9 Senior Hikers Who Have Completed a Thru-Hike
It’s never too late. Hiking and backpacking can be for everyone. And who said adventure has an age limit? As we grow older, we are faced with more and more self doubt. We think we know what we are good at and simply stop forcing ourselves to meet new challenges, especially physical ones. These nine long-distance senior hikers are all over the age of 65. Yet, they still have managed to hike and backpack these lengthy and challenging trails. These senior hikers remind us that age is just a number. An adventurous spirit does not have to die young!
If you are concerned about your age and contemplating a long-distance hike, stop your worries. The hiking community is a thriving community full of hikers of all ages. Hikers are the most welcoming people. You might just make some unlikely friends. Simply acknowledge your body’s strengths and weakness and hike accordingly. Purchasing the lightest gear, something that any backpacker should consider, is crucial for success as a senior hiker. (Use our price checker to find the best deals on gear!)
This list is full of thru-hikers. A thru-hiker is a people that has completed a long-distance trail it its entirety in one continuous go. However, there are far more senior hikers hiking shorter sections of trails or completing the trail in short spurts. Many of these hikers in this list have hiked long distances before. But, that shouldn’t stop you from attempting such an amazing pilgrimage at an older age. The people on this list are such inspirations. They remind us to never stop adventuring.
1. Nan “Drag’n Fly” Reisinger
Trail: Appalachian Trail, United States
Age at completion: 74
Drag’n Fly currently holds the record of the oldest female thru-hiker of the Appalachian Trail. She completed the trail in 2014.
2. Lee “Easy One” Barry
Trail: Appalachian Trail, United States
Age at completion: 81
Lee Barry completed the trail in 2004 at the age of 81. This makes him the record holder as the AT’s oldest thru-hiker. This was Easy One’s second thru-hike.
3. Victor “Pappy” Kubilius
Trail: Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, United States
Age at completion: 71
This 71-year-old hiker is allegedly the oldest to complete the ‘Triple Crown.’ ‘The Triple Crown’ refers to three of America’s longest and most treacherous trails (Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail). You may think that he has been doing this all his life. However, he didn’t start long-distance hiking until the age of 65.
4. Murray Faulkner
Trail: Te Araroa, New Zealand
Age at completion: 71
Faulkner is allegedly the oldest to complete the 3,000 km (1,864 mi) Te Araroa Trail in New Zealand.
5. Emma “Grandma Gatewood”
Trail: Appalachian Trail, United States
Age at completion: 67
Gramma Gatewood is a legend in the history of the Appalachian Trail. She was 67 when she first set out on the trail in 1955. She was also the first woman to attempt and complete a solo thru-hike. Only five men at the time had completed a thru-hike of the AT. Astonishingly enough, Grandma Gatewood took for the trail with Keds on her feet and a shower curtain to carry the essentials and protect her from the rain. Grandma Gatewood ended up completing the AT two more times after that. She also hiked 2,000 miles on the Oregon Trail before her death at the age of 85.
6. Early Shaffer
Trail: Appalachian Trail, United States
Age at completion: 79
Earl Shaffer, the American author, was the first AT thru-hiker in 1948 at the age of 30. In 1965, he hiked the trail southbound. And, in 1998, at the age of 79, he completed another thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. Shaffer was an influential person in Appalachian Trail history.
7. Nancy “Magellan” Gowler
Trail: Appalachian Trail, United States
Age at completion: 71
Before Nan “Drag’n Fly” Reisinger beat her record in 2014 as the oldest female thru-hiker, Magellan was the oldest when she completed the AT for the second time in 2007 at the age of 71.
8. Barbara “Mamaw B” Allen
Trail: Appalachian Trail, United States
Age at completion: 71
Mamaw B, also a 71-year-old woman, completed her thru-hike of the AT in 2012.
9. Mike “Cimarron” Caetano
Trail: Camino de Santiago, Spain & Section hike of Appalachian Trail, United States
Age at completion: 84
Mike Caetano, although not a thru-hiker of the AT, did complete the trail within two years at the ages of 83 and 84. This makes him the oldest hiker on this list. He completed the trail in 2009. He hiked a full half of the AT at age 89. He also completed Spain’s Camino de Santiago thru-hike at age 91.
What kind of adventure will you take when you retire?
Source:
http://articles.courant.com/2002-10-08/news/0210081941_1_hiking-pacific-crest-trail-appalachian-trail
http://appalachiantrials.com/13-unlikely-appalachian-trail-hikers-who-defied-the-odds/
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