Greybeard: The Man, The Myth, The Mississippi
A 90-minute Documentary
The oldest person to paddle the Mississippi
Join Dale "Greybeard" Sanders on his latest Guinness World Record attempt to become the oldest person to paddle the 2,340 mile-long Mississippi River in a canoe at 87 years old! Just for fun, he completes the trip in 87 days to match his age.
Dale has a history of record setting, from an athlete of the year award in spearfishing, to breaking the age record on the Appalachian Trail to becoming the oldest person to hike the rim-to-rim-to-rim in the Grand Canyon. This film documents his second time breaking the age record on the Mississippi. That's right he held the record at 80, then it was broken by Stan Stark, so he paddled the entire river again at 87 years old.
How does he stay so healthy and active into his old age? Dale “Grey Beard” Sanders has a philosophy on life:
- #1 find a way to live happy
- #2 stay active in nature
- #3 if you really want to put the icing on the cake, live a good quality spiritual life.
REviews
What a legend Dale is
thanks Dale I love you
Accepted to 7 and awarded at 3 film festivals
The making of GREYBEARD: The Man, The Myth, The Mississippi
The Making of GReybeard: Episode 1
Behind the Scenes on GREYBEARD: The Man, The Myth, The Mississippi.
Dale "Greybeard" Sanders just became the oldest person to paddle the entire Mississippi River, again! We have been following along and filming him all summer and this four-part series takes you behind the scenes of our filmmaking process during the last week of filming.
We meet Dale and the crew in New Orleans, Louisiana. A river angel feeds everyone and gives us a place to stay. Then we head further south to find Dale on the river again.
The Making of GReybeard: Episode 2
We follow Dale and the crew to the very southernmost point of Louisiana and set up base camp at the Le Matidora Inn. They'll be taking a few rest days there before making the final push and we take that time to shoot some interviews.
The Making of GReybeard: Episode 3
We spend some time with the paddler crew as they take a few rest days before their final push to salt water. Everyone enjoys some time to rest and we head south to film the sunset and look for some gators!
The Making of GReybeard: Episode 4
The day has finally arrived! Greybeard completes his 2,300 mile journey on the Mississippi River and reach salt way in the Gulf of Mexico. It's very exciting as we all load up on two boats to follow Dale and the crew out to the Gulf.
Behind the Scenes with Kyle Johnson
One of the filmmakers on this project, Kyle Johnson, made this behind the scenes video. Check out his work here, https://www.barredspiralmedia.com/
Meet the Cast
Dale "Greybeard" Sanders
On my 87th Birthday I launched my human powered 15 foot canoe named “Perseverance” and started paddling down river from Lake Itasca, Minnesota. My mission was to paddle the full length of the Mississippi River, and into the Gulf Of Mexico, alone, solo, in 87 days. I am happy to say that twelve miles passed mile zero “0” on September 8, 2022, at 12:10 pm, some 2,360 river miles later I reached salt water in the gulf. When I paddled passed the Port Eads, Louisiana Lighthouse I knew yet another age based World Record would shortly be broken. Thirty days later Guinness sanctioned this paddle as the Oldest Person to do so. I am grateful, not only to Guinness but my crew, the videographers, the donors, my sponsors, river angels, family and friends.
Although I paddled alone, a crew of two experienced Mississippi River paddlers followed me for all 87 days, not missing a beat. Thank you Matt Briggs and Dan Faust. Having paddled a Source to Sea before, they were a tremendous source for info. They were great teammates, served as witnesses for Guinness, providing much needed daily encouragement, navigation, media and coordination support. No doubt, without your dedicated support, personal contributions, blood, sweat and tears this difficult expedition would never have succeeded. Also, of value was a third person that joined the team above St. Louis, Missouri. Team member and seasoned veteran warrior – Matt Taylor. He paddled, each and every day with us, all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Along with others that came out to paddle that last day and experience the victory of this great accomplishment.
I must mention our Mascot and now record holder – Meadow. The only Pomeranian to have done a Source to Sea on the Mississippi River. Meadow – You were an inspiration, a super morale builder and your love and companionship never wavered. Her unconditional love was well received by all. Thank you Matt for bringing her along.
This paddle was not a new experience for me. I actually held the Mississippi River oldest person record at 80 years old when I did my first Source to Sea paddle in 2015. Used the same route as I paddled this “Last Great River Paddle”. Then youngster Stan Stark broke my record setting a new Guinness age record at 81 years old. RIP my friend. May your good will, love for mankind, nature and your spiritual commitment on earth shine with dignity forever. We were good friends. And I hope others will benefit through examples like Stan and other adventures often endure. (No – his passing two years later was not related to the paddle).
Thank You to the River Angels that came out to help and a big THANK YOU those that made personal / financial donations. I would like to express my gratitude to all the companies and individual sponsors. For all of you, your names are recorded in a very special place on my heart. You were appreciated.
Both my Doctors have supported my age related record breaking paddles and hiking adventures. The future looks bright. God Willing and the Creeks Don’t Rise I will hike the Appalachian Trail again, setting yet another age record at 90 years old.
With all the thanking and express of appreciation I must say family takes top honors. My wife Meriam. She Has been with me on every adventure. If not in person, in spirit. She sometimes, works so hard in the background that her efforts go unnoticed. But, we Love you honey. Please stay loving and caring as you have been for the past 44 years. Thanks must also go to our children Jony, James and Sunshine. Our Grand Children, Bella daSilva and Isiah daSilva. As well as my lovely sisters Dr. Elaine Sanders Bush and Judi Silvey. And to my extended family, in-laws the others – we love you all.
I am literally overwhelmed with joy with the quality of this website. I love the Images selected, DVD layout, jacket design and the DVD art work. Man! I was so blessed when Zak Rivers, Alex Maier, Amy Robin and Kyle Johnson came into my life. You guys are amazing. A BIG THANK YOU to the the website developer and videographers that sorted through 25 terabytes of raw data to select the footage needed to produce this film. All in 130 days from the last day on the river to the first showing of this award winning film.
We encourage you to purchase the DVD. Every effort is being made to at least recover production cost. And the best way we have found to do that is to sell DVD’s. I trust you will agree with me. Be strong and happy, stay active and live a quality spiritual life my friends.
By: F. Dale Sanders
Matt Briggs & Meadow
Matt Briggs was the expedition leader on this Mississippi River Guinness Age record paddle and he agreed to serve as the Specialist Witness for Guinness. His qualifications include familiarity with the river.
Also, his previous paddling of the Mississippi River, Source to Sea is already in his resume. He has personally hiked the the Appalachian trail, the Continental Divide Trail, the Florida trail and the Pinhoti Trail. Two of those trails with Dale.
We thank Matt for his service. He served in Iraq, US Army, in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Matt was the first to come forward and join this expedition. We are so fortunate to have him on board.
Meadow is Matt Biggs’ Pomeranian. She also set a record on this trip, becoming the first pomeranian to canoe down the entire Mississippi River. She served as morale manager on the team, cheering the paddlers up whenever there was sadness or tension in the air. She also kept the camp safe from intruders at night.
Dan Faust
Dan Faust grew up on a family farm in the heart of Illinois, not far from the Vermilion River in Livingston County. Dan’s first canoe trip was a 100 mile journey down the swollen Spoon River during the Summer of 1969, when he joined the local Boy Scout Troop. During the next half century Dan would continue to paddle and explore rivers and streams throughout the Midwest.
Dan now lives on the banks of the Vermilion River in Pontiac, IL with his wife ( Carol ) and daughter ( Jennifer ). Ultimately, Dan’s paddling forays would lead him on a Source to Sea journey down the Mississippi River in the Summer of 2021. It was such a wonderful experience that Dan wanted to repeat it again, only this time paddling with Dale.
Dan was the Guinness Independent Witness helping Dale prove that he did in fact actually paddle the Mississippi River, from Lake Itasca to The Gulf of Mexico between June 14 through September 8, 2022. And Dan acted as Dale’s Social Media Coordinator and much, much more. We are so pleased Dan agreed to join the Expedition.
Matt TAylor
Matthew Taylor was born and raised in Southern California. Growing up, his exposure to the outdoors was limited to the occasional fishing trip and reading a Cabela’s catalog. In 1994 and while still a junior in high school, he enlisted in the Army Reserve and attended Basic Training that summer. The following year he joined the Active Army, and never looked back. For the next 22 years, the Army provided him the adventure he was seeking, with four combined combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan before he finally retired from active duty in 2018.
In 2021, Matthew began looking for the next adventure. One late night, he stumbled upon Warrior Expedition, a veterans group that provides extended hiking, biking and paddling adventures for combat veterans seeking to reset their minds. After nine months of waiting, he was selected as part of Warrior Expeditions 2022 Mississippi Source to Sea Veterans team. On June 18th, the inexperienced group of four Veterans launched just three days after Team Greybeard began their adventure and for the five weeks the two teams would often leap frog each other down the river.
On July 23rd, the Warrior Expedition team split up. Looking to continue to challenge himself and learn from other experienced paddlers, Matthew was accepted into the Greybeard team. From then on, he attempted to keep pace with the team despite having less skill and a slower canoe. On September 8th, Matthew completed his source to sea adventure with team Greybeard and became to the first Warrior Expedition member to complete the Mississippi River via the South Pass.
Matthew currently resides in Clarksville TN with his wife and has a son who is currently serving abroad with the US Navy. When not outdoors paddling, hunting or fishing, he can be found working part-time in the outdoor industry somewhere in Clarksville. Matthew is currently planning another paddling adventure, this time in 2024 from the source of the Missouri River in Three Forks, Montana to his hometown in Clarksville (nicknamed S2C). The great outdoors are not just hobbies for him. They’re a passion in which he never stops trying to promote as a way to change others for the better.
Matthew J. Taylor SSG, US Army (Retired)
“Live, Love, Laugh, Learn and (most importantly), Listen”
Ground Support
The ones who made it happen, off the river.
Marv Kuziel
Ground Support for the first 6 weeks
Todd McMahon
Ground Support for 2 weeks
River Angels
The ones who do it from the kindness of their hearts.
The Crew
Meet the Filmmakers
Alex Maier & Amy Robin
Directors, Producers, Cinematographers, Editors
Alex is an outdoor documentary filmmaker and thru-hiker. His first film and long hike was in 2015 on the Pacific Northwest Trail. That hike changed his whole outlook on life and he has been working towards a career in outdoor filmmaking ever since. He went on to produce two more documentaries, one about the North Country Trail and another about the Hayduke Trail. Now he’s working on a fourth on the Continental Divide Trail with his girlfriend Amy Robin. Little did they know when they started that project, it would change their lives again and lead to a marriage. Alex and Amy got married in 2024.
Alex is interested in using nature and his movies as a tool to explore human consciousness and personal growth. He believes that nature is a necessary element in our well-being and aims to inspire people to spend more time outside with his work.
Amy is a photographer, videographer, and adventurer. She’s always been interested in cameras and nature. She seems to think they go hand in hand, and growing up in Montana gave her plenty of opportunities to put those two together with years of experience.
In 2021 Amy has combined forces with her boyfriend, Alex Maier, to create Wilderness Mindset. They’re planning their next personal documentary called Mind, Body, and Soul: The Nature of Well-Being. Amy believes in the power of nature so much that she’s decided to be vulnerable to show how nature can help heal the mind, body, and soul through a personal and private perspective. You can follow both Wilderness Mindset and Mind Body Soul Film on Facebook and Instagram.
You will rarely meet Amy without her best friend Minnow being somewhere nearby. Where one goes, the other will follow. Together they are unstoppable and are ready for almost any adventure.
Zak Rivers
Director, Producer, Cinematographer, Composer
Zak is an award-winning Photographer, Filmmaker, and Musician from Mankato, MN. While his client base is largely from MN, he has adventured and shot in Zion Natl. Park, Mt. Hood, the MN Boundary Waters, Cambodia, Big Bear CA, and recently Nepal/Mt. Everest. A professional photographer like no other.
As Zak put it: “With an interest in a source-to-sea paddle of the Mississippi, I was introduced to Dale Sanders, a world record holder and paddler from Memphis. The spark of Dales backstory, upcoming Source-To-Sea world record attempt as the oldest human to through-paddle the length of the Mississippi, and ever present charisma was enough to convince me that an award winning Documentary could potentially be made.”
Kyle Johnson
Associate Producer, Cinematographer
Kyle Johnson is a Minnesota based Filmmaker, Astrophotographer and naturalist. KJ has always had a fascination in nature, and photography. This passion has led him to working in the camera dept. on a number of independent feature films, as well as operating a specialty Ronin II Stabilizer for the Minnesota Vikings.
In 2019, he began focusing on astrophotography – using astronomy and photography to capture images of deep space. With a new perspective on nature, he started a YouTube channel called KJs Cosmos, as well as Barred Spiral Media, a production company focused around stories of adventure, geography and astronomy.
Andrew MAcht
Sound Design
Coltin CAlloway
Motion Graphics
Lauren Maier
Graphic Artist
Allan H. Johnson
Graphic Designer
Jerry Vandiver
Composer
Thank you to our Contributors!
This project was funded through crowdfunding, personal contributions, and a lot of donated time. Without your contributions none of this would be possible, thank you!
Photos from the river
All photos are available for sale as prints! Reach out to us on the Contact Page to learn more.
For those not familiar with Dale, the film is highly encouraging and demonstrates what is possible throughout a long life well lived. The film also emphasizes a fundamental element in reaching dreams and goals, in that teamwork and planning are essential to achieving worthwhile endeavors.