Dale “Grey Beard” Sanders reclaimed his record as the oldest hiker to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail yesterday when the 91-year-old hiker summited Katahdin.
Sanders finally stood atop Katahdin shortly before noon on Monday, August 31, completing the 2,193-mile trail that stretches from Springer Mountain in Georgia to the top of Maine’s highest peak.
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy defines a thru-hike as completing all of the Appalachian Trail’s sections in any order within one year. Sanders, who is from Tennessee, began his AT thru-hike quest last September, moving about between various sections before completing the full trail on Katahdin.
Sanders had previously held the record as the oldest Appalachian Trail thru-hiker after he completed the trail at the age of 82 in 2017. An 83-year-old claimed the title four years later.
Grey Beard’s new record of 91-years-old will be a hard one to beat.
