Untethered & Wanderwise: Female Travel Over 45
After decades of putting others first, Nicky and Heide found themselves single after 45 and feeling untethered, they chose to embrace the chance to spread their wings and explore the world on their own terms.
Untethered & Wanderwise is a weekly podcast where Nicky and Heide share their adventures, insights, and mishaps as newly single women rediscovering themselves through travel. With each episode, we pull back the curtain on destinations around the globe, diving deep into the cultures, cuisine and experiences that come from wandering off the beaten path.
Whether you're dreaming of a sabbatical, newly single, empty nesters, or simply craving an injection of wanderlust into your life, join Nicky and Heide for straight-talk, helpful tips, and wild tales from ther adventures embracing life as a globetrotting "wanderwise" woman.
Join our dynamic duo each week as they explore uncharted territories, share travel tales, and inspire women to embrace adventure after 45.
Untethered & Wanderwise: Female Travel Over 45
From Everest to El Camino: How This 45+ Woman Adventurer Conquers World's Greatest Trails
Today, we speak with Susan Dragoo, who just completed a hike on the Camino Portugeuse. But this 45-plus adventuress has dozens of extreme hikes under her belt and is author of a book about the historic Butterfield Trail Mail Route through Indian Territory.
How does she do it? She tells us all about it during this episode of Untethered and Wanderwise.
Link: https://www.macsadventure.com/us/
Link: susan dragoo – imagery and adventure
# Walking the Camino Portuguese - Interview with Susan Dragoo
[Show Introduction]
Have you ever dreamt of walking an ancient pilgrimage route, following in the footsteps of countless travelers before you? Our guest today did exactly that, tackling the historic Camino Portuguese with nothing but determination and a backpack. But this is just one chapter in her incredible story of exploration and self-discovery.
Welcome to Untethered and Wanderwise, where adventure has no age limit. We're your co-hosts Heide Brandes and Nicky Omohundro, and we're here to inspire and celebrate women over 45 who are embracing their independence and want to explore the world on their own terms.
[Guest Introduction]
Susan Dragoo is an Oklahoma-based adventurer, author, and historian who's made a career out of pushing boundaries. From reaching Mount Everest's base camp to conquering the Grand Canyon rim to rim, she's proven that life's greatest adventures often begin after 45. When she's not hiking challenging trails or writing about historical routes, you'll find her exploring the backcountry with her husband by motorcycle or 4x4, sharing her experiences in publications like Overland Journal, Oklahoma Today, Outdoor by Four, and Adventure Writer.
**Heide**: Hi, Susan. Welcome to Untethered and Wanderwise.
**Susan**: Hi, thanks for having me on.
**Heide**: So you recently completed the final 115 kilometers of Camino Portuguese. What the heck inspired you to take on this historic pilgrimage at this point in your life?
**Susan**: I've actually been thinking about it for about a dozen years. I met some people on the Everest Base Camp Trek that told me about it, and actually they were planning to do it the following year, and so it really sounded like a wonderful adventure. I talked to some more people as the years went on that were interested in it, but it just never came together. Then recently, it was last year, I reconnected with a friend who had done it twice. And one of the things that was kind of daunting for me was that to do the complete Camino the French way, which is the most popular way, it takes about a month to six weeks and I really wasn't interested in being gone for that length of time at that point. But my friend told me about a way to do the last hundred or 120 kilometers of one of the routes. And it inspired me to just go ahead and move forward instead of just thinking about it. I decided, okay, I'm just going to go ahead and do this. And that's one of the things that I've really been thinking about a lot, or helping me to make my decisions about travel these last few years, that if I'm ever going to do it, I need to just go ahead and do it because none of us are getting any younger.
**Nicky**: That's a great message. That's something that our podcast has been really encouraging women to do is, you know, just do it. Even if you've been thinking about it for years or thinking about it for five minutes, if it's something you really want to do, there's nothing really holding you back from doing it. Now is a great time to make someday today.
**Susan**: Definitely.
**Heide**: Exactly. Yeah. Our bodies are only going to last for so long. So better use the good knees and the healthy back and all of those things while we got them.
[The conversation continues with detailed discussion about hiking experiences]
[Content continues with clear speaker labels for **Heide**, **Nicky**, and **Susan** throughout the rest of the transcript]
[Show Closing]
Until next time, stay untethered, stay wise, and remember you're never too old for your next adventure.
[Outro]
Be sure to like, follow, and subscribe wherever you get your podcast fix. Check us out on Instagram at untetheredwanderwise (that's no "and") for even more travel inspiration and tips. Until next time, happy travels.
