Retired Navy Veteran Reclaims Title as Oldest Person to Finish Crossing Appalachian Trail At 85 years old, John Smith embarked on the daunting task of reclaiming a title he held dear: that of the oldest person to finish crossing the Appalachian Trail.
Spanning over 2,000 miles from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine, this grueling journey is a feat achieved by only a handful of individuals.
The Long History Behind John Smith's Record The tradition of long distance hiking on the Appalachian Trail dates back to the 1920s when Benton MacKaye first conceived it.