80-Year-Old Woman Becomes Oldest To Conquer The Appalachian Trail

October 27, 2025

Most people celebrate their 80th birthday with cake and candles. Betty Kellenberger celebrated hers by making history.

The Michigan native recently became the oldest woman ever to hike the entire Appalachian Trail — a staggering 2,200-mile trek that stretches across 14 states, with climbs and descents equal to scaling Mount Everest 16 times.

Betty Kellenberger

“You see incredible parts of our country, things that you wouldn’t see otherwise,” said Kellenberger. “So much wildlife. It’s just gorgeous.”

Kellenberger grew up on a farm in Howell, where her fascination with the famous footpath began. For years, she dreamed about hiking the trail from Georgia to Maine, but life never allowed for the six-month commitment it required. Having never married and with no children, she finally realized that nothing was holding her back — so in 2024, she took her first steps on what would become the adventure of a lifetime.

The journey wasn’t easy. Along the way, Kellenberger faced dehydration, a concussion from a fall, and even Lyme disease. Her trek was also interrupted by Hurricane Helene, which tore through the eastern United States and forced her to pause at the southern Virginia border. Determined to finish, she rerouted north and continued in the spring of 2025, braving New England’s rugged terrain until the very end.

As she neared completion, whispers began circulating on the trail that she was on track to break a record. The previous oldest woman to finish, Linda Vanderloop, had completed her hike in 2024 at age 74. 

Betty Kellenberger

But for Kellenberger, this was never about titles.

“You hike alone, and so you have your thoughts and you have time, and you have, you know, the presence of God and all that magnificent scenery,” she told WOOD. “But it’s the people you meet. It’s the shuttlers. It’s the folks that were hiking with you... it’s experience. It’s a love.”

When she finally reached the end of the trail, the emotions hit hard.

“So you’re a basket case,” she laughed. “You have so many emotions because you’re excited about finishing. I was really looking forward to saying, ‘I am done.’ But you also know you’re going to miss this big time. You’re not going to have what you have out on that trail. That peace, the serenity.”

She described Maine and New Hampshire as the toughest stretches — but also the most rewarding. Now, after months of hiking through rain, heat, and hardship, Kellenberger says she’s in the best shape of her life.

Betty Kellenberger

Reflecting on her journey, she offered a bit of wisdom for anyone chasing a dream.

“This life is a journey. And it may be a series of little journeys. Or maybe just the whole life is a journey. And the bigger your efforts, the greater the reward.”

Meet Betty in the video below: