DEPARTMENT:

Still Spry at Seventy

Life begins again at 60!

It did for me 10 years ago when I retired as a social worker with the state Department of Human Services’ Child Protective Services. My plan had always been to retire while I was still young and healthy enough to do all the things I’ve wanted to do in Hawaii’s year-round summer climate. Now at 70, I have renewed excitement about life and all the activities I love, including canoe paddling, swimming, snorkeling, horseback riding, skiing and tennis.

I’ve paddled for eight years, first with the Waikiki Yacht Club and now with Lanikai Canoe Club. It’s an exhilarating sport that requires demanding workouts several times a week during the racing season, which runs from April through September.

Regatta sprint races occur in early summer. There are as many as 10 long-distance races before and after the regatta season, culminating with the ultimate 41-mile Molokai-to-Oahu crossing in September, which I’ve done three times. In addition to great physical exercise, there are so many scenic rewards of being on the clear blue sea — among them are rainbows, sunsets, and turtles and dolphins. I especially love the challenge of steering and paddling in rough ocean conditions!

Auhll, a member of Lanikai Canoe Club, paddled in the steersman’s position for part of last September’s Molokai–to–Oahu canoe race.

Swimming has always been a part of my life. Twelve years ago I started competing in the 2.4-mile Waikiki Roughwater Swim, and subsequently added other annual races. These include the 1.2-mile Kailua Popoia Swim, the 2,000-meter Turkey Swim at Ala Moana, Duke’s Ocean Mile in Waikiki and the North Shore series of four races ranging from one mile to 2.4 miles.

I love ocean swims because of the changing conditions (currents, waves, bottom configurations), and there is always fascinating marine life to see along the way. Of course, one thrill of competing is winning, and I usually place in my age group because there aren’t that many competitors!

Since I’m a water person, it was natural for me to want to volunteer at Hanauma Bay. I’m there three hours a week; it’s a fun place to work and the snorkeling there is fabulous.

I’ve always loved horses and belonged to a riding club in Tangier, Morocco, where I worked as a foreign service secretary for two years in the 1960s (that job also took me to Bangkok and Saigon during the Vietnam War). Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time to ride after that. I picked up the sport again 14 years ago, and now enjoy dressage and jumping every week.

A highlight for me is going on week-long equestrian vacations on the Mainland every year. These trips are for advanced riders (we ride every day), and the pace is fast with many opportunities for cantering. On one trip, we galloped through beautiful redwood forests in northern California and on long, wide Ten-Mile Beach. My horse was a spunky black Arab that was ready to run at any time!

In January 2005, Auhll, a Makiki resident, won the gold medal for her age group in a slalom race at Big Sky, Montana.

I started skiing when I was 19, and am currently a member of the Hawaii Ski Club. We travel to ski resorts on the Mainland and in Canada and Europe once or twice a year; this year we went to Vail, Colorado and Mammoth, California.

Tennis, which I began after retirement, is another passion. I hit the courts with friends five times a week, including a weekly lesson. We have a lot of fun and get great exercise!

So this is a snapshot of my life — full of athletic activities that keep me physically and mentally fit, and very excited about life! — Lori Auhll

Humorous, touching, inspiring, thought-provoking — we welcome your personal observations about Life After Fifty. E-mail your 800-word essay and phone number to Generations Hawaii’s editor, Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi, at cheryl@tradepublishing.com.

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