Retired Teacher Triumphs Over Disease And Injury, Becoming Oldest Female Hiker To Complete Appalachian Trail

Photo Courtesy of Betty Kellenberger

Retired Teacher Triumphs Over Disease And Injury, Becoming Oldest Female Hiker To Complete Appalachian Trail

Betty Kellenberger, an 80-year-old retired teacher from Carson City, Michigan, has defied the odds and hiked the Appalachian Trail. She is the oldest female hiker to finish the trail.

At 80, She Finished the Appalachian Trail

How It Started

A dream that started in elementary school kept calling her back for decades, even when life made it feel unrealistic. By the time she was “pushing 80,” she decided the waiting had to stop.

A Weekly Reader Dream That Didn’t Go Away

Hiking the Appalachian Trail was something Betty Kellenberger had always dreamed about. At 80-years-old, she is now the oldest female hiker to complete the trail.

This desire goes way back to elementary school where she learned about it in a Weekly Reader. Sadly, life got in the way, as it has been known to do.

Her work as a teacher and adult life as a whole stood in her way for decades. It seemed almost impossible as the years went by because the Appalachian Trail as a whole is difficult even for young people.

Most hikers only attempt to hike parts of the long trail. The trail goes through 14 states, from Maine to Georgia.

It is approximately 2,200 miles long and full of rocky terrain as well as environmental challenges. Kellenberger, from Carson City, Michigan, was active throughout her life.

She has cycled across the United States and a good portion of Canada. Time is a thief, as they say.

Before Kellenberger retired, she was not able to travel to the East Coast and dedicate the months of hiking she would have to endure. She said, “I remember thinking, ‘How long do you think you have to think about it? You know, I’m pushing 80. ‘Am I going to wait until I’m pushing 90?’ So yeah, it sort of pushed me into action.”

For more on staying gentle with yourself while pursuing big goals, see Not Every Self-Improvement Tip Is For You.

Planning And Setbacks

The trail demanded planning, patience, and a willingness to start again after things went wrong. Between falls, illness, and surgery, each attempt brought another lesson she carried forward.

The 2022 Attempt And A Hard Stop

After thorough research about the trail, Kellenberger and her trail partner, Joe Cox, made an attempt in the spring 2022. She said, “I went out and tried for it.”

Sadly, Cox suffered a bad fall on Mount Katahdin in Maine and had to leave the trail the following day. Kellenberger faced her own health issues with dehydration, Lyme disease, and a concussion.

Several days after Cox left, she followed suit.

The 2023 Attempt, A Fall, And A Knee Replacement

Her next attempt in 2023 brought about new challenges. She started at Harpers Ferry, Virginia and headed north.

Kellenberger made it all the way to Massachusetts before suffering a bad fall of her own. To make matters worse, her doctor told her that she needed a total knee replacement.

She remembers, “Wheeling me in for the surgery, I said, ‘How soon will I be able to get on the trail?’” Then after six months, she was back.

Unfortunately her trail partner Cox had passed away, and Kellenberger set out to finish the trail in his honor. Hurricane Helene threw a wrench in her plans as she was forced to evacuate.

This particular interruption actually worked out in her favor. Kellenberger and other thru-hikers, people who complete the trail in 12 months or less, had more time to finish.

The AARP explained in an article,“When the southern part of the trail closed due to severe storm damage hikers were able to save the mileage they had completed and carry it into the next year.”

Thru-hikers, people who complete the trail in 12 months or less, take on a version of the journey that’s defined in official guidance too. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s overview of thru-hiking explains what that timeline means in practice.

For more on being kind to yourself in moments of failure, see 10 Simple Ways To Practice Self-Kindness Every Day.

Success

Resilience wasn’t just a mindset for Kellenberger—it was something she practiced through every interruption. By learning from each setback, she kept moving toward the finish line, one day at a time.

Learning From “Unfortunate Events”

Despite these conditions, Kellenberger was resilient. She said, “I’ve had a series of unfortunate events, I call them. But each one, I learned something. Each one, I got a little stronger. Each one, I got a better story. And so then this year, I was able to do it.”

She hiked an average of about 10 miles each day on the trail. Then in March of 2025, she only had the northern and southern routes left to hike since she had already hiked between Massachusetts and Virginia before Hurricane Helene hit.

She completed the southern route first, leaving only the northern end. The mountains in Maine and New Hampshire are known to be difficult, and doubt began to set in.

Trail Angels And The Push To Keep Going

Then she met a man hiking in Pennsylvania whose words gave her the strength to finish the long trail. Hikers call these people “trail angels, seemingly divine beings that show up in the darkest times and offer enough food, advice, or encouragement to keep people going.”

Kellenberger said, “I was hiking alone, and I just thought, if I have to do this alone, I’m not sure I can do it. And he says, ‘Well, you can quit, and nobody will point fingers at you and blame you or anything. But you’ll never know whether you could have done it or not. If you go and you take it on and you try it, then you’ll at least know.’”

This man led her to continue on her venture. Only 1 in 4 hikers attempting a thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail are successful.

On September 12, 2025, Kellenberger became one of them after about a year and a half of hiking.

For a reminder that the quiet choice to show up can matter, see When Kindness Costs Something: Viral Highlights Worldwide.

Advice

Her message is simple: move, set a goal, and don’t let fear decide for you. Even when doubt shows up, the only way forward is to try.

Words Of Wisdom From Betty Kellenberger

Kellenberger offers words of wisdom for others:

“Get out, move, set a goal and work toward it. The bigger the goal, the greater the reward. Don’t let society or friends and family set your limitations.”

“If you let your fears win or let your doubt win, which is where many of us are at this point—I doubt I can do that, therefore I’m not going to try—you don’t get anywhere. You’ve got to try.”

All I have to say is that I hope when I reach Betty Kellenberger’s age, I can be as strong and determined as her.