Not long ago on a lonely peak in Maine, a 91-year-old grey-bearded man stood taking in the sights, as he observed the sensation of success that came with being the oldest person to complete a hike along the famous Appalachian Trail.
Born to the Kentucky backwoods in 1935, before the AT route had even been completed, Dale Sanders has lived a life full of adventures and would belong in the American hiking hall of fame, should there exist such a thing.
Having first completed the AT in 2017 at 82 years of age, he resolved when it was all over to do it again. And he has, 359 days, 71 falls, and 1 brief hospitalization later.
Nicknamed “Grey Beard” by his supporters, with his broad sunhat of choice and his trekking poles there is indeed something very “Gandalf” about him. The activity—hiking such long distances—and the order he did it in—completely disjointed—double up this Lord of the Rings reminiscence.
Starting from Harper’s Ferry, Virginia on September 9th last year, his first leg was in one sense backwards, going all the way down to Georgia to reach the trail’s southern terminus to follow “the warmer weather.” Pausing for winter, he then went back to Harper’s Ferry and started towards Katahdin, the mountain in Maine that marks the northern end.
This continuum was interrupted by the cumulative impact of several bad falls which together landed him in a hospital in June with a pinched nerve. He had to return home to Tennessee after his mother in law died at that same time.
However, his wife convinced him to go and finish the task, which he did by yet again backtracking to complete an unhiked stretch in the Great Smokey Mountains, before jumping back to his pause point in the north and continuing on to Maine.
He reached the top on August 31st at 11:40 p.m.
Along the way, he says he met plenty of “trail angels” who offered supplies and sweet treats when it was possible. “When people are taking care of you and bringing you caramel frappes on the trail, the rocks don’t matter,” he tells the AP.
The sweet tooth is characteristic of a man whose advice to whippersnappers, as communicated to the Stein Institute for Research on Aging, is that “it’s OK to eat doughnuts if you also exercise.”
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Sanders has hiked all over the country, and recently became the oldest person to complete a rim-to-rim hike in the Grand Canyon. “I love the outdoors. When I’m in the woods and the Sun is shining, I’m in my best mood.”
“I’m not knocking the gym, but you have to get outside,” Sanders told the New York Times, who accompanied him on his route up Mount Lafayette in New Hampshire. Listening to him string his words and thoughts together, you wouldn’t guess he was a day over 65.
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The Appalachian Trail Conservancy states that a true “thru-hike” can be done in parts and with any start or stop point, over a single year. Despite his roundabout route, Sanders finished up his thru-run where most do, on that grey mountaintop in Maine, where he raised his hands to the sky to thank the glorious Creator for the strength to finish.
WATCH the Times video below…
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