As most people on this board know, we have been tripping in the BWCA (with a few excursions into the Q in days gone by) for 38 years.  We are now 64 and have finished our 25th trip, which was completed seven months after Spartan1 had a kidney transplant.  He has been an insulin dependent diabetic for 34 years, and we took trips for fifteen years while he was following the kidney disease diet restrictions.   I have arthritis in my spine, knees, and shoulders and have had shoulder, thumb, and knee surgery in the past ten years.  None of this has kept us from canoe tripping as often as we could  get the chance.   Our trips have ranged from 4-22 days in length, with the average being 8.  We didn't start out doing any layover days; we do now.            

There are some reasons that we choose to go to the Boundary Waters now rather than the Q, and for us they make sense.  We now take somewhat easier trips, on smaller lakes with shorter portages.  I prefer the convenience of the pit toilet because of my back and knee situation--it is just more comfortable for me.  We enjoy vacationing in the United States and not having the hassle of the Canadian paperwork and customs, etc.  We don't like getting a tow, and prefer all-paddling trips.

But we are NOT too old at 64 for canoe tripping.  We are planning now for our June trip.  Fortunately, we both sleep well on pads.  In fact, in spite of my back problems,  I sleep better up there than I do at home.  

The secret, in my opinion, to canoe tripping into your older years is to gauge what you can do, try to prepare physically for what you are going to need to accomplish, keep a positive attitude about your abilities as well as your limitations, and plan a trip that is appropriate for your own personal situation.  It isn't a contest.  There isn't a prize for the ones who do the most strenuous trip, who make the most miles or portage the hardest portages.  

The canoe country is for those who are willing to make the effort.  But everyone doesn't have to be young and strong to experience it.  Adjust your expectations, look for a trip that will suit your needs, and go for it!