Billygoat is my trail name, given to me after hiking the 1st section of the PCT in October 2016. I do! He tells a story about meeting a woman in her 60s while waiting for a bus just two days earlier. I'll give you one good example of age and hiking: Billy Goat. Billy Goat at the Annual Day Zero Pacific Crest Trail Kick Off, 2015. He is the former editor of the "PCT Communicator" magazine and co-author of "The Pacific Crest Trail: Exploring America's Wilderness Trail" published in 2016. I dont like to think about that, he says with stiff discomfort. He is 77 years old and, ever since retiring at age 49, he has hiked roughly 150 days a year. He completed the 2,190-mile trek on October 26, 2017, at the age of 82. I Tried to Sew My Own Ultralight Tent. And now Im just about to dip my feet in the bathtub. I dont know, he finally says. You were eating a pickle, she said. Read more about our. A few chase the Triple Crown. 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. The secret to the steady progress? 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. He credits his faith for his perseverance as well as his motivation for recovering from alcoholism and getting outdoors in the first place. I dont do anything different than anybody else. Hes not trying to break speed records or tell others how to hike. LA Times Article on Billy Goat: Then, as he rests, two twenty-something lads cruise by, hauling heavy packs, busily chatting away as they wing north through the fading light. Meet the 14 most famoushikers. I really like this trail. Oh, what a luxury this place is! Everest in a year. Perhaps that is as it should be. Read more. 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. In 1960, she became the first woman to complete a thru hike, and at age 67, no less. The Ice Age Trail lays before him now, gentle and rolling and lined with maples and cedars. An old photo of Billy Goat. Hiking is where Im most comfortable., And in that statement he reveals a lot about himself and his motivations. You can follow Andrew Skurka on Twitter @andrewskurka. 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. To his fans, the man embodies all thats great about thru-hiking. There are a group of trails along the C&O Canal in Maryland called the Billy Goat Trail. I have become Billy Goat by happenstance. Even without Rainier, even without dramatic sweeping views, Goat Rocks imprints on a thru hiker's soul. Posts. She recently completed her second Triple Crown - a total of 8,000 miles - in a mere eight months. . When I was 10 or 12 years old, I figured the rest of the world was just one big city. 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. In California, the trail zigzags through the Mojave Desert, the Sierra, Yosemite National Park and the southern Cascades. Were climbing now, gaining 2,000 feet over 5 miles on our way to 6,800-foot Cutthroat Pass, and the sun has escaped the clouds. 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. 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. Cheese, bread, pickles, pears, nuts. Follow her to find out what challenge she is planning to take on next. 110. You dont purify? she says. Ryan Krause. I talk with them. We walk very slowly, a little more than a mile an hour. I slow down when hiking. All three hiking sections of Billy Goat Trail, A, B and C, when combined, adds up to roughly 8 miles. Were just 66 miles shy of the northern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trailway up in the pines and the firs and the shifting fogs of North Cascades National Parkand its cold. What happens when he must stop? I had to keep at it. 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. Well walk and talk and sing and play because Canadas a long waaay awaaay. He speaks fondly of Amoeba, calling her his ladyfriend, and he admits that he needs her. 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 . . Get directions to any destination. @rmkrause. 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. The day I went through Goat Rocks and tip-toed along the Knife's Edge, wildfire smoke rendered Mount Rainier invisible. until Lee Barry beat him for the title in 2004. First, theres the way his personality, demeanor, and passion capture the spirit of the community so beautifully. 'George \"Billy Goat\" Woodard (All photos by Bob Stefko)'. The woman fell while on the trail around 12:30 p.m. and Montgomery County Fire and . Wildflowers are abundant, so be sure to enjoy the views on the ground just as much as the views up above. 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. MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. Im so glad we came out, he says, gazing out at clouds wafting past a distant peak. Chris also wrote How to Hike the Appalachian Trail. One man kept telling Billy Goat that as soon as he retired, he was going to Florida with his wife. Oh, its just wonderful!. Since it is the first . Trail Cooking/FBC, Recipes, Gear and Beyond: I'll give you one good example of age and hiking: Billy Goat. 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. 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. Hes such a recognizable fixture at Kick Offthe Annual Day Zero Pacific Crest Trail Kick Offhis legend betrays any possible anonymity. Ive got a good situation going in Syracuse, he says. Our t, Two-part episode with @magnet.northbound. Without Benton MacKaye, there would be no Appalachian Trail. . Much of the area was an old burn and so the lack of direct sun was a blessing. Might he have lessons to teach me? And, it is a demanding hike. Theres an animal quality to the way Billy Goat fits into the landscape. I have some discomfort with other situations in life, loud music and this rat race we all live in, he said. Stores just saturate you. He has enough money to live comfortably. He served two years in Germany during the Cold War. - Emergency crews are responding to a fallen hiker who fell in a remote and rocky area near Billy Goat Trail in Montgomery County Thursday. Should we say goodbye to Monte, whose battered but heated Honda idles nearby? He is 77 years old and, ever since retiring at age 49, he has hiked roughly 150 days a year. Icon of a caret pointing right. I could not find much up-to-date information, but as of 2016, Billy Goat had hiked more. He's almost there on both counts. Dont think for a moment that the condescending adage, those who cant do teach, applies here, thoughDoyle leads groups of hikers from Georgia to Maine every season, and on a mandatory schedule of 140 days, too. To inspire, educate and promote fellowship among long distance hikers and those who support long-distance hiking. Toby says simply, She henpecked him to death and he couldnt wait to get out of there. The Pacific Crest Trail Hiker Survey is distributed to PCT hikers at the end of the hiking season every year with the goal of capturing a snapshot of the year's class and providing a useful resource to future PCT hikers and recreators. Key access points: Trail and trailhead information. In 2004, he set the thru-hiker age record: 81 proud years summiting Katahdin. Yet I still rate this stretch among the most iconic and beautiful of the PCT. I pay attention to what they have to say. I think its a fair trade-off for what I get out of it.. No way, nobody even knows that name, he said. The National Churches Trust(CC BY 2.0). 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. Muir helped establish Yosemite National Park and co-founded the Sierra Club. I would think Im a loner more than not.. 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. 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. I just went to my 60th high school reunion, and everyone there, they were just old and bald and fat. Isnt that something? Billy Goat responded warmly. I realize Im going to miss him. The book is available on Amazon andin the PCTA online store. 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. He carries what he needs in a backpack weighing less than 10 pounds. He averaged 10 miles a day for the 220-day hike, a pace that hit the sweet spot for for Barry. He and his wife carried homemade packs and homemade sleeping bags to cut weight (Jardines pack ended up a paltry 9 pounds), and they walked long days rather than fast days. Home Forums General Forums Philosophy & Technique LA Times - Billy Goat, long time PCT hiker. The mother of ultralight backpacking was also a mother of 11 and grandmother of 23. The latest gear, trips, stories, and more, beamed to your inbox every week. This inventor and engineer is famous for revolutionizing rock climbing. Im not out for a weekend, Billy Goat once told the LosAngeles Times. He is not just another backpacker who enjoys being out in nature. "Something hidden. "Maw . 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 had originally planned to hike the Wonderland Trail (WT) in Mount Rainier National Park for my PCT shakedown. A hiker was injured after falling on rocks close to the Billy Goat A Trail along the Potomac River on Sunday. The day is growing hot, and after a while Billy Goat leans back on the picnic table and savors the warmth of the wood on his back as he gazes up into the pines. Ruh-spekt. One of his motivations for hiking was to walk the Army out of my system. Today, Warrior Hike pays tribute to that sentiment with their walk off the war, slogan. 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 trail was well maintained and the rich ground cover made up for the spindly trees. 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. The white-haired and red-headed duo referred to themselves as Fire and Ice. Just Google Hiker Billy Goat. Pharr Davis set out again on the AT to beat the women's and men's FKT record in 2011, which she did. He still needs to complete that section twice to say that hes done the trails northernmost 100 miles 10 times. While some might say he has sacrificed a lot for his lifestyle, he would disagree. He said he owns very little other than his nice backpack and expensive tent. Billy Goat Trail A is currently a recommended one-way trail, going downstream. Hiking Billy Goat Trail Section A in Maryland Lauren November 1, 2022 Family Travel One of the most popular hikes in Maryland is Billy Goat Trail, section A by Great Falls. Billy Goat Waterfall Hike is a 4.2km, grade 3 hike located in the Western River Wilderness Protection Area, South Australia. I'm mighty, mighty glad it's over. 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. This woman wanted me to do these breathing exercises, he says, speaking of the therapist. 1 / 11. Shortly after Big Bear Lake, I had my first of many encounters with Billy Goat, the legendary PCT hiker that has hiked more than 25,000 miles of the PCT over. He has crossed the Rocky Mountains on four occasions, twice in each direction. We get into big holes, getting married, making babies, and getting a mortgage, he said. The man is fragile these days. The oldest AT hiker isn't the only record Sanders holds. Country: USA "Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home," Muir wrote. The incident was reported around . 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. 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. I dont mind huffing and puffing for hours, he told the Washington-based Spokesman-Review in 2005. Trail culture - Some people prefer to be lone wolves, which offers a more quiet experience and an increased chance of seeing wildlife. The book was eventually adapted into a comedy film starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte in the roles of Bryson and Katz. Sign up for Outside+ today. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. The One Subscription to Fuel All Your Adventures. The Billy Goat Trail is appropriately named. Buddy is currently taking a break from hiking, but you can retrace his many steps by checking out his blog atbuddybackpacker.com. But he wasnt always Billy Goat. I didn't expect that answer. If you stay in one place long enough, he's sure to come along eventually. Goats Rocks, a successful backup plan. I'm not out for a weekend," he said, settling in for the night under a fire-scarred tree next to a gurgling creek and surrounded by the rugged granite outcroppings of the Dome Land Wilderness. The triple-crowner has logged over 32,000 miles and has become a legend among long-distance hikers. Tag: George "Billy Goat" Woodard. Wild. With the focus no longer on whether or not we could finish, we could enjoy how much fun it was to spend months in the wilderness.. Perhaps because Im not his son, I sense a nearly unwavering lightness about Billy Goat. "He's the heart and soul of the PCT," said Monte Dodge, 50, who hiked the length of the trail when he was 19 and does a portion of it nearly every year. I think Im going to sit down under this tree here and eat a little cheese, he says. He also published a memoir of his experience in the book Walking With Spring. 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. In the early 1990's not many Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) hikers visited Trout Lake - located about 11 miles from the nearest trailhead. San Francisco, CA. He wrote the details of his 1948 odyssey in a journal that is today displayed in the Smithsonians National Museum of American History. He started in earnest in March of that year and flip-flopped so he could climb to Katahdin in the more favorable summer weather. Forget your car payment or your house payment or your boss and that fight you had at work. She finished the trail for a second time two years later. In January 2014, things changed. John Muir is arguably one of the best-known naturalists and conservationists of the 20th century. 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 worked as a brakeman in the boonies of Millinocket, Maine, on tracks used mainly by a nearby paper mill. For one reason or another, the following hikers have all madea permanent dent in the hiking culture, community and history. They spy his signature entry in trail-head logs -- a red-ink stamp of a goat. (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. The man could reasonably be cast as God in a movie. 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. He has hiked 13,000 of those miles in the last seven years. 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. In 2008, she followed the Long Trail FKT by setting the women's fastest known time for the Appalachian Trail in 57 days and 8 hours. "It's like my life is beginning," one hiker hoping to make it to Canada wrote. The dirt is soft under our boots and when we come to a little gap in the trees, Billy Goat rejoices. His New England accent still comes through, although he has pretty much left George behind. 250 reviews of Billy Goat Trail - Section A "Just 20 minutes or so past the Georgetown crowds, the dramatic Billy Goat Trail takes weekend warriors thru 4.7 mostly rocky miles in a patch of land between the C&O Canal and the Potomac's Great Falls rapids. Eventually, Billy Goat musters enough energy to set up his tent. According to officials, a group of three hikers was near the Billy . Im so focused on being able to backpack.. Sanders started his journey in January 2017 when he hiked a short section of the trail in Georgia. Begins: Apr 24, 2013 If I dont fall down or fall ill, Im going to do it. Hes charming, smooth. Later, he will write down this departure time, along with the distance we hike, in a notebook. The Committee on Community Planning (CCP) and various local hiking groups joined efforts to help bring his project to completion. December 2016. The next morning, he boards an Amtrak train. I can do it either way, he said. Hes out there year after year because he loves life on the trail. Blog at WordPress.com. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. 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. Dragn Fly holds the record for the oldest woman ever to thru hike the AT. Planning a Pacific Crest expedition takes longer than the journey itself. 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. 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*. The only sticking point is the required advance permitting which has . He has his sights on the Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin, as well as the Potomac Heritage Trail stretching from Pennsylvania to Virginia. Another first: Earl V. Shaffer was the inspiration for the Warrior Hike program for combat veterans. I do, he says, his voice rising with glee. Most people are pantywaists, she allegedly once told Ray Jardine. The next morning, I repeat this line to Billy Goat and he rolls his head back, cackling with delight. If youre ever going through Ashland, Oregon, she told him, give me a call., For all his bluster, I sense that Billy Goat only goes so far down the playboy path. When through-hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail are asked about the most memorable portions of their trip, the Goat Rocks rank as number two, behind, of course, the Sierras. Go!" Fatalities by Cause Here is a breakdown of what has caused them: 6 - Falling 3 - Heatstroke 2 - Drowning 2 - Cars 1 - Falling trees 1 - High altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) (unconfirmed) 1 - Unknown 0 - Hypothermia 0 - Lightning 0 - Murder 0 - Mountain lions 0 - Bears 0 - Snakes 0 - Spiders Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more. Except Billy Goats 15 minutes of fame goes on. 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. Most thru-hikers complete one long trail, savor the achievement, and move on with life. Hi, Billy Goat, she says with a southern accent. But his trail persona belies a complex backstory. Hes now in his late 70s and still on trail as of the 2015 season. I hardly even recognize that name.. We didnt have indoor plumbing. The PCT, he said in 2015, would have to wait at least another year. Generally, the trail vibe is fun . 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 and find it. Link to the pod, Green is right near where 2017 was. 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'm a little shocked that you consider 58 to be old. 20 check-ins. Join. -Billygoat. 1 year + 20 episodes later | Episode 29 drops with, Dropping soon with a couple more. She hiked the full length of the AT in only 46 days, 11 hours and 20 minutes. As we hike along, he tells me that what he thinks about most is the clouds drifting above. He proposes that I go ahead and meet him in Stehekin. check out the. What would his life look like when he is too old to hike? He is 77 years old and, ever since retiring at age . I just walk. He's spent more than 12 years hiking the PCT and is a recognizable figure on the trail. Billy Goat Trail is split up into 3 sections, A -1.6 miles (most difficult) B - 1.4 miles C - 1.7 miles (furthest from the falls) Parking available at the Carderock Recreation Area in Potomac Maryland to . Sierra Club the dirt is soft under our boots and when we come to a little shocked that you 58! Quot ; Woodard than his nice backpack and expensive tent Wonderland Trail ( )! His perseverance as well as his motivation for recovering from alcoholism and getting a mortgage, he was to. Lined with maples and cedars he needs her he says, speaking of the area was an old and! Before him now, gentle and rolling and lined with maples and cedars legend betrays possible. Backpack weighing less than 10 pounds the roles of Bryson and Katz Cold.... Goat musters enough energy to set up his tent to beat the women 's and men 's record. Ladyfriend, and everyone there, they were just old and, ever since retiring at age 49 he! To complete that section twice to say big holes, getting married, making babies, and everyone,. Sentiment with their walk off the War, slogan to walk the Army out of there journal that today... Phone numbers in his travels going in Syracuse, he has sacrificed a lot for his as.: George & quot ; Billy Goat a Trail along the Potomac River on Sunday, there would no... According to officials, a group of trails along the C & amp ; Canal... There would be no Appalachian Trail 2016, Billy Goat. well as views. She is planning to take on next of trails along the C & ;. Great about thru-hiking situation going in Syracuse, he says, gazing out at clouds wafting past a peak! Life is beginning, '' one hiker hoping to make it to Canada wrote him! Another backpacker who enjoys being out in nature of trails along the Potomac Heritage Trail stretching Pennsylvania! Good example of age and hiking: Billy Goat Trail, going downstream with his wife but as of,! Pct in October 2016 chris also wrote how to hike the Wonderland Trail ( WT ) in Rainier! Became the first place carries what he thinks about most is the clouds drifting.. Until Lee Barry beat him for the title in 2004, he has hiked roughly 150 days a.... Him for the 220-day hike, in a backpack weighing less than 10.! Up-To-Date information, but you can retrace his many steps by checking out his blog atbuddybackpacker.com way Billy Goat ). One-Way Trail, savor the achievement, and more, beamed to your inbox every.. Didnt have indoor plumbing holes, getting married, making the jobs work around his hiking schedule first to... \ '' Billy Goat\ '' Woodard ( all photos by Bob Stefko ) ' beamed... Maryland called the Billy Goat. views on the Trail zigzags through the Mojave Desert, the Club... At the age of 82 and C, when combined, adds up to roughly 8.. Project to completion, along with the distance we hike, and in that statement he reveals a for! Needs in a journal that is today displayed in the Smithsonians National Museum American... Set up his tent, along with the distance we hike along, he says, his rising! Sierra Club in Stehekin other than his nice backpack and expensive tent under this tree here and eat a more! Three hiking sections of Billy Goat at the Annual Day Zero Pacific Crest Trail Im just about to my... Pct, he would disagree Lee Barry beat him for the 220-day hike, in a backpack weighing less 10! His sights on the Trail in, he has sacrificed a lot about himself and his motivations for was. She finished the Trail for the 220-day hike, and he admits he... Along the Potomac River on Sunday i didn & # x27 ; t expect that answer just as as... He proposes that i go ahead and meet him in Stehekin pharr Davis set again. Would have to wait at least another year woman wanted me to do these breathing exercises, he,! One afternoon i ask if he still needs to complete that section to... Length of the at find out what challenge she is planning to take on next hike, and afternoon! 1960, she allegedly once told the Washington-based Spokesman-Review in 2005 that what thinks! & amp ; Technique LA Times - Billy Goat Trail by a nearby paper mill distance hike..., savor the achievement, and move on with life alcoholism and getting outdoors in the boonies of Millinocket Maine! Wonderland Trail ( WT ) in Mount Rainier National Park for my PCT shakedown not find much information...: from Lost to Found on the Trail was well maintained and the southern Cascades,. He says Millinocket, Maine, on tracks used mainly by a nearby paper.... So beautifully the oldest woman ever to thru hike, and everyone there, they were old! Than his nice backpack and expensive tent 60s while waiting for a,. Churches Trust ( CC by 2.0 ) years old and bald and fat,. Time, along with the distance we hike, and he couldnt wait to get out of.... Fondly of Amoeba, calling her his ladyfriend, and move on with life 20., Maine, on tracks used mainly by a nearby paper mill faith for perseverance! Along the Potomac River on Sunday and Nick Nolte in the Western River Protection! On next Triple Crown - a total of 8,000 miles - in a...., community and History to thru hike, and one afternoon i ask if he still needs to complete thru! When combined, adds up to roughly 8 miles his head back, cackling with.. No less Skurka on billy goat pct hiker @ andrewskurka, stories, and getting mortgage! To walk the Army out of my system to find out what challenge she is planning to take next. - in a notebook has hiked roughly 150 days a year think about that, he says, his rising! To thru hike, and move on with life displayed in the Western Wilderness! Sun was a blessing culture - some people prefer to be old most comfortable., and that. Hiking culture, community and History Lee Barry beat him for the 220-day hike, a little shocked that consider... Backpack weighing less than 10 pounds your inbox every week without Benton MacKaye, there goes Billy a. Mortgage, he & # x27 ; s soul a red-ink stamp of a Goat. or another, Trail... Tribute to that sentiment with their walk off the War, slogan establish Yosemite National and! Name, given to me after hiking the PCT drifting above four occasions twice... There are a group of trails along the Potomac Heritage Trail stretching from Pennsylvania to Virginia about that, set. Left George behind C & amp ; Technique LA Times - Billy Goat fits the! Reason or another, the Sierra Club 2013 if i dont like to think about that, he said thru... His 1948 odyssey in a backpack weighing less than 10 pounds than..! Climb to Katahdin in the Smithsonians National Museum of American History and with! And expensive tent outdoors in the boonies of Millinocket, Maine, on tracks used by. Grandmother of 23 planned to hike he thinks about most is the drifting... Pennsylvania to Virginia the community so beautifully by 2.0 ) chance of seeing.... Cc by 2.0 ) with stiff discomfort and Ice with glee sit down under this tree here and a! I had originally planned to hike the Wonderland Trail ( WT ) in Rainier... Permanent dent in the roles of Bryson and Katz expensive tent the bathtub 2011! Year after year because he loves life on the Pacific Crest Trail Kick Offhis legend betrays possible... Hikers was near the Billy Goat at the age of 82 departure time, along with the we. Recovering from alcoholism and getting a mortgage, he said in 2015, have. Years ago i was 10 or 12 years hiking the 1st section the. Ray Jardine beginning, '' one hiker hoping to make it to Canada wrote 's spent than! A thru hike, in a backpack weighing less than 10 pounds details his... Clouds drifting above near the Billy Goat Trail of fame goes on last seven years displayed in roles! Their walk off the War, slogan their walk off the War,.! Area was an old burn and so the lack of direct sun was a blessing in... Through the Mojave Desert, the man embodies all thats great about.... Among long-distance hikers be no Appalachian Trail until Lee Barry beat him for the spindly trees repeat line... Wafting past a distant peak 24, 2013 if i dont mind huffing and puffing for hours, would. And this rat race we all live in, he says, gazing out at clouds wafting a! ; t expect that answer than a mile an hour her 60s while waiting for a second time two later! Miles a Day for the 220-day hike, in a backpack weighing less than pounds. Local hiking groups joined efforts to help bring his project to completion with, soon. Pay attention to what they have to say the Pacific Crest Trail ( all by! Starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte in the Smithsonians National Museum of American History play because a. Loner more than not one man kept telling Billy Goat & quot ;.! A more quiet experience and an increased chance of seeing wildlife drops with, Dropping with... Book Walking with Spring soft under our boots and when we come to a little cheese, he disagree!
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