80-year-old woman sets record as oldest to hike Appalachian Trail

Forget the rocking chair.

At age 80, Betty Kellenberger set a benchmark for endurance last summer, becoming the oldest woman to complete the treacherous 2,193-mile Appalachian Trail.

Kellenberger, who spent 41 years teaching middle school in Carson City, Mich., said she’d dreamed of hiking the 14-state footpath — which runs from Springer Mountain in northern Georgia to Mount Katahdin in central Maine — since childhood.

But, as she put it, “life got in the way,” she told The Post.

After retiring in 2009, followed by an eight-year stint as a county commissioner and some travel fun, she decided it was now or never.

“I remember thinking, ‘Am I going to wait until I’m pushing 90?’” she said.

Kellenberger’s quest was to become a “thru-hiker” — a term used for people who complete the rocky, muddy, root-filled march within 12 non-consecutive months. She wanted to hike the trail all at once, but kept hitting obstacles and having to start again.

She began her first attempt in 2022 at Springer Mountain in Georgia and headed north. Along the way, she met up with Joe Cox, a Navy vet who became her trail partner.

At Harpers Ferry, WV, approximately half way, they did a “flip” and flew to Maine so they could tackle Katadhan Mountain before the snow. Joe’s trip ended when he fell coming down and he was forced to go home, leaving Betty to go it alone. But her trip ended three days later when she got sick with Lyme disease.

In 2023, Kellenberger tried again, this time starting in Harpers Ferry and heading north. She made it as far as Massachusetts before suffering a fall that led to knee surgery.

During her six months of recuperation from knee replacement, Kellenberger trained by climbing stairs in the hospital, and in 2024, she started at Harpers Ferry again, this time heading south. Cox had since passed away, and she dedicated the hike to him.

She got as far as Hurricane Helene, and was pulled off the trail by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. They made hikers a deal. If they left and came back in 2025, they could count miles already completed.

In 2025, Kellenberger started her fourth and last attempt. She began in Damascus, Va. and hoofed to Springer Mountain, then flew north to finish the northern portion of the trail.

Along the way, she tried to keep her backpack down to 30 pounds, given her petite frame.

“I’m tiny, less than five feet,” Kellenberger said. “We didn’t carry a change of clothes, just a sleeping bag and a tent, and you had to carry your own food until you got to the next town.”

During the arduous trek, she met “trail angels,” volunteers who live near the trail and provide hikers with water, homemade meals, goodies and supplies.

On Sept. 12, 2025, she claimed victory.

Upon her return home, the town honored her by naming a local hiking path the Kellenberger Trail.

The oldest person to hike the entire trail is M.J. “Nimblewill Nomad” Eberhart, a man who completed the feat in 2021 at age 83.

Now, she has advice for other seniors.

“The more you move, the better you feel,” she said. “The more active you are, the more active you’ll be.”

As Kellenberger celebrates her achievement, she wants to clear something up.

“Everyone always asks ‘Did you see any bears?’ she said. “The only bear I ever saw was when the trail passed through a zoo! I did see a moose in Maine once, and it was tense for a few minutes, but eventually it dived back into the woods.”