91-year-old Dale Sanders, known as Grey Beard, had been chipping away at the 3500km Appalachian Trail since September, in a bid to reclaim his record as the oldest person to hike the full length.

His goal is to complete a thru-hike by walking the entire trail in a 12-month period. Currently, he is about three-quarters of the way through the hike. For his attempt, he plans to hike 20km a day, with one day off a week.

Mr Sanders, who lives with his wife near Memphis, Tennessee, retired in 2002 after a career working in parks and recreation for the Navy. He marked his 80th birthday by becoming the oldest person to paddle the full length of the Mississippi River.

Then in 2017, at age 82, he set the record for oldest AT thru-hike. That record was broken in 2021, which has prompted Mr Sanders to reclaim the title.

Mr Sanders said he plans to finish, even if he runs out of time for it to count officially. “I’m not going to stop unless physically I simply cannot do it anymore,” he says. Read the full bio from the New York Times.

Kahurangi’s Graham Valley Rd reopens early

A key road leading into Kahurangi National Park has reopened earlier than expected, after significant repairs were completed ahead of schedule.

Graham Valley Rd was badly damaged by storms in June and July last year, with six slips coming down – including one which dropped a section of the road 8m into the river below.

The Department of Conservation and Tasman District Council, who co-manage the road, carried out detailed planning for the repairs due to the challenging site. This included geotechnical assessments, 3D engineering designs, and specialist civil engineering expertise for river works.

Repair work started in May 2026 and was estimated to take until Spring 2026, but has been completed ahead of schedule, opening on 15 July.

The road is still a steep and narrow alpine road and is only suitable for 4WD vehicles in the winter months. Chains may be needed if snow and ice are present. Read more from Wilderness.

Obituary: Mike Boyes, outdoor education pioneer

Mike Boyes was a powerhouse in outdoor education and wrote a history of outdoor education in New Zealand. He died in May, aged 75.

Dr Boyes believed deeply in the value of outdoor education — not simply as recreation, but as something fundamental to personal growth, resilience, citizenship and wellbeing. He saw the outdoors as a classroom, a teacher and, at times, a refuge.

In one of the many tributes made, Shane Galloway, a former outdoor education lecturer, said: ‘‘If it wasn’t for Mike Boyes, I wouldn’t have emigrated to Aotearoa, met my wife Maree. We wouldn’t have had our daughter, Saige. And I would probably be gone myself or worse. Mike is a legend for me and my whanau, always.’’

Dr Boyes became a key part of a dynamic and talented group of outdoor education lecturers at the University of Otago. From 2005, Otago had more postgraduate students focusing on outdoor education than any other research university in the world.

He was also invited to sit on the New Zealand Mountain Safety Council in 1993 as the tertiary education representative. He remained on the council until 2015. Read the full obituary at the Otago Daily Times.

Injured trampers rescued from Mt Taranaki

Three trampers have been rescued from Mount Taranaki, two of them with serious injuries. Police said the situation could have ended in tragedy had the weather not cleared, allowing a rescue helicopter to reach the trio.

Acting Sergeant David Bentley said the alarm was raised about 10:30am, with a rescue helicopter sent to find the trampers, who were all on different parts of the mountain. Because of the weather, the helicopter winched in an alpine search and rescue team member, who walked down to find them.

One was stuck due to the icy conditions, with photos taken by a search and rescue member showing thick ice and snow covering a mountain hut and vegetation. Once the weather cleared, the rescue helicopter was deployed again, and all three trampers were taken off the mountain around 4:30pm and taken to receive medical care.

Ruapehu Alpine Rescue Organisation, Taranaki alpine cliff rescue and St John were “invaluable in their efforts to help everyone off the mountain safely”, Mr Bentley said.

Taranaki Alpine Club Glen Hodges has been involved in searches on the mountain over the years and said the mountain was currently “glazed” with rime – an icy crust formed by the water from fog freezing. Read more from Stuff.

The return of Canada’s ‘breathtaking, must-see hike’

With its glacier-fed waterfalls and turquoise lakes, the Berg Lake Trail is one of North America’s most spectacular alpine treks with views of the 3,954m Mount Robson and the 800m waterfalls that cascade down its slopes. Now, a long-awaited backcountry hut is changing the way visitors experience this Canadian classic.

In May 2026, after decades of planning and a year after the Berg Lake Trail reopened after a catastrophic flood, the brand-new Robson Pass Hut opened near the northern end of the trail. Set directly beneath Mount Robson at Robson Pass, the two-storey backcountry hut offers an intimate, close-up view of the iconic mountain that hikers don’t see from most of the trail.

From the building’s front door, Mount Robson rises almost directly overhead. The hut’s opening means backpackers no longer need to carry their camping gear 20km up the mountain, providing more time for exploration around the glacier-capped slopes. Read more about this trek from the BBC.