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Tuesday, September 1, 2026 · UTC
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91-Year-Old Hiker Dale Sanders Becomes Oldest to Complete Appalachian Trail

Dale Sanders, 91, completes the Appalachian Trail, reclaiming the record for the oldest thru-hiker.

TruthFoundry News Desk
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Dale Sanders, a 91-year-old hiker from Tennessee, completed the 2,193-mile Appalachian Trail on Monday atop Mount Katahdin in Maine, becoming the oldest person to do so. [1] By his own count, Dale Sanders fell 71 times during the hike, including six hard falls, one requiring hospitalization, and another just 200 yards from the end. [2] Sanders began his hike on September 6, 2025, in West Virginia and finished the journey on Monday at the summit of Maine's highest peak. [3] Dale Sanders first set the Appalachian Trail record in 2017 when he was 82, only to be overtaken four years later by his 83-year-old friend MJ Eberhart. [4] Sanders' wife, Meriam, convinced him to continue his hike after he briefly returned to his home in Tennessee. [5]
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  1. Dale Sanders, a 91-year-old hiker from Tennessee, completed the 2,193-mile Appalachian Trail on Monday atop Mount Katahdin in Maine, becoming the oldest person to do so. · The Guardian
  2. By his own count, Dale Sanders fell 71 times during the hike, including six hard falls, one requiring hospitalization, and another just 200 yards from the end. · The Guardian
  3. Sanders began his hike on September 6, 2025, in West Virginia and finished the journey on Monday at the summit of Maine's highest peak. · The Guardian
  4. Dale Sanders first set the Appalachian Trail record in 2017 when he was 82, only to be overtaken four years later by his 83-year-old friend MJ Eberhart. · The Guardian
  5. Sanders' wife, Meriam, convinced him to continue his hike after he briefly returned to his home in Tennessee. · 24sata
We could not place any of them by their address. None is an official body: that part stands on reporting, not on the underlying document or transcript.
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