A 92-year-old man broke the world record as the oldest person to hike the Grand Canyon from rim-to-rim — and he did it in less than 24 hours, officials said.
Alfredo Aliaga Burdio completed the 24-mile trek in October, and Guinness World Records recently confirmed him as the oldest person to accomplish the demanding feat, officials said in a news release. In some cases, younger people than him have died trying, McClatchy News previously reported.
After his wife died from ALS in 2006, Aliaga revisited some of the significant places they had traveled together and hiked the canyon with his daughter and grandson, officials said.
Then he took on the rim-to-rim trek in October 2022, completing it with his son-in-law in four days, officials said. His family has lived in Charlotte, N.C., for 25 years.
That’s when he started thinking about trying to break the record as the oldest person to do it, officials said. In January, he started training “for what would be the hike of a lifetime” — by walking eight miles every day.
During what ended up being an unplanned practice run along the south rim in May 2022, he told officials he “noticed that the training every day had made a difference.”
He finally got his official chance in October 2023 when he secured lodging at the North Rim and started his trek at 6 a.m. before the sun was up, officials said. The early wake-up time was worth it: He stopped at the Coconino Overlook to watch the sunrise over the canyon.
After that, he accomplished the journey, making sure to take a break almost every hour, officials said. The first five hours were grueling, but after refueling and hydrating during a 15-minute break, he recovered and felt strong enough to take on the next seven hours.
Mind over matter and the friends he made along the way contributed to his success, he told officials.
“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.”
The venture took Aliaga 34 hours and 2 minutes, and his actual hiking time was 21 hours and 15 minutes, Guinness said.
The support and kindness from fellow hikers was his favorite thing about the trek, he said.
“He is a true inspiration to all!” Julian Coiner said of his journey on Facebook. Coiner hiked with Aliaga’s group, and described his sense of humor and outlook on life “amazing and inspiring.”
Aliaga, who lives in Germany, told officials he hopes his accomplishment will inspire others to do what they love and never give up on their goals. He also hopes it will prove that it’s never too late to try something — since he didn’t start living a healthier lifestyle until he was 76 years old, he said.
He’ll hike the canyon again in May, this time “without all the pressure,” he told officials.
