COOSA COUNTY, Ala. – 83-year old M.J. “Sunny” Eberhart (pictured right) will finish his incredible, record-breaking journey this weekend.
Eberhart, known around the hiking community with affectionate monikers such as “Nimblewill Nomad” or “Sunny,” will officially complete the 2,600-mile Appalachian Trail hike when he arrives at Flagg Mountain on Nov. 21.
Starting early this year on Feb. 5, Eberhart left his post as the caretaker to the Flagg Mountain lookout tower to trek a distance unheard of to the vast majority of people and to no one at his age. In fact, the previous record for oldest to hike through Appalachia was his dear friend, Dale “Graybeard” Sanders, who made the journey in 2017 at the ripe age of 82. Sanders drove two days from Memphis to walk with Eberhart as he finished the northbound portion of the trail.
Eberhart updated his many fans on a daily basis with his travel blog titled “Odyssey 2021 Bama to Baxter – Hike On!” which features many pictures of majestic scenery and other travelers that joined Nimblewill Nomad throughout.
The blog tracked his starting and finishing point, his mileage, what gear and equipment he carried, and a synopsis of the journey in his own words. “Sunny” is an avid writer, and in 2017 his answer to the question of why he yearns to constantly long-distance hike and explore the vast trails and wilderness of America was eloquently limited to 38 words of poetic aptitude:
“It’s the people, the places, the pain and the trials,
It’s the joy and the blessings that come with the miles.
It’s a calling going out to a fortunate few,
To wander the fringes of God’s hazy blue.”
The Appalachian Trail extends from Springer Mountain in Georgia all the way to Mount Katahdin in Maine. The trail was made back in 1937 and passes through 14 states. The trail is part of the Triple Crown of Hiking with the other two included being the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail.
