71-year-old hiker bursts into song after finishing 2,600-mile Pacific Crest Trail that only 14% have completed

Hikers often experience a powerful sense of accomplishment after finishing a difficult trail, and 71-year-old Jon Anderson was no exception. In September 2022, Anderson completed one of the toughest hikes out there—the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail, which stretches from the U.S.-Mexico border to Canada. He carried over 20 pounds of supplies on his back throughout the journey.

According to the Backpackers Magazine, the Pacific Crest Trail, also known as the PCT, is the second-longest of America’s Triple Crown long trails, stretching from Mexico to Canada through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. The adventure is a long-term commitment that takes about 4 to 6 months to complete. The journey of the old man, nicknamed Pa’at, reached completion alongside two fellow hikers, Auti and Chris, who documented his last steps to the finish line. They shared a short clip of the moment on their Instagram page @humping_north. The clip was shared over multiple social media platforms and soon went viral. The couple admired the old man’s endeavor and wrote, “Pa’at reaching the northern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail after having walked every single step of the 2,653-mile trail. Not many people can say they’ve accomplished such an incredible feat - especially not at 71!”

After crossing the finish line, the man started singing a song that he had penned down during his trek. “Walking such a long way. Such a long way, just to be here, just to be here. Across deserts. I walked through rivers, I climbed mountains, just to see you. Just to see you. I’ve been waiting. Such a long time.” Auti and Chris, who also completed the PCT, wrote that they didn’t meet Pa’at until Stehekin, only 80 miles from the northern terminus, so they only knew him for a few days before finishing. Adding to this, they wrote, “He’s one of those people you instantly feel like you’ve known a lifetime. He has a heart of gold, the kindest soul, and unmatched optimism and fortitude. Thank you for being such an inspiration to us, Pa’at!”

According to Outside Online, Pa’at, which means bighorn sheep in the native language of the Cahuilla, a tribe from Southern California, is just a trail name chosen by Jon. Jon chose the name after it was suggested to him by one of his friends. His five-and-a-half-month journey started on March 17 and ended on August 30, and his wife walked alongside him for the first 1,800 miles. Talking about his song, Jon from Corvallis, Oregon, told Outside Online, “That song I sang was the pent-up emotion in me for my journey, but it was also the song for everybody else who walked. They weren’t as old as me, most of them, or none of them, but it was hard for them, too.”

Jon also reported that before he set out on the PCT in March, he settled into a daily routine. He would wake up in the dark, around  4:00 a.m. He would pack his belongings under the light of a headlamp, skip an early meal, and instead hike until he got hungry. Each day he walked at least 18 miles, occasionally stretching it up to 25 miles. During the hike, he often posted detailed photos of what he noticed on the trail for his family and friends to see. These included sights such as bright orange mallow flowers, white blooms of datura, a lengthy gopher snake, and more. During the trek, he even suffered from snowblindness on one occasion. “I hardly slept because the pain was so excruciating,” he says. “It wasn’t just the pain, it was also the fear; I was afraid that I had damaged my eyes for the rest of my life,” he recalled. Jon arrived at the Canadian border on August 30, smudged with mud and singing melodious tunes. Sharing his two cents for young backpackers, he says, “One foot in front of the other will take you a long way.”