He is, incidentally, two years older than the Appalachian Trail
October 26, 2017 6:24 PM Subscribe
An 82-year-old man hiked the entire Appalachian Trail. Then he danced a jig.
An 82-Year-Old Broke the Appalachian Trail Age Record.
On Youtube telling stories of trail, the cold, the wet, the falls, the snoring, Trail Days, hiker hunger, wild ponies, friends, and family: Dale on the Trail and Dale Still on the Trail.
From an interview from March, “Happiness is the key to staying in good health. If you aren’t happy with what you’re doing, age will catch up to you. You’ll really feel your age.”
Pictured here with the youngest thru "hiker". (Previously)
Dale also holds the record as the oldest person to solo paddle the entire 2400 miles of the Mississippi river, source to sea, in a canoe at 80 years old.
An 82-Year-Old Broke the Appalachian Trail Age Record.
On Youtube telling stories of trail, the cold, the wet, the falls, the snoring, Trail Days, hiker hunger, wild ponies, friends, and family: Dale on the Trail and Dale Still on the Trail.
From an interview from March, “Happiness is the key to staying in good health. If you aren’t happy with what you’re doing, age will catch up to you. You’ll really feel your age.”
Pictured here with the youngest thru "hiker". (Previously)
Dale also holds the record as the oldest person to solo paddle the entire 2400 miles of the Mississippi river, source to sea, in a canoe at 80 years old.
I was backpacking the Colorado Trail this summer, and near Mt. Massive, I encountered an 84 year old man who was out for a hike up the mountain. He'd hiked the AT, PCT, CDT, and the CT in the 70s and 80s, when gear was heavier and there was less support. He was gonna climb Mt. Massive, though he wasn't sure if he would summit or not - he'd see how he felt. It was 8th or 9th time that summer, so he might take a side trip.
His great granddaughter was supposed to come along that day, but she decided it was too hard at the last minute. He laughed - these kids - he says, they don't know what hard is.
We shared a really nice conversation there on the mountainside, as the sun rose lazily into the sky. I hope to be still choosing to climb mountains at his age.
Good for this guy! It gives me hope that maybe my retirement won't suck as much as I think it will.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 7:39 PM on October 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
His great granddaughter was supposed to come along that day, but she decided it was too hard at the last minute. He laughed - these kids - he says, they don't know what hard is.
We shared a really nice conversation there on the mountainside, as the sun rose lazily into the sky. I hope to be still choosing to climb mountains at his age.
Good for this guy! It gives me hope that maybe my retirement won't suck as much as I think it will.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 7:39 PM on October 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
I've always wanted to thru-hike the AT; glad to know I have a good 29 years left to actually do it!
posted by TedW at 8:26 PM on October 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by TedW at 8:26 PM on October 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Pictured here with the youngest thru "hiker". (Previously)
I missed that story back in March, about the couple and their 1-year-old. (And that post of course now is archived.) Anyway, whether it was a good idea or not to take the kid out into the woods, and despite the many nay-sayers, they did – like the 82-year-old – hike the entire AT.
The baby also learned to walk along the way, in rural Maine.
posted by LeLiLo at 9:01 PM on October 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
I missed that story back in March, about the couple and their 1-year-old. (And that post of course now is archived.) Anyway, whether it was a good idea or not to take the kid out into the woods, and despite the many nay-sayers, they did – like the 82-year-old – hike the entire AT.
The baby also learned to walk along the way, in rural Maine.
posted by LeLiLo at 9:01 PM on October 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
How amazing. I saw a fair number of retirement-age folks wandering around in Wyoming and Colorado but by far the most impressive was the old guy riding a bike uphill in Rocky Mountain National Park (about 11,000 feet). I couldn't even walk very far at that elevation.
posted by AFABulous at 9:06 PM on October 26, 2017
posted by AFABulous at 9:06 PM on October 26, 2017
I missed that story back in March, about the couple and their 1-year-old. (And that post of course now is archived.)
Metafilter was convinced they were gonna die and the child was going to grow up horribly deformed after getting eaten by a bear.
Also that was the thread where I learned that my sponsored ultra-marathon running wife has no idea how sponsorships really work, even though she has sponsors who sponsor her.
I'm really pleased to hear they made it. I hope they go for the CDT/CT next year and I get to see them.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 9:26 PM on October 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Metafilter was convinced they were gonna die and the child was going to grow up horribly deformed after getting eaten by a bear.
Also that was the thread where I learned that my sponsored ultra-marathon running wife has no idea how sponsorships really work, even though she has sponsors who sponsor her.
I'm really pleased to hear they made it. I hope they go for the CDT/CT next year and I get to see them.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 9:26 PM on October 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Let's hope he didn't "hike" it like the legless lady we had here recently. Looks genuine though.
posted by Laotic at 1:24 AM on October 27, 2017
posted by Laotic at 1:24 AM on October 27, 2017
I missed that story back in March...
Metafilter was convinced they were gonna die...
1. I'm really happy for this person. I hope I can do that when I'm up in my years.
2. Metafilter needs to allow Mefites to opt out of seeing Mefi older than x days.
posted by Annika Cicada at 1:28 AM on October 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Metafilter was convinced they were gonna die...
1. I'm really happy for this person. I hope I can do that when I'm up in my years.
2. Metafilter needs to allow Mefites to opt out of seeing Mefi older than x days.
posted by Annika Cicada at 1:28 AM on October 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'll be happy if I can cross the street without assistance at 82.
posted by COD at 5:27 AM on October 27, 2017
posted by COD at 5:27 AM on October 27, 2017
I missed that story back in March, about the couple and their 1-year-old. (And that post of course now is archived.) Anyway, whether it was a good idea or not to take the kid out into the woods, and despite the many nay-sayers, they did – like the 82-year-old – hike the entire AT.
I was one of those nay-sayers, though not convinced they were gonna die so much as convinced the difficulties of the trail without a baby would be almost insurmountable with one. I still have some cynical feelings about the whole thing, but I am genuinely happy that they completed the trail and seemed to have had a good experience. I really love that picture of them meeting this 82 year old man.
More on-topic, this dude is a bad-ass and I hope I can still hike half a mile when I'm his age.
posted by bondcliff at 8:32 AM on October 27, 2017
I was one of those nay-sayers, though not convinced they were gonna die so much as convinced the difficulties of the trail without a baby would be almost insurmountable with one. I still have some cynical feelings about the whole thing, but I am genuinely happy that they completed the trail and seemed to have had a good experience. I really love that picture of them meeting this 82 year old man.
More on-topic, this dude is a bad-ass and I hope I can still hike half a mile when I'm his age.
posted by bondcliff at 8:32 AM on October 27, 2017
The snoring story. This fellow is awesome.
I want to do this... before I am 82.
posted by allthinky at 11:15 AM on October 27, 2017
I want to do this... before I am 82.
posted by allthinky at 11:15 AM on October 27, 2017
Video of the victory dance. Also good at headlocks.
posted by peeedro at 11:27 AM on October 27, 2017
posted by peeedro at 11:27 AM on October 27, 2017
way to make us all look super lazy, THANKS DALE
posted by poffin boffin at 1:30 PM on October 27, 2017
posted by poffin boffin at 1:30 PM on October 27, 2017
Badass. This warms my heart, as does knowing he walked right through a place in Virginia where I lived during some of the happiest years of my life. Good on him.
posted by 4ster at 4:16 PM on October 27, 2017
posted by 4ster at 4:16 PM on October 27, 2017
This gives me hope
posted by arcticseal at 12:22 PM on October 28, 2017
posted by arcticseal at 12:22 PM on October 28, 2017
« Older The captivating horror of category violation | Citizenship 7 Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
I've been on a huge thru-hike reading list lately; it's always fascinating to me to read personal accounts of hiking the whole trail. I may or may not attempt a thru-hike myself in the future, so articles like this are absolutely candy for me.
(I am also pleased to hear about Ellie finishing as well, even if I only learned about her a couple weeks ago.)
posted by lesser weasel at 7:26 PM on October 26, 2017 [1 favorite]