He enjoys the solitude and serenity of the great outdoors – and welcomes the challenge of staying young.

Jim Hamilton has bicycled across Canada, scaled Mount Rainier three times, paddled the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon and kayaked alongside orcas in the Puget Sound. He has toured the United States on a motorcycle and skied the Sapporo slopes while stationed in Japan with the Army.

Even today, the humble Auburn man refuses to slow down.

As he approaches 70, Hamilton intends to join a friend and ride up Western Canada and the Northwest Territories to the Arctic Circle, a two-week, 1,200-mile summer bicycle trip that includes a two-day ferry ride.

“I don’t look at it as such a big deal,” Hamilton said of his adventures, some of which he has accomplished in retirement. “But a lot of other people do.”

Hamilton, who worked in the Boeing computer division for 35 years, has found fitness to be an elixir – and a means to recover from setbacks. Through rehabilitation and regular exercise, Hamilton has overcome shoulder surgery and a serious battle with deep vein thrombosis.

“At the point when I developed blood clots in my legs, I became religious,” Hamilton said of his conditioning. “Before that, I was just a weekend warrior.”

At the Auburn Valley YMCA, Hamilton regained his strength and stamina through cycling, rowing, yoga and strength training under the watch of Stephanie Norton-Bredl.

“He inspires others without him even realizing it,” said Norton-Bredl, an assistant health and wellness director and personal trainer at the YMCA.

Norton-Bredli met Hamilton in rehabilitation. She was recovering from a broken pelvis, Hamilton rotator cuff surgery.

They struck a chord.

Today, the Hamiltons – Jim and his wife Barbara – are regulars at the YMCA. Longtime Auburnites, they have a grown daughter and son.

“Jim’s an adventurous spirit,” Norton-Bredl said. “And he doesn’t want to lose his quality of life.”

Which means some extreme trips that bring satisfaction and joy.

“It is something I do,” Hamilton said simply. “There are certain times in your life where you just like to go and do things … and to a certain extent, I just enjoy the solitude.”