An 83-year Old Man Becomes the Oldest to Hike the Nearly 2,200 Mile Appalachian Trail

As the saying goes, “records are made to be broken.” M.J. “Sunny” Eberhart, 83, from Flagg Mountain, Alabama took that to heart and became the oldest person to hike the Appalachian Trail.

The former record holder, Dale “Greybeard” Sanders from Memphis, Tennessee was along for the finish. Sanders completed the trail in 2017 at the age of 82. Eberhart who goes by the trail name, “Nimblewill Nomad,” etched his name in the record books last Sunday as he finished off the nearly 2,200 mile hike. He hiked the trail out of order and in sections to take advantage of weather. He also tried to limit himself to eight hours of hiking a day because, let’s face it, he’s not as young as he used to be.

Eberhart started hiking when he retired as an optometrist in 1993 and has racked up the miles with his legs. He conquered a 4,400 mile hike from the Florida Keys to northern Quebec. Also, he hiked from Newfoundland to Florida and walked from Chicago to California along Route 66.

Eberhart says he doesn’t know what his next hike will be, but the guy has legs of steel and great resolve so I’m sure he’ll conquer whatever lies in his way. Congrats “Sunny!”

Cover Photo: AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty