Interconnections and wellbeing. Embodiment of older lifelong outdoor enthusiasts and the more than human

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper considers the sensuous feelings of 32 lifelong older outdoor enthusiasts. In a previous paper, the adaptations that these older folk had made in their lives in order to continue with their engagement with the outdoors were explored (Humberstone et al. 2022). This paper examines the ways in which these embodied feelings provide for the older persons’ wellbeing through their connect to the more than human and provide for awareness of and/or action in environmental issues, enabling mutual benefits. How being in the outdoors is experienced for these participants through their emotions and senses is examined, highlighting the ways in which they perceive their connections with the more than human and the ways in which these connections permeate into their everyday life and their personal wellbeing.