Nine of these have been thru-hikes. Another first: Earl V. Shaffer was the inspiration for the Warrior Hike program for combat veterans. Guestbook Views: 695 Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more. 3428. He has walked across the South and the Southwest, the Northeast and the West. He is a legend in the small but growing fraternity of ultra-long-distance backpackers, renowned for his stamina and trail knowledge and envied for a single-minded devotion to living outdoors. He is not just another backpacker who enjoys being out in nature. She held the AT FKT for four years before Scott Jurek broke it in 2015. 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. Pacific Crest Trail hikers frequently say that . (Which was bestowed on him when a friend saw him scramble up a steep slope and said, There goes Billy Goat.) As he puts it himself, Thirty years ago I was George Woodard. I knew that was what I wanted to do. The man himself is in high spirits, particularly after a bus pulls up and a young woman steps out, tall and lean and blonde. The more I learn the more I realize I don't know. Key access points: Trail and trailhead information. December 2016. An encampment of Minutemen, a citizens group that patrols for illegal immigrants, surveys the area from a nearby hill. Home Forums General Forums Philosophy & Technique LA Times - Billy Goat, long time PCT hiker. 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. Her toughness was beyond question. What happens when he must stop? Required fields are marked *. Equal parts backpacking food and ultralight gear. As we hike along, he tells me that what he thinks about most is the clouds drifting above. Skurka continues to hike long-distance trails, offers guided tours, works with Sierra Designs on gear and is a popular public speaker. 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. One man kept telling Billy Goat that as soon as he retired, he was going to Florida with his wife. Chris also wrote How to Hike the Appalachian Trail. If I dont fall down or fall ill, Im going to do it. ::Next::Last, Pacific Crest Trail - 2012 :: Pacific Crest Trail - 2013, Richard "Rabbit Stick" Jones' Pacific Crest Trail Journal. Across swift, frigid streams and plunging canyons. Billy Goat is legendary for his no-nonsense advice and his unruly hair and beard which he has been growing for decades. While you are out in the mountains, here are a few places I've stopped at after a hike: . According to officials, a group of three hikers was near the Billy . Country: USA That hike was pure joy, said Jardine of that third thru-hike. Begins: Apr 24, 2013 Bill Bryson retraced their chaotic 800-mile journey in his bookA Walk in the Woods, published in 1998. These days, when hes not hiking, Billy Goat hangs his hat in Syracuse, New York, renting a room in the home of a woman he describes as a very good friend. Amoeba (she prefers to go only by her trail name) is a 72-year-old retired insurance underwriter who accompanies him to all his doctors appointmentsand like everyone else, calls him Billy Goat. He is 77 years old and, ever since retiring at age 49, he has hiked roughly 150 days a year. Oh, its just wonderful!. Any 50+ hikers with experience and bits of advice? At Rainy Pass, a hiker named Hatchet, taking shelter in her tent, beckoned us over to share some grapes shed bought in town. I might just have to give up on my effort to hike the PCT. Forget your car payment or your house payment or your boss and that fight you had at work. Goats Rocks, a successful backup plan. In an hour, Ill take a ferry down the lake, toward civilization, as he preps for his next adventure108 miles south along the PCT to Stevens Pass, 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. Pharr Davis completed her first thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2005 and wrote about the journey in her book Becoming Odyssa. He is a legend in the small but growing fraternity of ultra-long-distance backpackers, renowned for his stamina and trail knowledge and envied for a . He keeps journals and meticulous records and can account for the miles, not that he needs or wants to prove anything to anyone. From Hed never been there, Billy Goat says, and as he was driving down there, he died. Who did we miss? I see a lot of hikers who have no idea whats in front of them, he says during a break later that day. I'm mighty, mighty glad it's over. The Billy Goat Trail is one of the most well known hikes in the Metro D.C. area, and for good reason. Were in Stehekins sole campground, on the shore of the lake, enjoying peaches I bought just down the street at a garden stand. Billy Goat Pass and Three Fools Pass passed quickly as the sun rose slowly behind the eastern ridge line. Hes charming, smooth. Thats easy to see just by watching him interact with other hikers. Ryan Krause. 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. Entry 16 of 16First Im thinking about being out there in the summerjust being there and enjoying it., Ive got to keep moving. Generally, the trail vibe is fun . He is not just another backpacker who enjoys being out in nature. 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. . Sometimes on the trail, he spontaneously breaks into his signature ditty: Its a long way to Canada, but we wont get there today. 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. He owned a brand new house in New Hampshire and drove a 1972 Plymouth Satellite. I am not young enough to know everything. Fall is coming and the leaves will soon be changing. I have some discomfort with other situations in life, loud music and this rat race we all live in, he said. I hardly even recognize that name.. October 26, 2018. PCT: Goat Rocks. On the second day of our hike, I awake at dawn. Those fellows are going to make it all the way to Canada before nightfall.. He also published a memoir of his experience in the book Walking With Spring. The PCT, he said in 2015, would have to wait at least another year. 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. In 2014, Amoeba coaxed Billy Goat to try psychiatric counseling, but he balked after one visit. Hes now in his late 70s and still on trail as of the 2015 season. Subject: [pct-l] Conversation with Billy Goat - very long; From: wayneskraft at comcast.net (Wayne Kraft) . While section A is a strenuous and technical hike, section B is challenging, leaving C section as a more casual and easy walk. He developed his concept into a strategic plan which he published in the Journal of the American Institute of Architects in 1921. Three miles in, as we near treeline at dusk, he collapses trailside, complaining of chest pains. 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. Jul 16, 2008 at 1:32 pm #1230195. Shaffer hit the trail again in 1965, hiking southbound from Maine to Georgia, becoming the first person to walk the AT in both directions. 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. 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. Posts. Create a website or blog at WordPress.com A few chase the Triple Crown. He worked as a brakeman in the boonies of Millinocket, Maine, on tracks used mainly by a nearby paper mill. You just forget about all these things that seem so trying.. At 58, I'm looking to plan for a PCT hike in a couple years to mark the big 60. :banana Anxious to see how it compares to the AT. Why is it that on a typical year over 90 percent of PCT thru-hikers head northbound? British-American writer Bill Bryson has traveled the world writing about his life and adventures with a distinct humorous touch and conversational tone. It was cold worka matter of digging the switches out of the snow at 3 a.m.and his colleagues were hard-bitten old guys whom he regarded as trapped. The man is fragile these days. Intere, Episode 26 is all about the ginger and the joy and, Dont listen | not PCT related | Completely pers, Cant wait to cheer on the class of 2023! There are 3 different sections, A, B and C. A couple weeks ago I had the privilege to hike B and C. Part A of the trail tends . 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. I Tried to Sew My Own Ultralight Tent. He has a wife, his third, and a home in Nevada. 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. We descend the switchbacks to a lower pass and then traverse an exposed ridge and finally, in an open meadow just before the Snowy Lakes turnoff, we arrive at the rock. Icon of a caret pointing right. This is a 12 mile loop, mostly within the Pasayten Wilderness. The book is in the process of being adapted for the screen. He died somewhere in North Carolina. Hes out there year after year because he loves life on the trail. Sanders started his journey in January 2017 when he hiked a short section of the trail in Georgia. He carries no water filter (he trusts the streams) and he doesnt bring a book. Should we say goodbye to Monte, whose battered but heated Honda idles nearby? His New England accent still comes through, although he has pretty much left George behind. 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. John Mackeyis best known as the co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods. We didnt have much of anything, he says of his family. Photo by Deems Burton. Most thru-hikers complete one long trail, savor the achievement, and move on with life. We turn around without pausing and hike for another mile and then Billy Goat stops and slips off his pack. 09-26-2009, 16:57 #8. sbhikes . GOAT ROCKS WILDERNESS, WA. MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. The Committee on Community Planning (CCP) and various local hiking groups joined efforts to help bring his project to completion. Hood, Sandy Glacier Headwall . He's almost there on both counts. It was just a matter of getting the numbers lined up. He worked on and off as a railroad consultant for a few years, making the jobs work around his hiking schedule. Thru-hiker George "Billy Goat" Woodard has hiked roughly 150 days a year for nearly three decadesand he doesn't plan on stopping. Mark Larabee is the PCTA's Advocacy Director. We <3 you Billy Goat! 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. Three years ago, Billy Goat underwent quadruple bypass surgery. She told her adult children that she was going for a walk and started the thru-hike wearing a simple pair of Keds sneakers, and carrying nothing but a blanket, a raincoat and a plastic sheet inside a homemade denim bag. 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. News of her journey spread and she was featured by the Associated Press and Sports Illustrated. He has no interest in running my show, but he seems attuned to how I am feeling. 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. I dont like to think about that, he says with stiff discomfort. He has hiked 13,000 of those miles in the last seven years. Join us in thanking these generous businesses for their support of the Pacific Crest Trail. In the Hiking Pioneers series, I will be exploring hikers past to present who have done amazing things in the hiking community. 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. Go!" Since 2003, he has wandered the campground at Lake Morena County Park near Campo and the Mexican border with a smile, his coarse, long, silver hair and beard waving like flags in the breeze. 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. 4 days ago. If I waited for someone to hike with I would never go any place. Who is the oldest person to hike the PCT? My curehe gestures at the towering mountains nearby and the blue sky aboveis right here, on the trail. Oh, I just cant do it anymore!, Back in Montes car, Billy Goats bad heart had been an abstraction. Thats a person he became after he put his career behind him and made a choice to pursue his love of walking. Their secret? 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. He's spent more than 12 years hiking the PCT and is a recognizable figure on the trail. Young women in particular bathe him in adoration. Hi, Billy Goat, she says with a southern accent. The book is available on Amazon andin the PCTA online store. Im so focused on being able to backpack.. 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. The Trail was a pilgrimage to share God's love with all those whom I met while hiking. As we make our way down the road toward the boat dock, I try not to worry about him. But Billy Goat is who he is because he makes decisions were trained to regard as audaciously wronglike hitchhiking after the age of 70. To inspire, educate and promote fellowship among long distance hikers and those who support long-distance hiking. All three hiking sections of Billy Goat Trail, A, B and C, when combined, adds up to roughly 8 miles. I'll give you one good example of age and hiking: Billy Goat. I dont mind huffing and puffing for hours, he told the Washington-based Spokesman-Review in 2005. 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. Im down here at Kick Off just like its the first time, just like spring and that man planting his garden, he said. 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. Billy Goat Trail A is currently a recommended one-way trail, going downstream. I wonder if we might find a place to drink a beer. The trail's southern terminus is next to the Mexico-United States border, just south . The single-item snack is an exact repeat of his breakfast, and during our first two days together I never see Billy Goat eat anything but that cheese. I met Billy this > past summer on the JMT while hiking up Pinchot Pass. Emma Gatewood is proof that family responsibilities dont have to sideline long trail dreams. In the case of Billy Goat, you will have to either do the google thing, or alternatively head out to the Pacific Crest or Florida Trails and meet the man in person. Go and find it. On another occasion he observed: "Nature is always lovely, invincible, glad, whatever is done and suffered by her creatures. I just have to come to grips with that reality.. Planning a Pacific Crest expedition takes longer than the journey itself. Check back often for news about the trail. Might he have lessons to teach me? I envision him passing out alone in the woods, then just lying there, unnoticed, until the bears and the wolves get to him and he becomes, finally, one with the soil and the trees and the mountains. All three can be accessed from the townpath between Great Falls Tavern and Carderock. Ive got a good situation going in Syracuse, he says. The WT is 93 miles circling Mount Rainier. I decided, Thats not going to happen to me., To that end, Billy Goat left his job at age 20 and joined the army. Depression and anxiety are a real thing for my dad, she adds, and when we were growing up, he was often brooding and sometimes very incommunicative. The first ever recorded thru-hiker finished the trail in 1948. He approaches his work with the rectitude of a railroad man, and he has standards. 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*. He has hiked 13,000 of those miles in the last seven years. Im not there yet., Thirteen days later I get a phone call. A quadruple bypass surgery in 2014 has slowed him down some, but Billy Goat still hikes on. . Of those, about 60% make it -- fewer people than scale Mt. 39.00224, -77.24664. Ive been eating for two or three hours straight, he rejoices. There is one concession Billy Goat is willing to make: He can see himself transitioning from mountainous trails to flatter ones more congenial to his heart. Im not there yet., Thirteen days later I Get a phone call and move with. Up to roughly 8 miles mountains nearby and the West with his wife hes now in his Walk. 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