Dale Sanders, a 91-year-old from Memphis, Tennessee, became the oldest person to hike the entire Appalachian Trail on August 31, 2026. His nickname is “Grey Beard,” and he completed the 2,198-mile trek in 359 days, just under the 365-day limit.

The Appalachian Trail runs from Georgia to Maine. Sanders started on September 6, 2025, from West Virginia because he wanted to see Georgia’s fall leaves. He took a winter break to avoid snow. On average, he hiked about 12 miles a day with one rest day each week.

The journey was long and tough. Sanders fell 71 times. Once, he fell in a boulder field in Vermont and kept hiking despite the blood. Later, a numb arm sent him to the hospital. Doctors feared a stroke, but it was only a pinched nerve. Exhausted and with 140 miles left, he almost quit. His family urged him to finish. Just 1,000 feet from the summit of Mount Katahdin, he fell again but got back up to finish.

This wasn’t his first record. He first set it in 2017 at age 82. His friend, M.J. “Sunny” Eberhart, broke it in 2021, so Sanders decided to beat it. The two remain close friends, and Eberhart even helped him on the first leg of his journey. He has also paddled the Mississippi River and hiked the Grand Canyon. Sanders credits daily exercise and a positive attitude for his endurance. He also says he keeps going because his records give others hope. He is still working to make his latest record official with Guinness. “You’re never too old to do anything,” he says.

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/oldest-appalachian-trail-9.7329893