Alfredo Aliaga just became the oldest person to hike the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim—and considering it's a 24-mile traverse with 10,000 feet of climbing and one of the most dangerous hikes in the United States, that's no small feat for anyone, let alone a 92-year-old. But Aliaga had the strongest motivation of all: love and memories.
The Spanish-German hiker, who has his Ph.D. in geography, traveled the world with his late wife, hiking in the Alps, the Pyrenees Mountains, and Nepal. But the Grand Canyon always stood out to him, he told ABC15: "The first time I was there with my wife, I loved it. It was an inspiration."
Aliaga and his wife hiked the American wonder of the world dozens of times together. After she passed in 2006, Aliaga worked through his grief by visiting the places they loved going together. The Grand Canyon was one of them: "To your eyes, you see things where you have only read about it. The Grand Canyon is a big textbook," the 92-year-old said.
Aliaga continued the tradition by taking up the trek with his daughter, Anabel Aliaga-Buchenau, and his son-in-law, Jurgen Buchenau, in 2019. When the pandemic hit, Buchenau realized that his father-in-law only missed the world record by a few months. Aliaga was very interested in setting a new record.
But completing the Grand Canyon's Rim-to-Rim hike is a challenging feat: Between the mileage, the elevation, and the heat of Arizona, each year, some number of experienced hikers need to be rescued and the Bright Angel Trail has claimed more than its share of lives. Despite the staggering odds, Aliaga completed the journey with his daughter and son-in-law by his side, along with two witnesses, so they could submit to the "Guinness Book of World Records."
Buchenau told Backpacker that their family doesn't typically shoot for records, but Aliaga was very interested in this one. Buchenau said, "I think he wanted something to prove himself."
Over October 14 and 15, 2023, Alfredo Aliaga hiked the trail in 21 hours over the course of two days. Currently, he's waiting for verification for the Guinness world record, edging out the previous record holder by less than a year; John Jempka, now de-throned, was 91 years and five months old when he earned his title.
To prepare for the record-setting hike, Aliaga began walking three hours a day at his home in Berlin. In the Spring of 2023, the three set out on what they hoped would be a record-setting hike, but their goal was put on hold by a North Rim closure and snow.
When the trio attempted the hike again in October, they had some concerns. "Of course, there is always some fear because I know that people get hurt in the canyon," Buchenau said. "So, I'm always worried about really hot weather. And I know in October, it can be daunting, and unexpected things can happen. You can fall and break or sprain an ankle. There's always a little bit of a sense that things can go wrong, but it was just amazing to do it together with him because it meant he wasn't alone, and none of us were alone waiting for him to come up."
However, their concerns were assuaged when they hit the trail. Aliaga hit the trail at an even but determined pace. He even paused here and there to take some selfies with fans as he went through the canyon. The amount of support they received from the community surprised the family.
Buchenau had posted on Facebook about his father-in-law's record attempt, and it was met with thousands of likes and shares. That social media support turned into physical support on the North Rim. Almost 100 people stood at the finish line, cheering him on, a heartwarming feeling for Aliaga. Buchenau said, "I think he does want to show that you are, to some extent, only as old as you feel."
Aliaga has no intention of slowing down anytime soon. He's already planning to hit the trail again next year.
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