At 91, Dale “Grey Beard” Sanders reclaims his record as the oldest person to complete the 2,193-mile Appalachian Trail, despite falling 71 times along the way, including one that led to a brief hospitalization and another just 200 yards from the finish. ↧ Dale ‘Grey Beard’ Sanders, 91, reclaims record as oldest hiker ... Sanders started Sept. 6 in West Virginia, hopscotched around with some brief breaks and finished Monday atop Maine’s highest peak, where he paused to pray at the sign marking the summit.