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Art Armstrong

Medford, Oregon
Hike Leader
Rouge Group

Art Armstrong hikes every Sunday in the Siskiyou Mountains or the Cascade Range near his southern Oregon home—on snowshoes when there's snow in the high country. He estimates he's led more than 500 hikes for the Club’s Ashland Group since 1995.

Now 76 years old, Armstrong summited 14,162-foot Mt. Shasta at age 69. Then he did it again at age 70, and again at age 71. "The most important thing in life for me," he says, "is not really to set goals, but just do what you like to do, in all facets of life."

Born on the Isle of Man in the middle of the Irish Sea, Armstrong moved to Liverpool, England, at age 17, where he worked as a stone carver before emigrating to Canada in 1952. There he got a job with the Niagara Parks Commission, which operates the parks and public spaces along the Niagara River and at the falls. Seven years later he relocated to California, where he worked as a structural draftsman until his retirement in 1994.

All the while, he pursued his love of the outdoors. "I've cycled and hiked all my life," he says. "I led hikes for the Loma Prieta Chapter for years before I even became a Sierra Club member. When an advertised leader couldn't make it, I'd be asked to fill in. I finally joined the Club in 1977."

When Armstrong retired to Oregon he was unfamiliar with the lay of the land, "so I researched about 60 different trails for a year before I started leading outings again."

Armstrong says his credo is "to always be curious, be responsible for everything I do, and blame myself for the mistakes I make on my path of life. What really makes me tick is the enjoyment of life itself."

Published: December 8, 2006