Living her best life

Hutchinson woman, 89, loves to stays active, try new things, live an adventurous life

By Maggie Gray

She first learned to hunt at 15, chasing the attention of a boy who spent his weekends in the woods. If she wanted his company, she figured, she’d better learn to shoulder a rifle too. That spark grew into a lifelong passion that carried her and her late husband Dale, affectionately called “Moose,” onto 300 acres of wild land outside Hutchinson.

Darlene fishing with friends. Contributed photo

Now, at 89, Darlene still lives with the independence of a pioneer. She hunts her own deer, pulls fish from the lakes, skis across snow-blanketed fields on her fiberglass skis, and slips her kayak into local lakes with other senior friends.

“I started out skiing downhill, but now I just cross-country ski,” she said. “If the conditions are right, I can ski a path around my property in about half an hour. I’d still love to try downhill again.”

When the thaw comes, she joins a group of fellow seniors on nearby lakes, paddling together at sunrise. Their kayaks cut across glassy water as they trade stories and laughter that carries like loons calling across the shoreline.

Autumn, though, belongs to the hunt. When her 300 acres blaze red and gold, sons, grandchildren, and now even great-grandchildren join her before dawn, breath rising in the chill. At 89, she still steadies her rifle as she did at 15. For Darlene, hunting is more than venison in the freezer—it is patience, respect for the land, and the bond of generations moving together.

“My great-grandson got a beautiful 10-pointer,” she said, beaming. “I was in my stand when he shot it—one clean shot with a 20-gauge at just 10 years old! Imagine that.”

Darlene and her husband, Dale, who was affectionately called Moose, with their moose kill years ago.  Contributed photo

Her adventures reach far beyond Minnesota. She recalls with a grin the trip to Alaska, flying by float plane to the remote Osprey Hunting Lodge, 180 miles west of Anchorage.

“There’s an old saying—there are old pilots and there are bold pilots—and you needed one just to land out there,” she said. While her husband hunted, she cooked at the lodge, until one day caribou drifted across the tundra outside the window. “I was the only one with a license, so the boss said, ‘Go ahead, get yourself one,’ and I sure did—bigger than my husbands.”

Her drive didn’t stop there. At 43, she became a grandmother and decided it was the perfect time to learn downhill skiing. Soon she was carving runs at Powder Ridge, Spirit Mountain, Trollhaugen, and Lutsen before heading west to Colorado.

“I went to Steamboat and met up with the ‘Over the Hill Gang’—you had to be over 50 to ski with them,” she said, laughing. “Then I skied Copper Mountain and Vail, too.”

Back home, she stays active through the Hutchinson Senior Center, where she found her kayaking companions. She also attends exercise classes, plays cards four or five days a week, joins the book club, and even taught quilting for more than 20 years.

Darlene with her Senior Kayaking Group out on the water on a nice summer day. Photo contributed by the kayaking group

“When I was teaching quilting, I told my students not to do frog stitches—you know, rip it, rip it, rip it!” she said with a laugh. At 80, she even hand-quilted a full quilt with borders. She also joined Toastmasters at 50, determined to keep trying new things.

Her advice to other seniors is simple: “Just try new things. Don’t be afraid. Just give it a try.”

Family remains at the center of it all. She lights up when she talks about her four children—Julie, Connie, Danny, and Harley—and boasts loudly about her nine grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Even health challenges haven’t slowed her spirit. After two knee replacements, one became infected and had to be removed, leaving her with a spacer before doctors rebuilt the joint.

Darlene with one of the purple ribbons she has won at the McLeod County Fair. Contributed photo

“It’s a little tough getting into the kayak since that knee doesn’t bend, but it doesn’t stop me,” she said. “I want my family to remember me as a fun grandma.”

She and her husband preserved 100 acres of their land through Minnesota’s Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) program, ensuring it remains untouched habitat. Another 100 acres hold lakes and wildlife for hunting, while the final 100 are farmland leased to neighbors.

“I’ve been lucky,” she said, looking across the land she calls home.

And she’s still winning. At this year’s McLeod County Fair, Darlene entered produce and flowers—and walked away with more than 30 blue ribbons and 22 reds.

Rifle in hand, kayak paddle dipping, or skis cutting across fresh snow, Darlene Kenning proves that age has no claim on passion. At 89, she looks forward to another winter on her cross-country skis, gliding across the land she loves. For her, each season is not a limit but an invitation—to keep moving, keep living, and keep showing that life’s greatest adventures don’t end with age.