Dale “Grey Beard” Sanders, 91, Reclaims Appalachian Trail Record After Finishing In Maine

At 91, Dale ‘Grey Beard’ Sanders reclaims record as oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail At 91, Dale ‘Grey Beard’ Sanders reclaims record as oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail MILLINOCKET, Maine (AP) — More than 14 million older adults fall every year in the U.S., perhaps none so often as 91-year-old Dale Sanders. By his count, Sanders fell 71 times while reclaiming his record as the oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail. Six were what he calls hard falls, including one that led to a brief hospitalization and another just 200 yards from the finish. But none were enough to permanently divert him from the 2,193-mile (3,530-kilometer) trail that runs between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy defines a thru-hike as completing all of the trail’s sections in any order within a year, allowing for pauses. Sanders started Sept. 6 in West Virginia, hopscotched around with some brief breaks and finished Monday atop Maine’s highest peak, where he paused to pray at the sign marking the summit. “I had to thank God, and I had to thank my support team and everybody that got me here,” he said. A long-planned comeback Sanders, whose trail name is Grey Beard, first set the Appalachian Trail record in 2017 at age 82. Four years later, his 83-year-old friend M.J. Eberhart, aka Nimblewill Nomad, took the title. But within months, Sanders announced his comeback plan. While Sanders’ first journey was easier than he expected, the latest was considerably harder. Despite six months of training, he said he wasn’t in the best condition when he returned to the trail. “And even today, I feel that I should probably be in better shape than I am,” he said last month. “But I just have to always go back and say, ‘But I am 91, so I’m blazing new ground hiking long distances like this.’” In June, Sanders was descending Killington Mountain in central Vermont when he fell forward in a boulder field, scraping his legs, arms and hands. “Thank God nothing got broken, but I was banged up,” he said. “I didn’t rub the blood off, I just kept hiking.” Weeks later, his left arm went numb and he ended up at a Maine hospital. What doctors initially feared was a stroke turned out to be a pinched nerve, but though he was soon cleared to resume hiking, he considered giving up. He returned home to Tennessee in early August to be with his wife, whose mother had just died, and she convinced him to press on. His mission changed along the way Some of Sanders’ best days were in Pennsylvania, where he enjoyed well-maintained trails and treats delivered by “trail angels.” “When people are taking care of you and bringing you caramel frappes on the trail, the rocks don’t matter,” he said. In fact, Sanders has become something of a star among fellow hikers. Thousands more follow him on social media, which surprised Sanders and caused him to expand his mission beyond reclaiming his record. “I wanna get it back, but right now, that’s secondary,” he said. “Right now, what’s the most important thing - and it’s one of the things that surprised me – is that people are motivated and given encouragement by my efforts.” Meredith Ewenson, who met Sanders in June while leading a hike in New Hampshire for 10 other women, said he embodied not just the idea that anything is possible, but that the journey matters most. “Seeing it in real life is something that I’ll definitely remember forever,” she said. Ewenson said her group spotted Sanders early in the morning, but it wasn’t until he blazed by them hours later that they saw the Grey Beard logo on his T-shirt and realized who he was. They caught up with him that night at an Appalachian Mountain Club hut, arriving around 4 p.m. “I got here at noon,” he told them. The next morning, she and others cheered as Sanders performed a “victory dance” before setting off again. “My first thought was ‘Wow, his mobility is insane,’” Ewenson said. “His face on that body just doesn’t make any sense. My brain couldn’t compute how he was so impossibly fit for being that age.” Off-trail adventures Sanders was born in Kentucky in 1935, two years before the Appalachian Trail was completed. Bullied as a child for his small size, he gained confidence in solo sports like acrobatics and swimming. He later served in the Navy and retired in 2002 after a long career in parks and recreation. Sanders holds numerous other age-related records, including becoming the oldest person to paddle the entire length of the Mississippi River, an 87-day trip he started on his 87th birthday. On his latest adventure, he tackled obstacles like downed trees or steep scrambles with vigor, though he started to get a bit wobbly toward the end of one 12-mile (19-kilometer) day. He laid down on the trail, said he needed a power nap and briefly fell asleep. Two minutes later, he got up and kept hiking. ___ This story was corrected to show that Sanders had what he calls six hard falls, not seven, during his latest trail hike. ___ Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire.

Not even the 71 falls he suffered in a year, some of which required hospitalization, kept Dale Sanders, better known as 'Old Man Grey Beard', from the challenge of reclaiming his record as the oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail. At 91 years old, 'Old Grey Beard' completed the 3,530 kilometers of this trail, which connects Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine, in less than 12 months—the time set by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (the body that officially certifies and records these records) to traverse all sections of the trail in any order, including breaks. "I had to give thanks to God, to my support team, and to everyone who helped me get here," said the hiker, who faced various mishaps during the adventure. Among them were numerous stumbles that resulted in injuries and scrapes on his legs, arms, and hands. "Thank God I didn’t break anything, but I took some hits," he said. "I didn’t rub to remove the blood, I just kept walking." A few weeks after one of the falls at Killington Peak’s rest stop, 'Old Grey Beard' had his left arm go numb and ended up in a Maine hospital. What doctors initially feared might be a stroke turned out to be a pinched nerve. Although they soon discharged him to resume hiking, Dale Sanders contemplated abandoning the challenge then. However, after passing by his home, his wife encouraged him to continue. That has made him almost a celebrity among hikers. Thousands of people follow him on social media and have seen his challenge up close. 'Old Grey Beard', a former Marine, holds several age-related records, including being the oldest person to kayak the Mississippi River, a 87-day journey that began on his 87th birthday. As a child, he endured bullying due to his short stature, but he was able to overcome it through sports such as acrobatics and swimming. Thus, 'Old Grey Beard' reclaimed an age-based record for completing the Appalachian Trail that he first established in 2017 at age 82 and held for four years. Later, MJ 'Nimblewill Nomad' Eberhart surpassed it in 2021 at age 83.

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A 91-year-old man who goes by the nickname Grey Beard has reclaimed his record as the oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail. Dale Sanders started last Sept. 6 in West Virginia, hiked the nearly 2,200-mile trail in out-of-order sections with breaks in between, and finished Monday atop Mount Katahdin in Maine. Sanders first set the record in 2017 at age 82. Four years later, 83-year-old M.J. Eberhart took the title, but within months, Sanders announced his plan for a comeback. By his count, he fell 71 times along the way. Six were what he calls hard falls, including one that led to a brief hospitalization and another just 200 yards from the finish. But none were enough to permanently divert him from the 2,193-mile trail that runs between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin. While Sanders’ first journey was easier than he expected, he says the latest trek was considerably harder. Despite six months of training, he said he wasn’t in the best condition when he returned to the trail. “And even today, I feel that I should probably be in better shape than I am,” he said last month. “But I just have to always go back and say, ‘But I am 91, so I’m blazing new ground hiking long distances like this.’”

A 91-year-old hiker has reclaimed his record as the oldest person to complete the more than 2,000-mile Appalachian Trail. By his count, Dale Sanders, of Tennessee, fell 71 times during the feat, six of which he said were hard falls and one which required a brief hospitalization and another just 200 yards from the end. The 2,193-mile trail runs between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy defines a thru-hike as completing all of the trail’s sections in any order within a year, allowing for pauses. Sanders began his hike on 6 September 2025 in West Virginia and, allowing for some brief breaks, he completed his journey on Monday atop Maine’s highest peak, where he paused to pray at the sign marking the summit. “I had to thank God, and I had to thank my support team and everybody that got me here,” Sanders, whose trail name is Grey Beard, told the Associated Press. Sanders first set the Appalachian Trail record in 2017 when he was 82, only to be overtaken four years later by his 83-year-old friend MJ Eberhart, whose trail name is Nimblewill Nomad. Within months, Sanders announced his comeback plan. But despite six months of training, he told the AP, he still was not in the best condition. “And even today, I feel that I should probably be in better shape than I am,” he said last month. “But I just have to always go back and say: ‘But I am 91, so I’m blazing new ground hiking long distances like this.’” In June, Sanders was descending Killington Mountain in central Vermont when he fell forward in a boulder field, scraping his legs, arms and hands. “Thank God nothing got broken, but I was banged up,” he said. “I didn’t rub the blood off, I just kept hiking.” Weeks later, his left arm went numb and he ended up at a hospital in Maine with what turned out to be a pinched nerve. But although he was soon cleared to resume hiking, he at that point considered giving up. When he returned home to Tennessee in early August to be with his wife, whose mother had just died, she convinced him to press on with his mission. Some of Sanders’ best days were in Pennsylvania, where he said he enjoyed well-maintained trails and treats delivered by “trail angels”. “When people are taking care of you and bringing you caramel frappes on the trail, the rocks don’t matter,” he said. Also pushing him to keep going were his thousands of followers on social media. “I wanna get [my record] back, but right now, that’s secondary,” he told the AP. “Right now, what’s the most important thing – and it’s one of the things that surprised me – is that people are motivated and given encouragement by my efforts.” Sanders was born in Kentucky in 1935, two years before the Appalachian Trail was completed. Bullied as a child for his small size, he gained confidence in solo sports such as acrobatics and swimming. He later served in the navy and retired in 2002 after a long career in parks and recreation. He holds numerous other age-related records, including becoming the oldest person to paddle the entire length of the Mississippi River in 2022, an 87-day trip he started on his 87th birthday. Associated Press contributed reporting

91-year-old Dale “Grey Beard” Sanderscompleted the Appalachian Trailtoday at 11:44 a.m., reclaiming his title as the oldest person to ever thru-hike the 2,190-mile trail. Finishing the trail in 359 days, Sanders closed out a journey that officially began on September 6, 2025. However, his history with the Appalachian Trail’s age record stretches back several years: this attempt was a carefully planned campaign to reclaim the record he once held before encouraging his friend to take it from him four years ago. Sanders tackled the trail using a non-traditional flip-flop route. Setting off from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, he began hiking south through the autumn colors toward Georgia last autumn before taking the winter off. He resumed hiking this spring with a target pace of 12 miles per day with one rest day per week. During his first AT age record in 2017, Sanders had attempted to leapfrog using a van, but severe digestive issues caused his body weight to drop to 135 pounds. For this attempt, he upgraded his support structure to a truck camper labeled “Base Camp on Wheels.” A rotating crew of volunteer drivers moved the vehicle from gap to gap, preparing hot meals and managing daily logistics. When possible, Grey Beard opted to sleep in his Base Camp on Wheels.Photo: Dale “Grey Beard” Sanders Just 54 miles shy of Katahdin and 147 total miles from completing the AT, Sanders found himself in the hospital in Millinocket, Maine earlier this month due to complications from a fall in July. However, after an overnight in the hospital and a brief trip home to recuperate, Sanders was cleared to continue hiking. He returned to trail, where he first finished out a section in the Smoky Mountains before returning to Maine. Sanders set the AT thru-hiker age record the first time in 2017 at age 82 and held it for four years, until M.J. “Nimblewill Nomad” Eberhart broke it in 2021, then aged 83. Sanders not only cheered Eberhart on at the time, but he also hiked some days alongside him to keep him from quitting. Now 87, Eberhart was among those steering Sanders’ truck camper for the first 800 miles was M.J. “Nimblewill Nomad” Eberhart, now 87.  When Sanders decided to take the record back, Eberhart stepped up to help break his own record from the driver’s seat. Sanders welcomed impromptu trail company along the way. Hikers decades his junior, such as 29-year-oldNicholas Loukidesin New Hampshire, noted that covering miles alongside Grey Beard was a highlight of their trip. Dale “Grey Beard” Sanders and M.J. “Nimblewill Nomad” Eberhart.Photo: Dale “Grey Beard” Sanders While thousands of hikers complete the Appalachian Trail each year, Sanders set up his attempt to satisfy strict Guinness World Records guidelines, a level of verification rarely attempted on the AT outside of Fastest Known Time efforts like Karel Sabbe’s 2018 record. To meet the requirements, Sanders collected written witness statements from personal contacts on and off the trail, a daily physical logbook, continuous GPS records from a SPOT satellite tracker, and time-stamped video evidence along the route. Once submitted, Sanders hopes for Guinness to confirm his status as the oldest documented thru-hiker in trail history. Sanders grew up on a Kentucky tobacco farm, finding an outlet in sports after dealing with school bullies. He later spent 37 years working for the Navy, retiring in 2002 after his final posting at Naval Air Station Millington in Tennessee. Though he originally wanted to retire to Florida, his wife, Meriam, wanted to remain near the tight-knit Filipino community at her church in Millington, where she could hold Bible studies and pray in Tagalog. They made a deal: if Meriam had a permanent home in Tennessee, Sanders had the freedom to pursue his adventures. Meriam describes her role simply: “I’m the hidden nail that holds the building together.” Grey Beard and his wife, Meriam celebrate his 90th birthday.Photo: Dale “Grey Beard” Sanders Even at 91, Sanders has previously said he has no interest in slowing down. As he noted before setting off, setting records keeps his competitive spirit sharp, saying “I’m not going to stop unless physically I simply cannot do it anymore.” Featured image: Grey Beard Team USA Appalachian Trail This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price as they would otherwise, and your purchase helps to support The Trek's ongoing goal to serve you quality backpacking advice and information. Thanks for your support! To learn more, please visit theAbout This Sitepage. I'm Katie, a thru-hiker and ultrarunner based in Colorado. After thru-hiking the Colorado Trail, John Muir Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and Long Trail in back-to-back years, I'm looking forward to a little time of rest, relaxation, and hanging out with my cat. Or, who knows, maybe the AT. No one has ever accused me of being good at sitting still. Name* Email* Website Notify me via e-mail if anyone answers my comment. Comment* Δ

MILLINOCKET, Maine (AP/WABI) - More than 14 million older adults fall every year in the U.S., perhaps none so often as 91-year-old Dale Sanders. By his count, Sanders fell 71 times while reclaiming his record as the oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail. Six were what he calls hard falls, including one that led to a brief hospitalization and another just 200 yards from the finish. But none were enough to permanently divert him from the 2,193-mile (3,530-kilometer) trail that runs between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Katahdin. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy defines a thru-hike as completing all of the trail’s sections in any order within a year, allowing for pauses. Sanders started Sept. 6 in West Virginia, hopscotched around with some brief breaks and finished Monday at 11:44 a.m. atop Maine’s highest peak, where he paused to pray at the sign marking the summit. Sanders, whose trail name is Grey Beard, first set the Appalachian Trail record in 2017 at age 82. Four years later, his 83-year-old friend M.J. Eberhart, aka Nimblewill Nomad, took the title. But within months, Sanders announced his comeback plan. That comeback wasn’t without challenges. In June, Sanders was descending Killington Mountain in central Vermont when he fell forward in a boulder field, scraping his legs, arms and hands. “Thank God nothing got broken, but I was banged up,” he said. “I didn’t rub the blood off, I just kept hiking.” Weeks later, his left arm went numb and he ended up at a Maine hospital. What doctors initially feared was a stroke turned out to be a pinched nerve, but though he was soon cleared to resume hiking, he considered giving up. He returned home to Tennessee in early August to be with his wife, whose mother had just died, and she convinced him to press on. Sanders has become something of a star among fellow hikers. Thousands more follow him on social media, which surprised Sanders and caused him to expand his mission beyond reclaiming his record. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2026 WABI. All rights reserved.

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Appalachian Trail hiker Dale Sanders looks out at the vast landscape ahead of him near the start of the 100-Mile Wilderness north of Monson, Maine, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. MILLINOCKET, Maine (AP) — At 91, Dale “Grey Beard” Sanders has reclaimed his record as the o… Log In Keep it Clean.Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.Don't Threaten.Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.Be Truthful.Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.Be Nice.No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.Be Proactive.Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.Share with Us.We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article. Success!An email has been sent towith a link to confirm list signup. Error!There was an error processing your request. News from around the State and World. What you need to know for today! Don't Miss it! Sign up to get our statewide obits delivered to your inbox daily. MILLINOCKET, Maine (AP) — At 91, Dale “Grey Beard” Sanders has reclaimed his record as the o…