91 Year Old Dale Sanders Becomes Oldest Person to Complete Appalachian Trail

Dale Sanders, known as Grey Beard, has become the oldest person to complete the 3,540 kilometer Appalachian Trail at 91 years old. Sanders reached the northern terminus at the summit of Mount Katahdin in Maine on the last day of August. During the final 300 meters of the trek, he lost his balance and fell on granite rocks, but he was able to stand up and finish the journey.

Sanders previously held the record when he completed the trail at age 82 in 2017. That record was broken in 2021 by M.J. Eberhart, who finished at age 83. Eberhart later encouraged Sanders to attempt the trail again. To complete the trek within the one year limit required by the Appalachian Trail Conference, Sanders used a plan developed with volunteers to hike approximately 12 miles per day and sleep in a camper in the back of his truck.

His progress was interrupted in early August when numbness in his left arm required a hospital visit and a return to his home in Memphis for medical examinations. Although he initially feared he would miss the one year deadline, he received medical clearance to return to the trail on August 16. Eberhart traveled from Alabama to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to support Sanders during the final stretch. Eberhart stated that the achievement was not a race and noted that Sanders had been supportive when the record was first taken from him.