Posted on 01/03/2024 1:24:58 PM PST by SJackson
They say age is nothing but a number.
That is certainly the case when it comes to Alfredo Aliaga Burdio.
The 92-year-old, who currently lives in Berlin, Germany, completed his trek across the Grand Canyon on 15 October 2023, becoming the oldest person to cross the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim on foot (male).
Although it was Alfredo’s most historical journey across the Grand Canyon, it certainly wasn’t his first.
“I have hiked in the Grand Canyon many times in my life,” he said.
After his wife passed away from ALS in 2006, Alfredo decided he wanted to revisit the places where they had travelled together, so he took his daughter and nine-year-old grandson to hike rim to rim in the Grand Canyon.
Then, in October 2022, Alfredo crossed the Grand Canyon together with his son in just four days.
It was during this journey that he came up with the idea to attempt the record.
“I had read about the previous record holder, Mr. John Jepkema whom I admired immensely,” said Alfredo.
“I knew that I was only a few months younger than Mr. Jepkema had been and thought that I had a great shot at setting a new record the following year.”
In January of this year, Alfredo began training for what would be the hike of a lifetime.
He began walking 12 km (8 miles) every day.
The record attempt was supposed to take place in May 2022, but the North Rim and the North Kaibab trail were closed due to too much snow in the winter and damage from meltwater.
Alfredo adjusted his plans, hiking from the South Rim to Phantom Ranch, and staying two nights before hiking out the same way.
“I noticed that the training every day had made a difference,” said Alfredo.
In October, Alfredo finally began his long-awaited hike, starting at the North Rim due to logistics.
He was able to get lodging at the North Rim, making the trip much easier.
Alfredo began to make his journey at 6 a.m. before stopping at the Coconino Overlook at 6:20 a.m. where he saw the sun rising.
The journey down the Grand Canyon is very strenuous and the way down is extremely steep from the North Rim to Manzanita, but Alfredo made an effort to stop and take a break nearly every hour.
“I was very tired after those first five hours,” he said.
“What surprised me is that after about a 15-minute break, some food, and electrolytes, I recovered and felt strong again and was ready to tackle the next seven hours.”
Alfredo also said walking slowly but steadily helped him throughout his hike, as well as matter of the mind.
“I think of the next step and the next, and not how far I still have to go,” he said.
“Then it is not so overwhelming and very doable.”
Alfredo says although the most interesting part of hiking the Grand Canyon is usually the geology, the river, and the rocks, this time it was the people.
He says many people were hiking the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim and took the time to be kind to him.
“Truly the best thing was meeting all the people on the trail, that support and kindness and just happiness was wonderful,” said Alfredo.
Alfredo says every single person cheered him on and was happy for him.
He was also appreciative of his witnesses, who helped make the entire endeavour a success.
“Can you believe that two people who would usually cross the Canyon in eight hours agreed to be witnesses, walked at my speed, and were unwavering in their support,” said Alfredo.
“Julian Coiner and Peter Todd are truly unusually kind and wonderful people.”
Alfredo even became an honorary member of the Tucson Fire Department during his trek, after running into firefighters who had awarded him a Tucson Fire Department patch.
Although the entire journey took Alfredo 34 hours and 2 minutes, his actual hiking time was 21 hours and 15 minutes.
It took 11 hours and 15 minutes to hike from the North Rim Trailhead down to Phantom Ranch and an additional 10 hours the next day from Phantom Ranch to the South Rim Trailhead.
Alfredo hopes his journey will show people that doing what you love and never giving up on trying to achieve things is what matters.
He would also like to show people that it is never too late to try something.
“I began living a healthy lifestyle really at age 76,” said Alfredo.
Although Alfredo would eventually like to break an additional record title by hiking the Aconcagua, the Chimborazo, or the Cotopaxi, he says his next plans are to hike the Grand Canyon again in May, without all the pressure.
“My son-in-law already has a cabin for October 2024, when we want to see if we can go with my son’s family,” he said.
“But I have to see how I am doing then. I am getting older.”
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Yikes!
As a 90-year old whose primary walking exercise is following the wife from machine to machine at the National Harbor MGM, guess I need to ramp up the frequency of the routine from 3 or 4 times a month...
No problem! Rush’s advice on canned dog food will come into play...
Maybe it’s just me. I have the same reaction to people who sky dive or bungy jump for fun. It reminds me of a line from a really good YA book that I’ve read repeatedly: “Adventures come in big chunks. You can’t just have a little bit of adventure.”
The “big chunks” of adventure are perilously close to us all right now. I’m 12 clicks away from the Lebanon border as the missile flies. Texas cheerleaders are getting murdered in their bath tubs by illegal aliens. Nut cases are shooting up schools, houses of worship and malls. Hordes of barbarians can invade and rape, murder and slaughter peaceful communities. The world is more full of dangerous lunatics than usual.
So why go to the trouble of living so long, just to perform such an unnecessary and life-threatening stunt. So other centenarians will do something just as frivolous, following your sterling example? 16-year-olds wrap their shiny corvettes around trees and die. 92-year-olds should have more sense.
It’s a story...you do not HAVE to read it.
I lived in Flagstaff, AZ for 6.5 years - Jan 1975 to Sept 1981. While attending NAU for my MBA degree and for several years afterwards, I was a flight instructor, charter and corporate pilot.
I had the good/great fortune/special opportunity to fly a number of sight-seeing trips through the Grand Canyon back in the day when flying fixed wing aircraft below the South Rim was allowed. Each trip through the Canyon was special!
Hiking the Canyon, North to South is a huge feat! KUDOS to that gentleman!
I never wanted to hike the Canyon; would rather fly!
ROGER THAT!
Hiking the Canyon is not *life threatening*. It in no way entails the risk that skydiving or bungee jumping does. Those trails are not that dangerous or narrow. I have a slight fear of heights and have hiked the Canyon with no difficulty, and would not be caught dead skydiving or bungee jumping. I don’t like planes and hate step ladders. If it involved heights like that, forget it.
Mules have plenty of room to walk down those trails. They are wide enough and often a gentle enough slope. They zig zag across the slope of the face of the canyon. It’s not a sheer drop.
FWIW, at 92 I’d cut the guy some slack. Anyone in that kind of condition at that age can darned well do whatever they want for fun.
And life threatening? At 92, I would think he’s led a full enough life to earn the right to not worry about it. Heck, at that age, he’s not even sure he’s going to wake up the next morning. The older I get the more aware of my own mortality I become.
I envy you for flying in that gorgeous area.
What do you suggest he do with his time? Would you be happier if he just played bingo or cards?
Write, paint, sculpt, garden, learn an instrument and compose. Something other than “see what I can do”. Actually do something that creates an edifice.
OK. I’ll call off the swat team. It’s not my business. But don’t ask me to be impressed or approve. I’d say that the Canyon has its own weather hazards, but having never been there, I don’t know.
I pray at a table in my synagogue opposite a 94-year-old man who survived the Holocaust, made it to Israel at a young age, and still gets up every morning to give thanks to G-d for that day of life. He’s outlived some of his offspring. He has all sorts of health problems, some of which can be stomach turning to observe, but he is well loved, and is never short of willing hands to help him into and out of his go cart and into and out of his place, etc. They are devoted to him and help him arrange his affairs as well. While the stuff he coughs up into a paper hot cup is appalling, I like him too, and occasionally lend a hand when nobody else is available.
He’s not walking the Grand Canyon, but he strives for as much independence as his disabilities allow him to. It doesn’t make the papers, but his daily struggles impress me more.
Having my share of health issues, yes, that daily struggle can be worse. Hiking the canyon would be easy compared to living everyday life sometimes.
The day my friend and I hiked the canyon, we went out for dinner that night, hardly able to move from soreness, and here it was, near the end of May, and it started SNOWING outside.
So, yes, keeping an eye on the weather there is critical.
Wow, chops to him.
Hubs and I hiked a short distance on the Bright Angel trail when we visited a few years ago. He has muscular dystrophy but hiking poles really helped him. It challenged both of us so we’re impressed by the 92-year-old hiker.
We want to do these sorts of things while Hubs still can.
I’m training every day to be the oldest person who DIDN’T cross the Grand Canyon.
At the time, we had no idea that the Grand Canyon scenic flights would be outlawed. There were reporting points in the Canyon on a common frequency, so we knew who was in the Canyon and where they were. Worked well.
I believe the environmental whackos got the FAA to make Canyon flights illegal because of the noise. Best you can do now is 1000 feet above the south rim.
I generally took my tourists down to 100’ above the river - that is a spectacular view! River runners loved to see us fly over them!
So why post it if—GASP!—E5 might say something you don’t like. If you post to a forum, expect to hear things you disagree with. This might come as a shock to you, but I don’t care if you care what I have to say or not. I’ll say it.
Oh look, aren’t you stunning and brave for crapping all over a 92-year-old who hiked the Grand Canyon and then bragging about how he failed to impress you. Now you try to play like you’re not a jerk, you’re really a hero standing up to someone calling you a jerk? LOL.
If you aren’t impressed by a 92-year-old Grand Canyon hiker,then you don’t have to click on the article about a 92-year-old Grand Canyon hiker. But you think you can do that but should be protected from someone like me telling you to stop being an a-hole? Damn, son.
Oh look, aren’t you stunning and brave for crapping all over a 92-year-old who hiked the Grand Canyon...
I’m telling you my opinion of it. The 92-year-old is going to hike where he hikes. I crapped all over nobody. You’re telling me your opinion. Which you’re entitled to. But in my opinion, your opinion sucks. Nothing “heroic” about that either.
If you aren’t impressed by a 92-year-old Grand Canyon hiker,then you don’t have to click on the article about a 92-year-old Grand Canyon hiker.
But I can and I did, and told you my opinion. If you don’t want to know my opinion, you don’t have to read it.
“But you think you can do that but should be protected from someone like me telling you to stop being an a-hole? Damn, son.”
I don’t need to be protected from anyone on this board, least of all you, who makes all this into some personal matter. G-d is protecting me from Hamas and Hizbollah, and sent the IDF to do that job. This is pure trivial nonsense about an old man whose idea of what to do with his time differs from mine. “Protect” me from you? I don’t GAGS what you have to say about anything. This is first-world nonsense. Grow up, son.
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