Quote:

I'll try to live the advice about going slow -- although it's not my nature.

Don't confuse taking time to smell the coffee with going slow all the time.
You trip smart, you know when to push and when to back off and take that camp day.

I'm guessing your going to probably always have some stiffness in that Achilles tendon.
I know with my tendinitis sitting for a long time in a chair or a canoe seat, tightens it up.

Being smarter now, I stretch it out before jumping out of a chair or before I hoist a pack.
A few minutes of loosening up is far better than tearing off like a kid and re-injuring yourself and ruining your trip and someone else's too.

I see people fighting wind/waves/rain while I'm snug and warm under my tarp with a fire going and a hot coffee in my hand.
They disappear from sight and I wonder how far ahead of me their effort got them?
I'm usually on the water by 7 am travel days and 90% of the time in a couple of hours I'll pass them at their campsite where they're drying out wet gear or so beat up they need a camp day on what should be a beautiful travel day.

That's what I call Senior/Smart tripping. Using your brain and not just your back.