage of life when companionship is essential.
“One of the biggest and most tragic things for seniors is loner-ism and just not having companionship,” he said.
Carpooling to trailheads and spending hours on the trail together fosters deep friendships.
“It’s a great place to meet people,” another hiker added.
That sense of community has kept the club thriving for decades.
Members have bought homes in Durango because of the group, discovered new places they would never have found alone, and stayed optimistic about aging thanks to the friendships and challenges the club provides.
People have met their best friends, learned new skills and remained hopeful about the future in an aging body, members said while relaxing at the top of Engineer Mountain, reminiscing about past outings.
The monthly outing calendar now brims with nearly 100 events each summer, offering something for every pace and ability – from leisurely Wednesday Wanderers to grueling scrambles up loose Class 3 rock above tree line.
“We do not recognize people when they die. We would have too many emails sent out,” Blackshear said.
For the group, the focus is on the living, not the departed. Why dwell on the dead, members say, when there is so much to do alive?
jbowman@durangoherald.com
