Man, 91, becomes oldest hiker to finish Appalachian Trail
( NewsNation ) — Dale "Grey Beard" Sanders, 91, was about 200 yards away from becoming the oldest hiker to finish the Appalachian Trail on Monday when he took a nasty tumble.
"That was a hard fall. I had tremendous pain through my left knee and in my right thigh … It was miserable," the Tennessee man told "Elizabeth Vargas Reports" this week.
He waived off help and was able to get back on his feet after about 20 minutes, Sanders said. No bones were broken. From there, he prayed and muscled through the final leg of his journey.
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"By the time I got to the summit … I had forgotten about the pain, and I was just excited about being there," Sanders recalled.
By his own count, the Navy veteran fell 71 times over the past year as he finished segments of the nearly 2,200-mile, Georgia-to-Maine route.
He first took the "oldest hiker" title at age 82 nearly a decade ago, but that was nullified when a friend of his — 83-year-old M.J. "Nimblewill Nomad" Eberhart — finished the Appalachian Trail in 2021. Sanders began his comeback on Sept. 6, 2025.
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Dale Sanders, 91, celebrates after completing a difficult section of Mt. Katahdin, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, in Baxter State Park in Piscataquis County, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
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Grey Beard is a fitting trail name for 91-year-old Appalachian Trail hiker Dale Sanders, seen enjoying a rest, Wednesday, July 29, 2026, north of Monson, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
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Appalachian Trail hiker Dale Sanders wades across Big Wilson Stream on the 100-Mile Wilderness north of Monson, Maine, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
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Dale Sanders, 91, climbs a section of Mt. Katahdin, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026 in Baxter State Park in Piscataquis County, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Hikers have one year to complete a "thru-hike," and Sanders was able to piece his journey together in segments. Along the way, he has served as an inspiration to considerably younger hikers who have crossed his path.
Sanders said only three octogenarians — two men and one woman — have completed the trail.
"I'm the only one in the 90s," he added. "I was breaking new ground."
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