Mike Caetano, trail name Cimmaron, is out to set a record. He’s completed the entire Appalachian Trail once in the past decade, and now is seeking to complete it again. If he does, and I suspect he’s going to, he’ll be in the record books as the oldest AT thru-hiker, at age 86.
I received this heads-up via my friend Gary “Bear Bag” Buffington, who introduced me to Cimmaron many years ago, when I was writing Along the Florida Trail. We hiked together on the Juniper Creek Trail in Blackwater River State Forest, which was a training ground for Cimmaron as he planned his first AT hike. While his hike didn’t turn out as expected, he completed the AT over two years, 2003 and 2004, in large sections. But he’s eager to chalk up a thru-hike, despite hip replacement surgery.
Read the news story about Cimmaron in the Franklin Press Online
Good Luck, Cimmaron
I wish you the very best. I have decided that at 81, it is time for me to leave the mountain trails behind and stick with the flat lands of the Fla Trail.
Kenneth Smith
Belleview, FL