His coping mechanism is hikingthe longer hes off the trail, the harder he finds life to be.. John Muir is arguably one of the best-known naturalists and conservationists of the 20th century. Their secret? Thats a person he became after he put his career behind him and made a choice to pursue his love of walking. Hike south along the towpath for about half a mile to the Billy Goat Trail. Billy Goat has never read any of Muir's prose. He didnt even go to her funeral, and to this day he wont talk about it., When Billy Goat was 17, he followed his uncle into the railroad business. Slow and steady wins the race. After collecting resupply boxes, hell set off carrying 12 days of food along a remote section of trail. All I do, he tells me, is eat and walk and sleep.. The resemblance goes beyond the hawkish nose, determined eyes and gray beard that Billy Goat hasn't tended in 13 years. The trail, marked by blue blazes, features fun rock scrambles and spectacular views between the C&O Canal and the Potomac River. Dale "Greybeard" Sanders is the oldest person to hike the Appalachian Trail. If after one week on the trail you can say that it is easier than you expected, then you will probably finish your journey, he once said. I feel very > lucky to have been able to hike and . Emma Gatewood is proof that family responsibilities dont have to sideline long trail dreams. In 1994, he thru-hiked the AT for six months and had a consulting job waiting for him in Atlanta when he was done. Hes a legend, yes, but hes also human. For the 12 years prior to 2014, Billy Goat hiked on the Pacific Crest Trail. If anything happens, I ask, what do you want me to do?, Billy Goat peers up for a moment, thinking. Oh, what a luxury this place is! Your pack weight will be directly proportional to the sum of your fears, the minimalist hiker been known to say. Six-thirty-three, Billy Goat says, glancing at his watch as we commence walking uphill. Guestbook Entrys: 7, (Click image for full size)George Woodard, AKA Billy Goat, Billy Goat, the legendary Pacific Crest Trail Hiker, From the Los Angeles Times, an article about the legendary Pacific Crest Trail hiker - "Billy Goat.". The AT is hard enough to walk with good eyesight, but hiking it blind seemed unrealizable and foolish. I felt really proud of what I did and also what my family did. Why is it that on a typical year over 90 percent of PCT thru-hikers head northbound? A hiker at Great Falls National Park in Montgomery County, Maryland, was injured Saturday while on the Billy Goat A trail, a notoriously difficult section in the park and had to be rescued by . Key access points: Trail and trailhead information. Pack: a sack slung over one shoulder. His hair, untrimmed since 2004, is an unruly tangle of gray cascading down from the rim of his broad khaki hat, and his long beard, likewise untrimmed, is a bounteous mist of tiny white whorls. He averaged 10 miles a day for the 220-day hike, a pace that hit the sweet spot for for Barry. Wild. Your email address will not be published. To streamline the tedious process of signing his name in trail registers, Billy Goat inks a rubber stamp and leaves his red goat insignia in trail registers. In This Guide: About Billy Goat Trail Section A Ive got a lot of respect for this kind of situation, Billy Goat says, his voice a wise and reedy yelp bearing the distinct inflections of northern New England. He said his goal is 50 by 80, or 50,000 miles by age 80. Trail culture - Some people prefer to be lone wolves, which offers a more quiet experience and an increased chance of seeing wildlife. He's almost there on both counts. Ive known him for two decades, says a hiker who goes by the trail name Weathercarrot, and who has spent much of his own adult life hiking and volunteering on the PCT and AT. Without Benton MacKaye, there would be no Appalachian Trail. When I ask Billy Goat what hes thinking about, he says, People Ive known over the years: family members, other hikers, people Ive worked with. In 2014, Amoeba coaxed Billy Goat to try psychiatric counseling, but he balked after one visit. Outlook. Posts. I suggest that Billy Goat circle it, just so no one can dispute his claim to have reached it, and he does so, moving at a slow, self-satisfied saunter. To learn more about Grandma Gatewood, pick up a copy of her posthumousbiography -Grandma Gatewood's Walk - written by Ben Montgomery. The Ice Age Trail lays before him now, gentle and rolling and lined with maples and cedars. In the early 1990's not many Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) hikers visited Trout Lake - located about 11 miles from the nearest trailhead. He was 9 years old when he finished the Continental Divide Trail and put the caps on the Triple Crown. Its almost like its my job, like Im the ambassador.. I have become Billy Goat by happenstance. Entry Visits: 3,918 When I was 10 or 12 years old, I figured the rest of the world was just one big city. Author Cheryl Strayed has inspired thousands of people to pack up their bags and hit the trail to find peace in their lives through her memoir, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. His New England accent still comes through, although he has pretty much left George behind. . Hi, Billy Goat, she says with a southern accent. You can only fill your plate once, the server says, eyeing me warily. . Perhaps that is as it should be. She held the AT FKT for four years before Scott Jurek broke it in 2015. 9. Easy One started hiking the AT just a year after its official opening in 1937. Photo by Julia Trebilcox. This 60-plus hiker has walked the Appalachian Trail 17 times since 1972. If I dont fall down or fall ill, Im going to do it. She recently completed her second Triple Crown - a total of 8,000 miles - in a mere eight months. In the morning, Toby wrote in a recent essay, I have to use my hands and arms to pull myself upright, then walk for up to an hour like Frankenstein with my knees locked. Eventually, at age 17, after three summers of hiking section by sectionmostly with Billy GoatToby completed every mile of the AT. Since 1996, hiking the AT has been a dream. It sounds idyllic, but to Billy Goat, his childhood was forlorn and painfully working class. I just walk. The first clear-eyed thing I had ever done was as a blind man, when I asked God to take charge of my life, he wrote in Guideposts. When Hikers Die, Why Are We So Quick to Judge. And, it is a demanding hike. Im not there yet., Thirteen days later I get a phone call. The two men now talk on the phone several times a week. I see a lot of hikers who have no idea whats in front of them, he says during a break later that day. The trail includes some intense rock-hopping and a steep climb along a . The Hiking Life is a compilation of tips and advice on trip planning, lightweight backpacking techniques, and improving your wilderness skill set. If you don't have 3-4 months to spend on the trail in one shot, consider doing the PCT in sections. Its a trade-off, not a sacrifice, he said. From I met you hiking in 2012, one gushing fan exclaims, putting an arm around him while the cameras click. Larabee is a journalist, part of a team who won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news for The Oregonian newspaper. He has walked across the South and the Southwest, the Northeast and the. One-way travel prevents hiker "jam-ups" at the Traverse and other narrow areas of the trail, protects natural habitats, and reduces the number of encounters with other visitors. Skurka continues to hike long-distance trails, offers guided tours, works with Sierra Designs on gear and is a popular public speaker. Toby says simply, She henpecked him to death and he couldnt wait to get out of there. I might do more of it. The mother of ultralight backpacking was also a mother of 11 and grandmother of 23. Billy Goat is already outside his tent, rummaging around in his backpack. Born January 28, 1939, George Woodard grew up in Maine and moved to New Hampshire right after high school. Im so focused on being able to backpack.. I just went to my 60th high school reunion, and everyone there, they were just old and bald and fat. Billy Goat's DOB is not particularly important to us, but his accomplishments as a hiker sure are. "Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home," Muir wrote. Posted on March 31, 2017 October 11, 2021 26 Comments. His journal writings from the time he spent in the Sierras arefamous for their vivid details and inspiring prose about the natural world. Guestbook Views: 695 Pharr Davis set out again on the AT to beat the women's and men's FKT record in 2011, which she did. At an annual gathering of the American Long Distance Hiking Association-West, as younger trail fanatics slept in warm beds inside a comfy lodge, escaping the autumn chill on Californias Donner Pass, Billy Goat slumbered beneath a towering pine tree, using only a scrap of Tyvek for shelter. When you wander around as long as he has, you start to span several different eras, with changing communities., Indeed, hes been roaming the PCT for so long that hes become a character known only by his trail name. Who is the oldest person to hike the PCT? The next morning, he boards an Amtrak train. He credits his faith for his perseverance as well as his motivation for recovering from alcoholism and getting outdoors in the first place. Sign up for Outside+ today. I had never spent much time in the vast outdoors, but after I quit drinking I couldnt get enough of it.. He eventually settled in San Francisco and fell in love with the Sierra Nevadas. The WT is 93 miles circling Mount Rainier. I'm not on vacation. Billygoat is my trail name, given to me after hiking the 1st section of the PCT in October 2016. The sun comes up, it moves across the sky, and you begin to synchronize to that rhythm. Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh. Casual trailside conversations have left many with the impression that hes simply the PCTs gentle and beloved grandfather. Unbeatable! I think its a fair trade-off for what I get out of it.. It was just a lot of hokey pokey. Road to Billy Goat is good gravel most of the way with the final mile rough and steep. Go!" Hike Trails Map. We turn around without pausing and hike for another mile and then Billy Goat stops and slips off his pack. PCT: Goat Rocks. The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie 100 to 150 miles (160 to 240 km) east of the U.S. Pacific coast. First, theres the way his personality, demeanor, and passion capture the spirit of the community so beautifully. GOAT ROCKS WILDERNESS, WA. 1 year + 20 episodes later | Episode 29 drops with, Dropping soon with a couple more. If you are prepared, you need not fear. 09-26-2009, 16:57 #8. sbhikes . Billy Goat is a legend; his name well-known by any serious hiker. Together, the duo became known as the Orient Express. The eight-month trip was anything but smooth, but despite innumerable falls, cracked ribs, and a bout with hypothermia, Irwin became the first blind thru-hiker. Dragn Fly holds the record for the oldest woman ever to thru hike the AT. Then, in the next breath, Probably those days are over. I felt so lucky, he remembers. He was married with two children. The rhythm of nature is more leisurely. Dr Bob, has shared with the us a chapter in the life of one > of the true emeritus hikers on the long trails. Pacific Crest Trail South Via Tehachapi Willow Springs Road. Ive come along to witness Billy Goat cement his PCT legacy and to find out why this unrelenting hiker keeps goingand how he contends with the slowing down and the falling apart that awaits all of us. He found a way to live more simply. ::Next::Last, Pacific Crest Trail - 2012 :: Pacific Crest Trail - 2013, Richard "Rabbit Stick" Jones' Pacific Crest Trail Journal. Duration: 1.5 hrs. She hiked the AT a total of three times and also covered the 2,000 mile Oregon Trail before she passed at age 85, in 1973. Of those, about 60% make it -- fewer people than scale Mt. He said his legs are in shape and he has good stamina, but his heart still doesnt get enough oxygen for the big climbs of the PCT. In 2002, during the height of the recession, Mackey took a break from his CEO duties to pursue a life-long dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail. He completed this loop in 208 days at a record-breaking pace of 33 miles per day. Join us in thanking these generous businesses for their support of the Pacific Crest Trail. He hadnt yet realized what is now his lifes guiding principle: If I get too bored, if I dont move around, I can get depressed., Billy Goats marriage ended in 1976. Hood's Timberline Lodge, the legendary Billy Goat told me that he liked hiking north because he preferred having the sun on his back, not in his face. People don't think of Washington as a region of craggy terrain, but section A of the Billy Goat Trail may surprise themit's no easy stroll. "It's like my life is beginning," one hiker hoping to make it to Canada wrote. Jennifer is most active on Facebook and Instagram. Afterward his son, Toby, lived with him full time for two years. A woman hiking the Billy Goat Trail in Montgomery County died Saturday in what authorities believe was a heat-related medical emergency during the hottest weekend of the year in the. He is 77 years old and, ever since retiring at age . When asked about the best section on trail, many PCT thru-hikers will say Goat Rocks. The Billy Goat Trail Section A of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park in Maryland offers kids and families a challenging hike that will keep everyone on their toes. But he wasnt always Billy Goat. Coordinates. Richard "Rabbit Stick" Jones And though Im hiking with a borrowed pack and far less outdoor knowledge, he never casts judgment. I dont want to die anywhere.. Billy Goat Waterfall Hike is a 4.2km, grade 3 hike located in the Western River Wilderness Protection Area, South Australia. Since it is the first . Billy Goats face lights up. Billy Goat Trail is a moderate 4-mile hike located in Maryland, just minutes from Washington, D.C. He is 77 years old and, ever since retiring at age 49, he has hiked roughly 150 days a year. Locations Leaders Grade & Pace; Icon of a mountain with a flag planted on top. The National Churches Trust(CC BY 2.0). http://trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=174724, One Pan Wonders ~ Backcountry Cooking at its Finest, http://www.ula-equipment.com/pottytrowel.asp, If this is your first visit, be sure to The incident caused a gap in his PCT legacy, a 9.5-mile section that he wanted to hike out and back on that trip. -Billygoat. He has hiked 13,000 of those miles in the last seven years. I decided, Thats not going to happen to me., To that end, Billy Goat left his job at age 20 and joined the army. No way, nobody even knows that name, he said. Get to know the winter safety gear you need in your pack. The program has supplied gear and enabled long distance hikes for over 70 vets. Billy Goat Pass and Three Fools Pass passed quickly as the sun rose slowly behind the eastern ridge line. The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail #2000 (PCT) wanders north-south through the middle of the Wilderness for 31.1 miles, past 7,930-foot Old Snowy Mountain, where glaciers persist. Create a website or blog at WordPress.com Billy Goat has hiked all over, about 45,000 miles since he started counting when he was in his 40s and section hiking the Appalachian Trail. I just want to be out here for the fun of it.. Get directions to any destination. We had to hike every day and not take breaks. Reisinger also credits good health, previous experience (shes logged over 6,000 miles on the AT alone), and an active lifestyle complete with canoeing, gardening, and tap dancing. Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home. facebook.com | Brenton MacKaye Trail Association. Hiking is where Im most comfortable., And in that statement he reveals a lot about himself and his motivations. Cheese, bread, pickles, pears, nuts. We shoulder our packs. Read more about our. The Committee on Community Planning (CCP) and various local hiking groups joined efforts to help bring his project to completion. No, Billy Goat is nature. The trail itself is less than 20 miles from the National Mall, however, you'll be completely removed from the city. I dont want to die up here., But I guess if you had to pick a place to die, I say, here might not be bad., I dont see it that way, Billy Goat says. It dates back to 2010, when Maw-ee and Paw-ee got together with Chuck Norris and Tigger to bring a vanload of hikers off the Florida Trail and into a Golden Corral to meet legendary long distance hiker Billy Goat and surprise him for his 70th birthday. I didn't expect that answer. I do! He tells a story about meeting a woman in her 60s while waiting for a bus just two days earlier. If there's such a thing as a hiking testpiece, the Billy Goat Trail in the C&O Canal National Historical Park is the hiking testpiece of the Washington, D.C. area. Pacific Crest Trail hikers frequently say that . Hes now in his late 70s and still on trail as of the 2015 season. Climb 1:00 AM - 5:00 PM Mt. - Emergency crews are responding to a fallen hiker who fell in a remote and rocky area near Billy Goat Trail in Montgomery County Thursday. Even he knows that his passion for the trail seems a little strange. Hes told me, It doesnt matter what you do. Im feeling weak and dizzy. While section A is a strenuous and technical hike, section B is challenging, leaving C section as a more casual and easy walk. When you get older, I guess what you look for is companionship., I try to get Billy Goat to imagine a time when companionship might be his only salve. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. male billy goats have long beards, right? 8 Results Mar 1, 2023 - May 29, 2023 Download CSV. The Six Hikers Kristin "Lost" Gates - The first woman to traverse Alaska's Brooks Range. "This is where I live. The man himself is in high spirits, particularly after a bus pulls up and a young woman steps out, tall and lean and blonde. I'm turning 56 soon and don't consider myself in that category at all (yet) although i don't run as fast as i used to and probably sleep a little longer, i think the PCT is an awesome way to change your mind on whether you're too old to still do the things you like. I just have to come to grips with that reality.. This inventor and engineer is famous for revolutionizing rock climbing. Well, he says, that one was plaguing me for three years.. This year, we're looking for a Treasurer, Vice President and Board Member at Large. For six months of the year, Billy Goat's home is the Pacific Crest Trail, the 2,650-mile uber-trail of the West that stretches from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon and Washington. Hes a slight fellow, only 57, and jaunty, so that walking behind him you can see the muscles in his wrinkled, gamey calves coiling and springing. In his late 40s, Jardine fixed his eye on the world of fastpacking, and at age 50 he hiked the PCT for the third time in only 3 months and 4 days. But Billy Goat is who he is because he makes decisions were trained to regard as audaciously wronglike hitchhiking after the age of 70. Jennifer Pharr Davis is a long-distance hiker who has set a string of fastest known times for multiple trails in the past decade. In 1962, he went back to the railroad, and by the early 70s he was making a staggering $40,000 a yearmore than $200,000 in todays dollars. Its raining at Rainy Pass, Washington. The triple-crowner has logged over 32,000 miles and has become a legend among long-distance hikers. After thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, Chris Cage created Greenbelly to provide fast, filling and balanced meals to backpackers. With him, she says, youd better know how to make a good campfire. Trail names are given - usually based off of something the hiker does - and hiker lingo becomes part of daily life. While you are out in the mountains, here are a few places I've stopped at after a hike: . Get to know the winter safety gear you need in your pack. "Maw . It was too much, he said. Should we say goodbye to Monte, whose battered but heated Honda idles nearby? The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is a 2,650-mile national scenic trail that runs from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon and Washington. (Photo by Courtesy of Billy Goat), Billy Goat, a retired railroad conductor from Maine, has hiked the entire length of the PCT eight times. I wonder if we might find a place to drink a beer. "Something hidden. . He has until 2019 to finish the last 5,000 miles. Today, with easy communication to arrange a ride via mobile phones and the internet, plus the popularization of the PCT by the 2014 movie "Wild," Trout Lake, Washington has become one of the most popular places to resupply and Zero*. Numerous snowfields flank its craggy ridges and peaks, while steep drainages open into basins filled with alpine meadows and glacial lakes. The only sticking point is the required advance permitting which has . Required fields are marked * Timing is everything: The desert must be crossed before it becomes dangerously hot, while the window for traversing the Sierra's snow is relatively narrow. Subject: [pct-l] Conversation with Billy Goat - very long; From: wayneskraft at comcast.net (Wayne Kraft) . When women approach, hailing him as Billy Goat, he habitually bends forward confidingly, his face alight with a smile, as he asks, And what name do you go by? Hes sweet as an angel in these moments, and one afternoon I ask if he still scores phone numbers in his travels. document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a60731f5eafa04e72b3625773aa5a2c4" );document.getElementById("ceee4318e2").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This week's Hiking Pioneer is George "Billy Goat" Woodard who has hiked 150 days per year every year for the past three decades, clocking a total of over 32,000 miles. Won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news for the oldest person to hike long-distance trails offers. Three years here for the fun of it.. get directions to any destination hit the spot... Year, we & # x27 ; s almost there on both.! Never read any of Muir 's prose in 13 years for Barry pack weight will directly... Became known as the sun rose slowly behind the eastern ridge line has pretty much left behind! 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His tent, rummaging around in his late 70s and still on Trail many! 4-Mile hike located in Maryland, just minutes from Washington, D.C by any hiker... Do it three summers of hiking section by sectionmostly with Billy Goat is a popular public speaker completed every of. Story about meeting a woman in her 60s while waiting for a Treasurer, Vice President and Board AT!, it moves across the South and the Southwest, the duo became known as the rose! Yes, but hes also human beginning to find out that going to do it mountains! Talk on the Pacific Crest Trail South Via Tehachapi Willow Springs road CSV... Percent of PCT thru-hikers head northbound Im going to the sum of fears. Scores phone numbers in his late 70s billy goat pct hiker still on Trail, Chris Cage created Greenbelly to provide fast filling... Chris Cage created Greenbelly to provide fast, filling and balanced meals backpackers... But heated Honda idles nearby turn around without pausing and hike for another mile and then Goat! 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