‘Put one foot in front of the other’: Oregonian hikes 800 miles for her 80th birthday

Diana Coogle recently celebrated her 80th birthday. How? She hiked 800 miles in one year, on over 80 different trails.

Coogle, who lives in Oregon, is no stranger to a personal challenge. She was born in Georgia and after the birth of her son, made her way out to Southern Oregon where she lived for decades in the mountains with no electricity.

In her 60s, she got a PhD in English. In her 70s, she got married for the first time. So to Coogle, it just made sense to undertake a new adventure to celebrate the start of her ninth decade.

“It was really exciting and very liberating," Coogle says. “It was a challenge.”

What made you decide to hike 800 miles for your 80th birthday?

“I think it was just that the numbers were cute. I didn't really imagine 800 miles. I couldn't think of how far that was, but 800 miles for the 80th birthday sounded like that was cute. That was fun.”

What were some of the most memorable hikes?

“Reaching the 800th mile was a memorable moment. I was in the Swiss Alps above Grindelwald with my sister Sharon, and I was watching the app on my phone.

“When I hit that 800th mile, I said, ‘It's the 800th mile!’ And Sharon snapped this wonderful picture of me.

“Hiking down the lower Rogue River trail, it was an 80-mile hike. And on our way back up the trail, the last 40 miles, our gear got locked in the bear box that the Forest Service provides so that the bears don't get into your food, but all of our food and all of our gear was locked in the bear box.

“We had to hike an extra six miles to get some help to get into the rusted-shut bear box. So that was another memorable moment.”

Did you ever have doubts you couldn’t do this?

“I had to do these 800 miles.

“I missed two months for foot surgery. And after those two months of not hiking at all, I turned around and said, ‘well, I'd better look at the figures.’

“It was wonderful. I loved keeping my mind on the challenge and … I love being in the mountains and being out in nature. And that forced me to do it. It was wonderful.”

Did you encounter anything that surprised you?

“Being up in the Alps on a very high trail alone with just nothing but fog and I couldn't see anything.

“The snowmelt was rushing down the mountain, and that was pretty eerie. You know, it was wonderful, but it was eerie, and I had to keep my eyes on where I was going.”

What did you learn on this journey that others can take away from your story?

“I think challenges are good. It doesn't matter what the challenge is, but set it and see if you can do it. It keeps your mind on it. I think, you know, my challenge was hiking and I've been a hiker all my life. But keeping my body strong was really important to me.

“And I learned by hiking that if you just put one step in front of the other, you'll get there.”