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Photo by Kelli S. Hewett.
Hoover resident Nancy Kamm is putting her best foot forward in her 80s, maintaining an active lifestyle.
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Photo by Kelli S. Hewett.
Hoover resident Nancy Kamm maintains her fitness with daily walks of 5 to 10 miles on the trails at Galleria Woods Senior Living. That commitment prepared her for her 80th birthday goal of walking the 84-mile Hadrian’s Wall in England.
When her 80th birthday rolled around, Nancy Kamm of Hoover decided the milestone called for something big — a decision that shocked nearly everyone but her immediate family. So she started training to hike England’s 84-mile ancient fort, Hadrian’s Wall.
Soldiers of the Roman Empire spent a decade building the fortress for protection. Now mostly in ruins, the wall — which is 80 Roman miles long — is popular with archaeologists and hikers. For decades, Nancy, who lives at Galleria Woods Senior Living community in Hoover, had wanted to make an extended visit there.
“I thought, ‘You’ve got to have something to look forward to,’” she said.
“I’ve always wanted to do Hadrian’s Wall. If you’re not curious — you know — what’s the point? There’s a lot of life out there. You just have to live it.”
With a typical, no-nonsense Midwestern sensibility, Nancy said she doesn’t spend much time wondering what other people think or how they perceive her. “I’ve lived a charmed life. I’m just me, I guess.”
She believes she’s always been adventurous, always active growing up in Aurora, Illinois, near Chicago. Her best theory is that the quest to experience so much of life ramped up after surviving a near-fatal infection right after giving birth to her daughter, Amy. She said she realized how important it was to live life fully and hasn’t let up since.
Nancy floated the hiking idea to her loved ones, and soon it was settled: Nancy would make the trip with daughter Amy, now 60, and Nancy’s 22-year-old grandson, Sebastian — Amy’s nephew who lives in Switzerland and serves in the Swiss Armed Forces. The family would average about 6 miles a day for a little over a week. Nights would be spent at local bed and breakfasts along the way.
“I had a sense of awe,” Nancy said about arriving at Hadrian’s Wall and soaking it all in. “It’s exciting to see the accomplishments of these former ancient civilizations. It’s humbling.”
Photo by Kelli S. Hewett.
Hoover resident Nancy Kamm maintains her fitness with daily walks of 5 to 10 miles on the trails at Galleria Woods Senior Living. That commitment prepared her for her 80th birthday goal of walking the 84-mile Hadrian’s Wall in England.
The real excitement began on Day 2. That’s when Nancy fell on a steep set of uneven, concrete stairs, nearly rolled down a cliff into a river and sprained her ankle.
“I’m using my hiking poles, and I start to go up that first step,” Nancy recalled. “I’m really leaning on this one, and my hands slip. And I go right down on my face. And I’m like, ‘Something broke. I don’t know what broke, but I’m scared to death.’”
The incident rattled her. There was no cell service, no bathrooms, no doctors, no “help.”
“I was thinking, ‘I shouldn’t have done this. I’m too old. This was stupid.’ Age was definitely a factor for the first time,” Nancy said.
Amy detailed her mom’s scary tumble.
“I heard when it happened, and Sebastian grabbed her by her collar and saved her from rolling down into the river,” Amy said, emotion filling her voice. “It wasn't until later,” Amy said, “that he and I realized he literally saved her life.”
Meanwhile, Nancy kept her fears to herself.
“We thought it was over at that point. She got up and said, ‘I’m OK.’ Her ankle hurt a little bit, but she’s like, ‘I’m OK, we’ll just keep going, and we’ll see what happens.’”
Nancy confessed she secretly considered calling it quits after the ankle injury during her rest day. But something inside spurred her on, to keep that promise to herself to finish her goal.
After taking the next day to rest, she pulled on an ankle brace, and, as the British say, she managed to keep calm and carry on.
Nancy is quick to point out her disappointment that she didn’t complete the entire 84 miles, but has decided it was still a pretty decent effort. “It’s humbling, but sometimes that’s not a bad thing,” Nancy conceded. “It’s character-building — that’s what my mother would say.”
FAMILY BOND
The family time was like nothing Nancy said she ever expected, as she learned more about who they were as people. She was touched by their care, their teamwork and their patience.
“I was so slow,” Nancy said. “If I had been them, I would have been about done with this old lady dragging along back there. Neither of them acted like that was rough.”
The trio spent their evenings in British pubs, sharing ale or prosecco and recounting the memories of the day.
Sebastian said the experience meant a lot to him, from forming a closer connection to his grandmother and aunt to experiencing the long history and marvelous culture of the region. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” he said.
I thought, ‘You’ve got to have something to look forward to.’ I’ve always wanted to do Hadrian’s Wall. If you’re not curious — you know — what’s the point? There’s a lot of life out there. You just have to live it.
Nancy Kamm
LIFETIME OF ADVENTURE
Few people have met an octogenarian like Nancy. Her lifelong dedication to learning and adventure inspires those around her. She’s a brown belt in karate, an experienced cyclist and a tai chi instructor. In earlier years, she worked as a travel agent and earned college degrees in French literature, English literature and business administration. She’s a master gardener, a former real estate agent and a world traveler whose home is brimming with souvenirs from her exotic and often solo excursions.
She was globe-trotting alone in the 1980s, something so unusual for the time that her husband’s employer called to ask if everything was all right in the family.
How times have changed. But Nancy has always been Nancy. The rest of the world is just finally starting to catch up with her.
“She started adventuring when my brother and I were in high school and in college,” Amy said. “I thought it was great that she wanted to go on all of those adventures. Once we got the travel bug in our family, none of us have ever stopped.”
Nancy credits her late husband, Robert, with supporting and financing her dreams. Often busy with his job and not a huge fan of travel, he encouraged her to pursue her interests.
“We were a great team,” said Nancy, who lost Robert almost three years ago.
INSPIRING OTHERS
The family certainly recognizes how unusual Nancy is compared to others her age, but it’s been so consistent over the decades that it’s not something they sit around thinking about. Ask them and they’ll use words like fearless, determined and self-motivated. She also has a wickedly funny sense of humor and is always ready for an intellectual exchange.
“My grandmother is different from other older people because she remains highly active and quick-witted,” Sebastian said. “Her lifestyle reminds me to stay active, eat healthy and keep exploring new things in the world around us.”
Sebastian’s dad and Nancy’s son, Robert, is the longtime executive chef at Ross Bridge Resort in Hoover. An avid hiker and mountain climber, he helped Nancy train for the birthday excursion on the trails of Red Mountain. He said he never had a moment’s concern about his mother’s challenging trip.
“I am very proud of my mother and her accomplishments, and I am confident that she will continue pushing herself to stay as healthy and active as she possibly can,” Robert said.
Others who are newer to knowing Nancy often express surprise at her slate of accomplishments. As Nancy clocked up to 10 miles a day training in the halls of Galleria Woods, people started noticing and asking questions. And after that, more seniors started taking to the halls, too. Nancy says that’s a thrill — to impact people in a positive way.
“My perception is that (residents) think she’s superwoman,” said Stacey Davis, fitness manager at Galleria Woods. “She inspires me so much — she’s constantly wanting to better herself. That’s unusual for every age.”
PHILOSOPHY OF LIVING
Nancy credits her tai chi practice with influencing her approach to life — one she thinks might benefit a lot of people.
“It’s a philosophy of living,” she said. “Your happiness is your decision. It’s your choice.”
