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At 91, ‘Grey Beard’ reclaims Appalachian Trail record

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Dale “Grey Beard” Sanders has once again become the oldest person to complete the Appalachian Trail, finishing the 2,193-mile journey at age 91 — and counting Pennsylvania among his favorite portions of the trek.

Sanders reached the summit of Mount Katahdin in Maine on Monday, Aug. 31, completing a journey that began nearly a year earlier. The Appalachian Trail stretches from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Katahdin and passes through 14 states, including Pennsylvania.

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It was hardly a trouble-free trip.

Sanders estimates he fell 71 times along the way, including six serious falls. One resulted in a brief hospitalization, while his final fall came just 200 yards from the finish. In June, he tumbled in a boulder field while descending Killington Mountain in Vermont, suffering cuts and scrapes but no broken bones.

Weeks later, numbness in his left arm sent him to a Maine hospital, where doctors initially feared he had suffered a stroke. The problem turned out to be a pinched nerve, and Sanders eventually returned to the trail.

The Tennessee resident first became the oldest Appalachian Trail finisher in 2017, when he was 82. His record was broken four years later by 83-year-old M.J. “Nimblewill Nomad” Eberhart.

Sanders then set his sights on reclaiming the mark.

Pennsylvania, notorious among Appalachian Trail hikers for its rocky terrain, provided some of the more enjoyable stretches of his latest journey. Sanders praised the state’s well-maintained trails and particularly appreciated the “trail angels” who brought him food and drinks along the way.

“When people are taking care of you and bringing you caramel frappes on the trail, the rocks don’t matter,” Sanders said.

Sanders has attracted thousands of social media followers, and he said encouraging others eventually became more important than regaining the record.

Born in Kentucky in 1935, Sanders later served in the Navy and spent much of his career working in parks and recreation. Long-distance hiking isn’t his only record-setting pursuit. At age 87, he became the oldest person to paddle the entire length of the Mississippi River, completing the journey in 87 days.

Source: Phila Inquirer, AP

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