From the Archives: Elderhostel Turned My Life Around
"Rheumatic fever in the pre-penicillin days turned me from a tree-climbing tomboy into a pampered sickling. But somehow I suspected I still could climb mountains. I’d worked days, attended college nights, been an outdoor Girl Scout leader and raised my two children, alone for the most part.
Just after my 59th birthday, I read about Elderhostel in a Sunday newspaper and sent for a catalog. Waiting for it, I was severely injured in a car crash. I wondered if I’d live through the injuries. While I was hospitalized, a neighbor who brought my daily mail appeared with the catalog and started reading it to me. The prospect of such adventures motivated me to go on living.
My first Elderhostel program was canoeing in Rhode Island, climaxed by an all-day field trip downriver. At supper that night, the governor announced on the radio that the river, a favorite of Rhode Islanders, was being closed to canoeing forever. It was judged to be too dangerous! My canoe partner for part of that week was the wife of a state senator.
Next came a two-week adventure in San Franciso featuring a treasure of a photography course taught by Ansel Adams’s assistant. I’ve canoed and camped in the wilderness of Yellowstone; backpacked in Yosemite; went with grandchildren on Intergenerational programs they chose; learned to ski and snorkel in Florida reefs. I’ve totaled 88 programs, including many in Europe. I’ve shared homes with families overseas and made friends for life.
Three years ago, I had my second open heart surgery, which has slowed me down, but I know I’ll be back for many more."
—Doris Hagen
Hauppauge, New York
This story is excerpted from Elderhostel Odyssey, published in 2005.