An 80-year-old retired schoolteacher from Michigan has made history by becoming the oldest female hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail, overcoming years of setbacks, illness and injury to finish the iconic trek.
Betty Kellenberger of Carson City, Michigan, completed the final miles of the roughly 2,200-mile trail on Sept. 12, setting a new age record for women and surpassing the previous mark by six years. The Appalachian Trail stretches through 14 states from Georgia to Maine and is widely considered one of the most physically demanding long-distance hikes in the world.
Kellenberger’s dream of hiking the trail began decades ago when she first learned about it as a child. Life and a long career in education delayed that goal, but as she approached her late 70s, she decided time was no longer something she could afford to wait on.
Her journey was far from straightforward. Kellenberger made her first attempt in 2022 with a hiking partner, but that effort ended after her partner was injured in Maine and she herself struggled with dehydration, Lyme disease, and a concussion. A second attempt in 2023, starting in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, ended in Massachusetts after a serious fall.
Following knee replacement surgery and the death of her original hiking partner, Kellenberger resolved to finish the trail in his honor. She returned in 2024, again starting in Harpers Ferry and heading south, but was forced to pause when Hurricane Helene caused widespread damage along the southern portion of the trail. Cleanup efforts allowed hikers to preserve their completed mileage, giving her another chance to continue the following year.
Living in relatively flat central Michigan, Kellenberger trained for steep mountain climbs by walking stairs daily at a local hospital. She resumed hiking in March 2025, completing the southern stretches first before turning her attention to the notoriously rugged terrain of New Hampshire and Maine.
The trail’s cumulative elevation gain is often compared to climbing Mount Everest multiple times, and most thru-hikers do not finish. Kellenberger faced rocky paths, mud, severe weather, and the physical toll of long-distance hiking, but encouragement from fellow hikers helped her push forward.
Source: goodnewsnetwork
A piece of vital information is missing from this article, her trail name! It is Legend, of course.