Neal Pollard
Betty Kellenberger of Carson City, Michigan, has become something of an instant celebrity. Google her name and you’ll find endless articles devoted to this remarkable woman’s unprecedented achievement. On September 12, 2025, Betty did what only 1 in 4 people (out of around 3000) do every year. She completed the Appalachian Trail, all 2200 miles of it. She averaged about ten miles per day on the trail. Did I mention she did it alone? And that she’s 80 years old? She became the oldest woman to complete this feat!
The dream to do this was sparked for Betty when she was 14 years old, reading about the trail in her Weekly Reader magazine at school. She always wanted to do it, but never seemed to get around to it. After retiring as a teacher, she began to talk to herself and reason that if she was going to do it she needed to get started. Once she made up her mind, she had to overcome health problems, knee replacement surgery, and Hurricane Helene.
Betty gave some advice for people who may be contemplating some dream or aspiration, but hesitate to try.
- Start sensibly.
- Study (learn as much as you can about the goal you want to accomplish).
- Find a buddy.
- Stay active and stay involved.
(information and picture via Rachel Nania, AARP.org).
Have you been putting off something you know you should do for Christ? It’s easy to talk ourselves out of things, especially hard things. When challenged, we trot out our excuses–our intellect, our resources, our fears, even our age. Yet, we carry our regrets with us through life knowing we should be aiming higher. The Bible is full of people who dared greatly for God despite their limitations.
- Moses led an entire nation on a 40 year hike through the wilderness at the age of 80, and that was only one of his limitations (Exodus 4:10).
- Caleb was 85 when he conquered his mountain in Canaan (Joshua 14:6-14).
- Ruth was a poor, foreign widow.
- David was just a youth (1 Samuel 17:33).
- The woman who gave all she had to live on was a poor widow (Mark 12:41-44).
- Mephibosheth was handicapped (2 Samuel 9).
- Paul had a thorn in his flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
- Joseph, Jeremiah, and Timothy had much asked of them when they were only youths.
- Rahab had the stigma of being a prostitute (Joshua 2; Hebrews 11:31).
- John Mark had abandoned his coworkers (Acts 13).
What good thing for God are you avoiding or procrastinating? Take Betty’s advice. Start sensibly, but get going! Study about it, but then act on it. Find a buddy, and get them to do it with you. Resolve to stay active and involved, and never quit until you cannot go on! You’ll never regret it!
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