Hello Runner Friends!
Welcome back to the Bass Pro Fitness Series
MIDWEEK M😊TIVATI😊N blog!
Talk about inspiring right??? I mean there are people half Dale’s age and half that age that would never attempt what he did! I don’t know about you, but I find his feat not only motivating but challenging! And I hope you do too.
I hope that you read his story and say to yourself, “If Dale can do that, then I can do (fill in the blank).” “And if Dale could overcome all those hurdles, I can overcome (fill in the blank).”
So without further ado, let’s dive into Dale’s story together and see what we lessons (marked by an *asterisk sign) we can take away from it.
More than 14 million older adults fall every year in the U.S., perhaps none so often as 91-year-old Dale Sanders.
*Lesson 1: Falling is a part of life. Get used to it.
By his count, Sanders fell 7 times while reclaiming his record as the oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail. Six were what he calls hard falls, including one that led to a brief hospitalization and another just 200 yards from the finish. But none were enough to permanently divert him from the 2,193-mile (3,530-kilometer) trail that runs between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine.
By his count, Sanders fell 7 times while reclaiming his record as the oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail. Six were what he calls hard falls, including one that led to a brief hospitalization and another just 200 yards from the finish. But none were enough to permanently divert him from the 2,193-mile (3,530-kilometer) trail that runs between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine.
*Lesson 2: We get to choose whether we stay down after a fall.
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy defines a thru-hike as completing all of the trail’s sections in any order within a year, allowing for pauses. 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.
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy defines a thru-hike as completing all of the trail’s sections in any order within a year, allowing for pauses. 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.
*Lesson 3: Pausing to do what’s important should be a part of your plan.
*Lesson 4: There’s power in prayer.
“I had to thank God, and I had to thank my support team and everybody that got me here,” he said.
Sanders, whose trail name is Grey Beard, first set the Appalachian Trail record in 2017 at age 82. Four years later, his 83-year-old friend M.J. Eberhart, aka Nimblewill Nomad, took the title. But within months, Sanders announced his comeback plan.
In June, Sanders was descending Killington Mountain in central Vermont when he fell forward in a boulder field, scraping his legs, arms and hands.
Some of Sanders’ best days were in Pennsylvania, where he enjoyed well-maintained trails and treats delivered by “trail angels.”
“I wanna get it back, but right now, that’s secondary,” he said. “Right now, what’s the most important thing – and it’s one of the things that surprised me – is that people are motivated and given encouragement by my efforts.”
Sanders was born in Kentucky in 1935, two years before the Appalachian Trail was completed. Bullied as a child for his small size, he gained confidence in solo sports like acrobatics and swimming. He later served in the Navy and retired in 2002 after a long career in parks and recreation.
Sanders holds numerous other age-related records, including becoming the oldest person to paddle the entire length of the Mississippi River, an 87-day trip he started on his 87th birthday.
“I had to thank God, and I had to thank my support team and everybody that got me here,” he said.
*Lesson 5: Gratitude keeps the mind happy and the legs moving.
A long-planned comeback
Sanders, whose trail name is Grey Beard, first set the Appalachian Trail record in 2017 at age 82. Four years later, his 83-year-old friend M.J. Eberhart, aka Nimblewill Nomad, took the title. But within months, Sanders announced his comeback plan.
*Lesson 6: Never rest on your past accomplishments. Always strive to be better… no matter how old you are.
*Lesson 7: It’s never too late for a comeback.
While Sanders’ first journey was easier than he expected, the latest was considerably harder. Despite six months of training, he said he wasn’t in the best condition when he returned to the trail.
While Sanders’ first journey was easier than he expected, the latest was considerably harder. Despite six months of training, he said he wasn’t in the best condition when he returned to the trail.
*Lesson 8: Age might make things harder but it doesn’t make things impossible.
“And even today, I feel that I should probably be in better shape than I am,” he said last month. “But I just have to always go back and say, ‘But I am 91, so I’m blazing new ground hiking long distances like this.’”
“And even today, I feel that I should probably be in better shape than I am,” he said last month. “But I just have to always go back and say, ‘But I am 91, so I’m blazing new ground hiking long distances like this.’”
*Lesson 9: Celebrate what your body can do. Everyone grows older but we don’t have to grow up… keep a youthful and optimistic mindset.
In June, Sanders was descending Killington Mountain in central Vermont when he fell forward in a boulder field, scraping his legs, arms and hands.
*Lesson 10: Scrapes heal.
“Thank God nothing got broken, but I was banged up,” he said. “I didn’t rub the blood off, I just kept hiking.”
“Thank God nothing got broken, but I was banged up,” he said. “I didn’t rub the blood off, I just kept hiking.”
*Lesson 11: Thank God and keep going.
Weeks later, his left arm went numb and he ended up at a Maine hospital. What doctors initially feared was a stroke turned out to be a pinched nerve, but though he was soon cleared to resume hiking, he considered giving up.
Weeks later, his left arm went numb and he ended up at a Maine hospital. What doctors initially feared was a stroke turned out to be a pinched nerve, but though he was soon cleared to resume hiking, he considered giving up.
*Lesson 12: When considering giving up, see lesson 13.
He returned home to Tennessee in early August to be with his wife, whose mother had just died, and she convinced him to press on.
He returned home to Tennessee in early August to be with his wife, whose mother had just died, and she convinced him to press on.
*Lesson 13: Find a cheerleader and make them a forever part of your life.
His mission changed along the way
His mission changed along the way
Some of Sanders’ best days were in Pennsylvania, where he enjoyed well-maintained trails and treats delivered by “trail angels.”
*Lesson 14: Life is full of ups and downs. The best days are filled with both.
“When people are taking care of you and bringing you caramel frappes on the trail, the rocks don’t matter,” he said.
“When people are taking care of you and bringing you caramel frappes on the trail, the rocks don’t matter,” he said.
*Lesson 15: - Enjoy the good times in life. They remind us that the bad ones aren’t so bad.
In fact, Sanders has become something of a star among fellow hikers. Thousands more follow him on social media, which surprised Sanders and caused him to expand his mission beyond reclaiming his record.
In fact, Sanders has become something of a star among fellow hikers. Thousands more follow him on social media, which surprised Sanders and caused him to expand his mission beyond reclaiming his record.
*Lesson 16: Don’t let praise produce pride. Remain humble and keep pressing on.
“I wanna get it back, but right now, that’s secondary,” he said. “Right now, what’s the most important thing – and it’s one of the things that surprised me – is that people are motivated and given encouragement by my efforts.”
*Lesson 17: Live to inspire others to do hard things.
Meredith Ewenson, who met Sanders in June while leading a hike in New Hampshire for 10 other women, said he embodied not just the idea that anything is possible, but that the journey matters most.
Meredith Ewenson, who met Sanders in June while leading a hike in New Hampshire for 10 other women, said he embodied not just the idea that anything is possible, but that the journey matters most.
*Lesson 18: Don’t be so focused on the finish that you don’t enjoy the journey.
“Seeing it in real life is something that I’ll definitely remember forever,” she said.
Ewenson said her group spotted Sanders early in the morning, but it wasn’t until he blazed by them hours later that they saw the Grey Beard logo on his T-shirt and realized who he was. They caught up with him that night at an Appalachian Mountain Club hut, arriving around 4 p.m.
“I got here at noon,” he told them.
The next morning, she and others cheered as Sanders performed a “victory dance” before setting off again.
“My first thought was ‘Wow, his mobility is insane,’” Ewenson said. “His face on that body just doesn’t make any sense. My brain couldn’t compute how he was so impossibly fit for being that age.”
“Seeing it in real life is something that I’ll definitely remember forever,” she said.
Ewenson said her group spotted Sanders early in the morning, but it wasn’t until he blazed by them hours later that they saw the Grey Beard logo on his T-shirt and realized who he was. They caught up with him that night at an Appalachian Mountain Club hut, arriving around 4 p.m.
“I got here at noon,” he told them.
The next morning, she and others cheered as Sanders performed a “victory dance” before setting off again.
“My first thought was ‘Wow, his mobility is insane,’” Ewenson said. “His face on that body just doesn’t make any sense. My brain couldn’t compute how he was so impossibly fit for being that age.”
*Lesson 19: We all have to grow old. But we all get to choose how we do that. Seek to treat your body like the temple that it is and it will not only serve you well but will inspire others to do the same.
Off-trail adventures
Off-trail adventures
Sanders was born in Kentucky in 1935, two years before the Appalachian Trail was completed. Bullied as a child for his small size, he gained confidence in solo sports like acrobatics and swimming. He later served in the Navy and retired in 2002 after a long career in parks and recreation.
*Lesson 20: Don’t let your early circumstances dictate your course of life.
Sanders holds numerous other age-related records, including becoming the oldest person to paddle the entire length of the Mississippi River, an 87-day trip he started on his 87th birthday.
*Lesson 21: Celebrate birthdays with style.
On his latest adventure, he tackled obstacles like downed trees or steep scrambles with vigor, though he started to get a bit wobbly toward the end of one 12-mile (19-kilometer) day. He laid down on the trail, said he needed a power nap and briefly fell asleep.
Two minutes later, he got up and kept hiking.
On his latest adventure, he tackled obstacles like downed trees or steep scrambles with vigor, though he started to get a bit wobbly toward the end of one 12-mile (19-kilometer) day. He laid down on the trail, said he needed a power nap and briefly fell asleep.
Two minutes later, he got up and kept hiking.
*Lesson 22: Life is full of challenges and ups and downs. Rest when you need to. Make recovery a priority. But never quit moving.
And there you have it friends. There are so many lessons to learn from people like Dale Sanders who choose to make the most of life. And that’s where we have lesson number 23…. We only have one life and it’s short. So, live it in such a way that you wear yourself out and inspire the next generation to keep getting up and to keep hiking. Happy Running!
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