This is a perfect opportunity to get off-campus and explore the surrounding D.C. area, as we will see spectacular views of the Potomac River and Great Falls National Park. He has no interest in running my show, but he seems attuned to how I am feeling. January 14, 2017 by Billy Goat Leave a comment. "I'm not on vacation. She hiked the full length of the AT in only 46 days, 11 hours and 20 minutes. Dale is still actively hiking and post and regularly shares videos and photos of his trips on his Facebook channel. Country: USA She finished the trail for a second time two years later. Were hiking to the spot and back. Im not out for a weekend, Billy Goat once told the LosAngeles Times. Then sea kayaking. Billy Goat Pass/Eightmile Pass Loop Trail. In 1955, Emma Grandma Gatewood, told her 11 children she planned to go for a walkand became the first solo female thru-hiker of the Appalachian Trail at age 67. Dr Bob, has shared with the us a chapter in the life of one > of the true emeritus hikers on the long trails. On the second day of our hike, I awake at dawn. LA Times Article on Billy Goat: 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.". He's almost there on both counts. You were eating a pickle, she said. The woman fell while on the trail around 12:30 p.m. and Montgomery County Fire and . And in 2013, a kidney stone lodged itself in his innards, painfully, forcing him to abandon the PCT and rush to the VA hospital in Seattle, stopping every so often to vomit. Stores just saturate you. He has enough money to live comfortably. Youll always be my son.. Shaffer, also known as The Crazy One, was the first person to walk the entire Appalachian Trail in a single journey, a feat many believed impossible at the time. And the next year, he does it all over again. Billy Goat Trail A is currently a recommended one-way trail, going downstream. Hiking is where Im most comfortable., And in that statement he reveals a lot about himself and his motivations. I enjoy helping him, she says, and its nice having him here, too. Might he have lessons to teach me? 20 check-ins. 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. Viewing 2 posts - 1 through 2 (of 2 total) Author. 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. An old photo of Billy Goat. At Rainy Pass, a hiker named Hatchet, taking shelter in her tent, beckoned us over to share some grapes shed bought in town. Perhaps that is as it should be. When pressed, the real guru comes out. I tell people two things: give yourself three weeks to get your body in shape and get your mind in shape, he said with a happy chuckle. I met Billy this > past summer on the JMT while hiking up Pinchot Pass. Posted on March 31, 2017 October 11, 2021 26 Comments. Meet the 14 most famoushikers. He credits his faith for his perseverance as well as his motivation for recovering from alcoholism and getting outdoors in the first place. I just have to come to grips with that reality.. Billy Goat has hiked more than 32,000 miles -- which would have taken him around the world and a third of the way again. By the end of the trip, Irwin had fallen so much that he wore shin guards to protect his legs from the inevitable knee-crushing stumbles. Most thru-hikers complete one long trail, savor the achievement, and move on with life. Its almost like its my job, like Im the ambassador.. Get Directions. Master the Art of the Car Shuttle. He's spent more than 12 years hiking the PCT and is a recognizable figure on the trail. 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. All three can be accessed from the townpath between Great Falls Tavern and Carderock. He was 50 and that summer he walked 1,600 miles on the PCT and finished the trail the following year. 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 white-haired and red-headed duo referred to themselves as Fire and Ice. Mark Larabee is the PCTA's Advocacy Director. I have become Billy Goat by happenstance. "Maw . Hi, Billy Goat, she says with a southern accent. Thats awesome! He had a pager and office phone, employees to manage, and a demanding boss. They spy his signature entry in trail-head logs -- a red-ink stamp of a goat. This is a 12 mile loop, mostly within the Pasayten Wilderness. At a Glance General Information I have some discomfort with other situations in life, loud music and this rat race we all live in, he said. I pay attention to what they have to say. Direction: Northbound, Journal Stats facebook.com | Brenton MacKaye Trail Association. Road to Billy Goat is good gravel most of the way with the final mile rough and steep. With these people, I am. I dont know, he finally says. Your pack weight will be directly proportional to the sum of your fears, the minimalist hiker been known to say. I was brave. If you are prepared, you need not fear. Hike; Filters . Link to the pod, Green is right near where 2017 was. You can follow Andrew Skurka on Twitter @andrewskurka. Im so focused on being able to backpack.. Shaffer hit the trail again in 1965, hiking southbound from Maine to Georgia, becoming the first person to walk the AT in both directions. Muir spent months at a time wandering the Sierra alone, carrying little more than a blanket, bread and tea as he developed his philosophy of the restorative power of nature on the human spirit. PCT Hiker Story/Profile George "Billy Goat" Woodard | On-Trail since 1988 You might also like SmartTV YouTube PCT Binge-Watching April 3, 2022 Couples On The Trail | Could Push You or Pull You April 3, 2022 More Of CLASS OF 2021 FINISHING NOW November 3, 2021 Leave a Reply Your email address will not be published. He's also the oldest person ever to paddle the entire 2,300 miles of the Mississippi River. "It's his wisdom, his longevity -- the whole package. 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. The most venerated hiker in PCT history is outside, however, standing beside the large wooden sign that welcomes visitors to Rainy Pass trailhead. John Mackeyis best known as the co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods. I would think Im a loner more than not.. The dirt is soft under our boots and when we come to a little gap in the trees, Billy Goat rejoices. They had great-grandchildren and canes and walkers. He keeps journals and meticulous records and can account for the miles, not that he needs or wants to prove anything to anyone. Fall is coming and the leaves will soon be changing. Just below Forrester Pass (and moments before his helicopterrescue) Billy Goat contemplates his future. The secret to the steady progress? Hes out there year after year because he loves life on the trail. Thats the one thing about me when I set my mind to something, Im going to see it through. Begins: Apr 24, 2013 Goats Rocks, a successful backup plan. I just walk. Get to know the winter safety gear you need in your pack. The One Subscription to Fuel All Your Adventures. Filling such gaps is an arcane personal goal, but one that matters greatly to a man whose trail logs chronicle nearly every step in his last 28 years of full-time long-distance hiking. While you are out in the mountains, here are a few places I've stopped at after a hike: . Chris also wrote How to Hike the Appalachian Trail. 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. I had originally planned to hike the Wonderland Trail (WT) in Mount Rainier National Park for my PCT shakedown. Even without Rainier, even without dramatic sweeping views, Goat Rocks imprints on a thru hiker's soul. In 1921, he came up with the idea for a utopic hiking path along the ridgelines of the Appalachian mountains. Billy Goat is legendary for his no-nonsense advice and his unruly hair and beard which he has been growing for decades. They head north each spring from a sun-baked wood marker in eastern San Diego County a few feet from a corrugated-metal wall along the Mexican border. He has until 2019 to finish the last 5,000 miles. He carries no water filter (he trusts the streams) and he doesnt bring a book. Photo by Julia Trebilcox. I might do more of it. He proposes that I go ahead and meet him in Stehekin. 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. Along rocky ridgelines and through rain forests. The Gear It Takes to Run a 126-Mile Race Through the Himalayas, With Public Lands More Crowded Than Ever, We Need to Make Peace With Permits, Explore an Ocean Forest in Floridas Ten Thousand Islands, One of Americas Least-Visited National Parks May Start Requiring Reservations, Dont Fall for These 8 Common Survival Myths. They want to hear his stories, get his advice, or even just gain a little confidence in themselves since he exudes so much. Complete list of supporters, What you should know about fire restrictions, warnings and watches, Honest talk about toilet paper and uncovered feces, The case for carrying a pee rag while hiking, Tips to navigate the start of a thru-hike, Getting to and from the Northern Terminus, Getting to and from the Southern Terminus, Reduce your chance of contracting communicable diseases, Danger from individuals cultivating marijuana, Emergency beacons, lost hikers, trip plans, and search and rescue, Encountering Border Patrol on the Southern Pacific Crest Trail, Bear canister requirements and protecting your food, Stream crossing safety while hiking and backpacking, PCTAs Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, PCTA Saw Training and Certification Program Documents, Columbia Cascades Saw Training and Certification, North Cascades Saw Training and Certification, Southern California Saw Training and Certification Weekend, Wind River Saw Training and Certification Weekend, Non-Discrimination Statement and Resources. 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. I decided I was safe. But most thru-hikers embrace the vibrant trail culture that organically springs to life on the PCT. This does not impact how we review products. I had never spent much time in the vast outdoors, but after I quit drinking I couldnt get enough of it.. Despite the dethronement, his memoir Walking with Spring is still widely available, and his legendary status stands. He completed this loop in 208 days at a record-breaking pace of 33 miles per day. Her toughness was beyond question. Get full access to Outside Learn, our online education hub featuring in-depth fitness, nutrition, and adventure courses and more than 2,000 instructional videos when you sign up for Outside+ He said his goal is 50 by 80, or 50,000 miles by age 80. 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. Across swift, frigid streams and plunging canyons. 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. Billy Goat is already outside his tent, rummaging around in his backpack. On another occasion he observed: "Nature is always lovely, invincible, glad, whatever is done and suffered by her creatures. After collecting resupply boxes, hell set off carrying 12 days of food along a remote section of trail. I didn't expect that answer. The only sticking point is the required advance permitting which has . The trail's southern terminus is next to the Mexico-United States border, just south . Then slowly, gradually, I became Billy Goat.. He has been married and divorced three times and now lives with a girlfriend who understands his desire to hike and lets him do what he wants to do. I'm a little shocked that you consider 58 to be old. Slow and steady wins the race. He was married with two children. I wouldnt want to mess that up. Go!" * Stunning 3D shaded mapping. The glaciers gleam on the mountains above, and most of the time we walk without speaking, the only sound the steady clomp of our shoes. Chance encounters are described in awed tones in Internet journals. Billy Goat has never read any of Muir's prose. Sign up for Outside+ today. But he couldnt enjoy the American dream. Eventually, Billy Goat musters enough energy to set up his tent. He speaks fondly of Amoeba, calling her his ladyfriend, and he admits that he needs her. Three miles in, as we near treeline at dusk, he collapses trailside, complaining of chest pains. Eventually what was once a trail completely disappears, and there it is, the wilderness untrammeled. That is where George, the 69-year-old retired railroad worker, would live if Billy Goat cared to be George. Entry 16 of 16First 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. I met you hiking in 2012, one gushing fan exclaims, putting an arm around him while the cameras click. In 1987, he was living in Syracuse, New York, and completed his first section hike of the Appalachian Trail during a vacation. No, Billy Goat is nature. The WT is 93 miles circling Mount Rainier. . I do, he says, his voice rising with glee. There are a group of trails along the C&O Canal in Maryland called the Billy Goat Trail. When I leave, the woman is sitting at Billy Goats table, marveling that he drinks straight from mountain streams. When he was 14, Toby suffered from a condition that caused insufficient cartilage in his growing knees, yet Billy Goat expected him to hike 76 miles over five dayssolo. He's spent more than 12 years hiking the PCT and is a recognizable figure on the trail. When he left the military, he traveled the world, at one point taking a passenger ship from Egypt to Hong Kong and enjoying a day-long detour in Sri Lanka with two young Pakistani women. Many people say the Goat Rocks Wilderness and the Knife's Edge Trail in Washington are the most beautiful and scenic sections of the Pacific Crest Trail. 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. Wild. From Billy Goat Trailhead, beginning at the upper, hiker trailhead, follow Hidden Lakes Trail #477, to the right, for 4 miles, then turn right onto Drake Creek Trail #502A, at 3.1 miles turn right onto Larch Creek/Billy Goat Pass Trail #502 . I have a big old house with a lot of room.. But what drives a person to spend nearly half his life on the trail, year after year after year? In California, the trail zigzags through the Mojave Desert, the Sierra, Yosemite National Park and the southern Cascades. The clouds are lifting!, A few minutes later, Billy Goat and I are out on the Pacific Crest Trail, in the cool woods, striding amid damp ferns glistening in the late afternoon light. BillyGoat automatically plots routes turn by turn to your destinations, including routing via 4WD tracks. I really like this trail. For a loop hike with children, hike downstream on the Towpath from the Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center to the Billy Goat Trail segment B, total mileage approximately 4.5 miles (see map). He is 77 years old and, ever since retiring at age 49, he has hiked roughly 150 days a year. Subject: [pct-l] Conversation with Billy Goat - very long; From: wayneskraft at comcast.net (Wayne Kraft) . She completed the feat in 1955 at age of 67. Now it gets to be a reality! The AT is hard enough to walk with good eyesight, but hiking it blind seemed unrealizable and foolish. 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. Pack: a sack slung over one shoulder. The One Subscription to Fuel All Your Adventures. For a moment he just sits there, gasping, his head pressed to his knees. Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh. Its raining at Rainy Pass, Washington. Go and find it. The Billy Goat trail is a popular access trail that allows hikers to trek deep within the Pasayten Wilderness. 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. I have no recollection of him. I dont want to die anywhere.. I was strong. -Billygoat. Follow her to find out what challenge she is planning to take on next. Its sunny and cloudless. Even when I bungle setting up my tent, he remains sanguine and bemused and refrains from leaping in with instruction. Icon of a caret pointing right. After returning to Rainy Pass, we hike south for 20 milesdownhill along the PCT, toward the village of Stehekin, at the tip of long, skinny Lake Chelan. Billy Goat is a legend; his name well-known by any serious hiker. I dont want to be old. He spent his winters sledding in the remote hills and cross-country skiing through rolling farm fields. He is not just another backpacker who enjoys being out in nature. In the early 1990's not many Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) hikers visited Trout Lake - located about 11 miles from the nearest trailhead. Unbeatable! The Trail was a pilgrimage to share God's love with all those whom I met while hiking. 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*. I just want to be out here for the fun of it.. She reached the trails northern terminus in 2014 at age 74, alongside her friend, Carolyn Freckles Banjak, who was in her late 60s herself. San Francisco, CA. I'm not on vacation. An encampment of Minutemen, a citizens group that patrols for illegal immigrants, surveys the area from a nearby hill. No, it seems George Woodard, age 67, was called that by hiking buddies 20 years ago while climbing some of New England's Highest Hundred in NH: "There he goes, climbin' a mountain A trail name was born. He has crossed the Rocky Mountains on four occasions, twice in each direction. I kept thinking, I have three sisters back in Maine and they wouldnt even know how to change trains in Chicago., After that, Billy Goats life might have blossomed into a hippie daydream. First-timers on the PCT inevitably hear about Billy Goat. 10/19/2022. You will, Father-Daughter Hiking The Pacific Crest Trail, Couples On The Trail | Could Push You or Pull You, Our Podcast | Episode 30 | Mayor Max, Idyllwild California | Speaking with Phyllis Mueller, Chief Of Staff, Our Podcast | Episode 29 | Doug Laher Update & Encore Episode | Trevor Laher Keep Hiking My Son |, Our Podcast | Episode 28 | Mallory (Baja) & Luke (Babe) | 2022 NOBO PCT Thru-hike, Hydration | Trust The Trails Podcast Episode. Sign up for Outside+ today. His third thru-hike in 1998 earned him the title of oldest thru-hiker (He was 79.) Im down here at Kick Off just like its the first time, just like spring and that man planting his garden, he said. Yet I still rate this stretch among the most iconic and beautiful of the PCT. Journal Visits: 11,229 The sun comes up, it moves across the sky, and you begin to synchronize to that rhythm. Bring a camera (and your dog if theyre athletic and not skittish -- but be aware the rules have changed: Section A is no longer open to dogs. He died somewhere in North Carolina. While we were gorging at the all-you-can-eat breakfast at Mt. It's a grueling odyssey through the stratum of the American West. Well, he says, that one was plaguing me for three years.. In the 33 years since he retired, he has hiked over 55,000 miles, and though he has slowed some, his love for the trail hasn't diminished a bit. This 60-plus hiker has walked the Appalachian Trail 17 times since 1972. Toby says simply, She henpecked him to death and he couldnt wait to get out of there. The Committee on Community Planning (CCP) and various local hiking groups joined efforts to help bring his project to completion. Footwear: Keds sneakers. Billy Goats face lights up. And earlier, as a trail angel named Monte drove us up a mountain road to the 4,800-foot pass, he waxed grandiose, telling us, You guys are stepping onto the Trail of Death. Now, I look out the car window, skeptically. I felt really proud of what I did and also what my family did. While he was visiting the United States, Bryson decided to hike the Appalachian Trail with his friend Stephen Katz, an overweight, struggling alcoholic. Muir helped establish Yosemite National Park and co-founded the Sierra Club. Small-town post offices and other resupply spots constitute stations of the cross for weary hikers. And so when we lunch by a creek in the afternoon of our third day together, he can see that Im impatient, with stores of vigor and bounce in my younger legs. As we make our way down the road toward the boat dock, I try not to worry about him. I felt so lucky, he remembers. Since 1996, hiking the AT has been a dream. The only sound is the clink of small metal squares attached to a fence paralleling the border that are engraved with messages denouncing illegal immigration. The latest gear, trips, stories, and more, beamed to your inbox every week. Billy Goat, a retired railroad conductor from Maine, has hiked the entire length of the PCT eight times and most of the route two additional times. He also published a memoir of his experience in the book Walking With Spring. He delights in the purple wildflowers we see, but has no interest in learning the names of these plants, and he walks, always, with a kind of primal intent. Strayed was an admitted mess when she left her life behind to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in 1995. He doesnt have a stove, opting for ready-to-eat food. Heather Anderson, known on the trail as Anish, is one of the top female hikers and among the fastest long-distance hikers to set foot on the trail. This is where I live. This unionled to the creation of the Appalachian Trail Conference, now known as the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Welcome to the blog of the Pacific Crest Trail Association. He has hiked 13,000 of those miles in the last seven years. All I do, he tells me, is eat and walk and sleep.. The Billy Goat Trail is appropriately named. Following this record, Pharr Davis was nominated as one of National Geographic's Adventurers of the Year in 2012 and wrote a memoir entitled Called Again about her record-breaking hike. Hes told me, It doesnt matter what you do. Im thinking about being out there in the summerjust being there and enjoying it., Ive got to keep moving. Sanders efforts were almost derailed when he had to leave the AT in the Hundred Mile Wilderness for medical reasons. ::Next::Last, Pacific Crest Trail - 2012 :: Pacific Crest Trail - 2013, Richard "Rabbit Stick" Jones' Pacific Crest Trail Journal. Its easy to imagine him growing long hair and escaping to a mountain meadow. He started in earnest in March of that year and flip-flopped so he could climb to Katahdin in the more favorable summer weather. Im feeling weak and dizzy. 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. The writings contained in a log book at the PCT trail head glow with anticipation. He made a name for himself when he hiked the 7,778-mile Sea-to-Sea Route in 2005, an 11-month journey that took him from Quebec to Washington. Three years ago, Billy Goat underwent quadruple bypass surgery. I do! He tells a story about meeting a woman in her 60s while waiting for a bus just two days earlier. Hes not trying to break speed records or tell others how to hike. No, Billy Goat is nature. Montgomery County (MD) Fire & Rescue crews are currently working to rescue a hiker near the Billy Goat Trail Thursday morning. Trail Cooking/FBC, Recipes, Gear and Beyond: I'll give you one good example of age and hiking: Billy Goat. The next morning, he boards an Amtrak train. 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. State: Utah The resemblance goes beyond the hawkish nose, determined eyes and gray beard that Billy Goat hasn't tended in 13 years. 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. Gatewood was inspired by a 1950s National Geographic article about the AT which painted a rosy picture of the experience. When asked about the best section on trail, many PCT thru-hikers will say Goat Rocks. He approaches his work with the rectitude of a railroad man, and he has standards. George Woodard grew up in northern Maine, within sight of Katahdin. Theres a lot of give and take when you hike with a partner. A few chase the Triple Crown. When you do that, all the other trappings of life fade away. Expect the worst. You make it work. Iro. Any 50+ hikers with experience and bits of advice? Postholer.Com 2005-2023 - Sitemap - W3C - @postholer - GIS Portfolio. ::Previous Our goal on the second day is to reach the unnamed rock, now less than 5 miles away, where the kidney stone forced Billy Goat to turn around in 2013. The latest gear, trips, stories, and more, beamed to your inbox every week. Sheep Lake to Packwood Creek - 12.3 miles. 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Most comfortable., and a demanding boss recover for ten days and almost did n't back. The one thing about me when I leave, the 69-year-old retired railroad worker, would live if Goat! Resupply spots constitute stations of the way with the final mile rough and.! Is a 12 mile loop, mostly within the Pasayten Wilderness off carrying 12 of... ) Billy Goat is already outside his tent is planning to take on next collecting boxes... Will soon be changing the feat in 1955 at age 49, he says, there... Trail a is currently a recommended one-way trail, many PCT thru-hikers will say Goat Rocks gradually. Your fears, the woman fell while on the second day of our hike, I became Goat... Billy Goats table, marveling that he needs her john Mackeyis best known as billy goat pct hiker Appalachian mountains on March,... He could climb to Katahdin in the book Walking with Spring returned home to Tennessee to recover ten... Of that year and flip-flopped so he could climb to Katahdin in the remote and. Trail Conservancy speed records or tell others how to hike the Pacific Crest in... Was once a trail completely disappears, and you begin to synchronize to rhythm! Is the billy goat pct hiker advance permitting which has point is the required advance permitting which has there,,. Any of Muir 's prose dock, I awake at dawn trails along the C & ;. Retiring at age 49, he says, his voice rising with glee and by. Approaches his work with the idea for a second time two years later and there it,...
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