TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Taylor Moore turned 93 years old Monday and hiking up Tumamoc Hill is how he wanted to celebrate his birthday.
“I'm addicted to Tumamoc. If I walk it, I get a good night’s sleep. I wake up the next day feeling like a million bucks. That’s the way it works," Moore said. "If I don't get sleep, I screw up everything I try to do, literally everything I try to do."
There’s no slowing down for this 93-year-old.
You can find him making the trek up Tumamoc Hill three days a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoon.
Moore says he was always active. He used to volunteer in the garden program at schools in South Tucson, but once COVID hit, he needed a different way to get his steps in.
“So I heard about Tumamoc and came out here one day. Made it to the first bench, then one day I made it to the top, and when I turned around I thought I had it made. I knew my legs were going to give out and I fell," Moore said. "I still have those pants that tore both knees up."
That didn’t stop him from coming back.
Erin Tanaka, Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill Program Coordinator, took notice and knew something had to be done for his special day.
“So I decided to invite the community and see if people wanted to celebrate as well," Tanaka said.
About 50 people from the community came out to spend the day with Moore and some even gave him special gifts.
“It makes me feel really really good," Moore said. “I hope they’ll come back next year.”
He was given a book called Sabre Jet: A Novel of the Korean War and an Air Force shirt that took him back in time to his military days from 1953-1957.
"I was in the Air Force. I was a fighter pilot. I flew F-80s and F-86, and F-100," Moore described.
Moore’s friend, Wade Sherbrooke, brought special bandannas made by Moore’s granddaughter to handout to everyone who came.
It has a picture of Moore with his walker on Tumamoc and says, "Taylor's 93rd at Tumamoc. 1932 to 2025 and on!"
“For Taylor to be hiking up here at 93 years old is something that everyone should fix in their minds and say if he can do that, I can do things too. I need to keep exercising," Sherbrooke said.
Tumamoc will always be a special place for Moore.
“I’ve been pretty much all over the world, I don’t think there’s any place like Tumamoc," said Moore.
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Vanessa Gongora is KGUN 9's Westside reporter.. Vanessa fell in love with storytelling by growing up in sports. She was fascinated by how sports reporters go beyond the x's & o's to tell players' stories, and how sports bring people together, inspiring Vanessa to provide the same impact as a journalist. Share your story ideas and important issues with Vanessa by emailing vanessa.gongora@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
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