Dale Sanders, 91, reclaims oldest Appalachian Trail thru-hiker record

Dale "Grey Beard" Sanders, a 91-year-old hiker from Tennessee, has reclaimed his title as the oldest person to complete a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. Sanders reached the summit of Mount Katahdin in Maine on Monday, August 31, 2026, finishing the approximately 2,193-mile journey that began on September 6, 2025, in West Virginia. Sanders first set the age record in 2017 at 82. The title was later taken by his friend, M.J. "Nimblewill Nomad" Eberhart, at age 83 in 2021. Sanders announced his comeback plan shortly after, and after six months of training, he embarked on his latest trek. The journey was significantly more challenging than his first record-setting hike.