‘You’ve Got to Try’: How One Woman Finished the Appalachian Trail at 80

Plus, advice for older adults on tackling goals big and small

Rachel Nania,

AARP

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Published December 10, 2025

Betty Kellenberger standing in front of trail sign

In September, Betty Kellenberger, 80, became the oldest woman to complete a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.

Courtesy Betty Kellenberger

Betty Kellenberger’s fascination with the Appalachian Trail began in elementary school, when she first read about the 14-state footpath in Weekly Reader magazine. Decades later, that childhood spark still burns: At 80, Kellenberger recently became the oldest woman to complete the nearly 2,200-mile trail.

The Carson City, Michigan, resident was always active, having cycled across the U.S. and much of Canada. But her working years as a teacher and later a county commissioner left little time for her to travel to the East Coast and put in the months required to hike the entire trail. After retirement, and when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Kellenberger finally saw her chance.

“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,” she told AARP.

Kellenberger studied up on the mental and physical demands of the trail, and in the spring of 2022, “I went out and tried for it,” she says. The trip, however, wasn’t successful due to a few health setbacks. She tried the following year, but was again unable to complete the hike and eventually found herself in the doctor’s office being told she needed a total knee replacement.

“Wheeling me in for the surgery, I said, ‘How soon will I be able to get on the trail?’ ” Kellenberger recalls. Six months later, in 2024, she was back. Only this time, she was stopped by Hurricane Helene and was forced to evacuate.

Helene’s interruption, however, allowed her and other so-called thru-hikers — people who finish the trail in 12 months or less — more time to finish. 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.

“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,” says Kellenberger, who averaged about 10 miles a day on the trail.

Only about 1 in 4 people who attempt a thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail, which is nearly 2,200 miles, succeed.

Courtesy Betty Kellenberger

Only about 1 in 4 people who attempt a thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail succeed, and on Sept. 12, 2025, after about a year and a half of on-and-off hiking, Kellenberger joined that elite group, becoming the oldest woman ever to do so.

Kellenberger recently spoke with AARP about how she trained for her hike and fueled her body along the way — and shares some of her tips for older adults who have a goal in mind.

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Kellenberger standing under fallen tree on Appalachian Trail

To train for her outdoor adventure, Kellenberger went indoors to the local hospital, which has a flight of stairs built as an emergency exit that wasn’t used regularly by staff or patients.

Courtesy Betty Kellenberger

No hills? No problem: A creative training plan

On the Appalachian Trail, hikers encounter mud, rocks, roots, and yes, hills — lots of them. And hills happen to be one thing Kellenberger’s hometown lacks. “I tell people I can see across the county, it’s so flat,” she says.

So to train for her outdoor adventure, Kellenberger went indoors to the local hospital, which has a flight of stairs built as an emergency exit that wasn’t used regularly by staff or patients.

“Every day I trained over there. I would go up to the top and just go down the bottom and up and down and up and up and down it — just do repeats of that,” says Kellenberger, who added that cycling also helped build her strength and endurance. “I live in a very flat world, so the hospital training was incredible for me.”

Fueling for 2,200 miles without cooking

“I don’t cook at home, so I knew I was not going to cook on the trail,” Kellenberger says.

Mornings were usually oats, cold-soaked and topped with nuts and dried fruits. Snacks throughout the day might include protein bars or tortillas stuffed with peanut butter or sausage. Dinner oftentimes was packaged tuna or chicken, never canned, “because you have to cart out all the packaging,” says Kellenberger, who both camped and stayed in accommodations along the trail. Crackers and cheese, for salt and protein, were also a go-to.

Sometimes, Kellenberger would stop in nearby towns for food. She recalls one night at a hostel in Maine, run by a woman in her 90s. “She makes dinners for all the hikers who stop by, and we were served the best lasagna I think I’ve ever had,” says Kellenberger, who explained that all the guests sat down together and visited and talked about their adventures on the trail. “It’s just incredible to be a part of that.”

Appalachian Trail Fast Facts

Length: Nearly 2,200 miles
States: 14 (from Georgia to Maine)
Total elevation gain: Equivalent to climbing Mount Everest 16 times
Hardest hikes: Maryland and West Virginia are the easiest states to hike; New Hampshire and Maine are the most difficult
Annual visitors: 3 million; about 3,000 hikers attempt a thru-hike each year, and only 1 in 4 complete it.
Nicknames: Hikers usually adopt “trail names” while hiking the trail
Packing: Packing is of utmost importance for thru-hikers, who need water, food, clothing, emergency kits, and tents and tarps for sleeping, among other things
Possible wildlife encounters: Black bears, moose, porcupines, snakes, woodpeckers and salamanders
Parks and forests: The trail crosses six national parks and eight national forests

Source: Appalachian Trail Conservancy

The importance of trying — no matter your age

You never know what you’ll be able to accomplish unless you try, Kellenberger says.

She recalls a particular day when she was taking a rest after a climb in Pennsylvania and talking with another hiker about an especially grueling stretch ahead in Maine and New Hampshire: “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.’”

When she finished the difficult part of the hike, she texted the hiker to thank him for the encouragement.

“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,” Kellenberger says. “You’ve got to try.”

On tackling goals, big and small

Whether your goal is as ambitious as completing the Appalachian Trail or as modest as a personal milestone, Kellenberger says the first step is to believe in yourself and set aside self-doubt.

“I think that’s what keeps us on the couch, when we’re intimidated,” Kellenberger says. “As long as you never try, you won’t be able to do it.”

Here are some other bits of advice.

Start sensibly. Kellenberger advises. “Do what you can do now. If it’s just walk out to the mailbox and back, do it. Tomorrow, try to do it a little bit farther. Just increase what you can do gradually; add to it, and you will be able to do more,” she says.
Study. Learn as much as you can about the goal you want to accomplish, whether through books, blogs or videos. When Kellenberger trained for her hike, she watched social media videos of hikers tackling different sections of the Appalachian Trail. Seeing some of the tougher terrain gave her a better sense of what to expect and helped her tailor her training accordingly.
Find a buddy. If you find someone to train with — whether that training is walking a few times a week, or joining a strength class at the gym — you’ll hold each other accountable, Kellenberger says. “You can give yourself all kinds of excuses, but if you have a buddy, it helps,” she adds.
Stay active and stay involved. “Use what you’ve been given and move forward,” says Kellenberger, who adds that it’s amazing how energized you feel after you spend a little energy.