At 91, Dale 'Grey Beard' Sanders reclaims record as oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail

Dale Sanders, a 91-year-old hiker from Tennessee, has reclaimed the record as the oldest person to complete the Appalachian Trail. Over the course of his 2,193-mile journey, he fell 71 times, with six of those falls being particularly hard and one requiring a brief hospitalization just 200 yards from the trail's end. The Appalachian Trail spans 2,000 miles from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine and requires thru-hikers to complete the trail in its entirety within a year, though travelers are allowed to pause along the way.

Sanders embarked on his hike on September 6, 2025, in West Virginia and concluded his expedition on October 23 atop Mount Katahdin, pausing to thank God, his support team, and his followers before reaching the summit. He first set the age record in 2017 while he was 82, but was later surpassed by his friend MJ Eberhart, a 83-year-old hiker nicknamed Nimblewill Nomad.

Sanders had initially set a comeback plan but despite six months of rigorous training, he admitted he was not in peak physical condition and admitted he should likely be in better shape. However, Sanders remarked that his age gave him a unique perspective on setting new trails records.

During his journey, Sanders experienced several setbacks including a fall in a boulder field on Vermont's Killington Mountain where he scraped his arms, legs, and hands, and a pinched nerve in his left arm that had him hospitalized in Maine. Nevertheless, Sanders persevered, his resolve reinforced by the support of hundreds of "trail angels" who provided meals and encouragement, as well as his growing social media following, whose admiration fueled his determination to succeed.

Sanders was born in Kentucky in 1935, two years before the Appalachian Trail's completion, and has held numerous other age-related records, including becoming the oldest person to paddle the entire Mississippi River.