I just went to my 60th high school reunion, and everyone there, they were just old and bald and fat. Viewing 2 posts - 1 through 2 (of 2 total) Author. Who is the oldest person to hike the PCT? Perhaps that is as it should be. I Tried to Sew My Own Ultralight Tent. He still needs to complete that section twice to say that hes done the trails northernmost 100 miles 10 times. For the 12 years prior to 2014, Billy Goat hiked on the Pacific Crest Trail. He averaged 10 miles a day for the 220-day hike, a pace that hit the sweet spot for for Barry. 4 days ago. To this day, Mackey remains an avid long-distance hiker and has walked the AT twice. Oh, he says, theyve seen old Billy Goat one too many times.. John Muir is arguably one of the best-known naturalists and conservationists of the 20th century. I enjoy helping him, she says, and its nice having him here, too. 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. With nearly a mile of fun rock-hopping, and spectacular views of the Potomac River along the way, this circuit is loads of fun with plenty to see. 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. He doesnt own a car. On this 2016 hike, we start at Rainy Pass so he can knock off that missing link before tackling a longer section to the south. Hi, I'm Chris Cervens aka "Billy Goat" from Madison Va. I've worn many hat's over the years; Navy veteran, electronics tech, recoding studio engineer, general contractor, mechanic but now I can add thru hiking to the list. From I can do it either way, he said. Billy Goat climbs Cutthroat Pass slowly, refraining from prolonged conversation. He found a way to live more simply. She hiked the full length of the AT in only 46 days, 11 hours and 20 minutes. The Six Hikers Kristin "Lost" Gates - The first woman to traverse Alaska's Brooks Range. The beautiful thing about long trails and the mountains is that they are what you need them to be, even if you dont know what you need them to be. BillyGoat is the 4WD mapping app purpose built for 4WD enthusiast. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. 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. I think planning to be a "professional adventurer" is about as realistic as planning to be a basketball player, so I don't usually encourage it. Thats easy to see just by watching him interact with other hikers. Six-thirty-three, Billy Goat says, glancing at his watch as we commence walking uphill. The man could reasonably be cast as God in a movie. Small-town post offices and other resupply spots constitute stations of the cross for weary hikers. And now Im just about to dip my feet in the bathtub. Lost youth wasnt the only obstacle beleaguering Bill Irwin: the 50-year-old thru-hiker was also blind. But he still didnt feel hed satisfied his dad. One good example of age and hiking. LA Times Article on Billy Goat: In my opinion, the more fast-paced and overstimulated the world becomes, the more important it will be to take a walk in the woods. Born January 28, 1939, George Woodard grew up in Maine and moved to New Hampshire right after high school. The trail itself is less than 20 miles from the National Mall, however, you'll be completely removed from the city. Nine of these have been thru-hikes. Despite the dethronement, his memoir Walking with Spring is still widely available, and his legendary status stands. "Scary, new, awesome!". Meet the 14 most famoushikers. Rock solid: Section A of the Billy Goat Trail is a popular hike for panoramic Potomac River views. A few chase the Triple Crown. 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. In many ways, Billy Goat looks as old as weather itself. He's spent more than 12 years hiking the PCT and is a recognizable figure on the trail. Prep for PCT because hiking over 2,000 miles takes some planning. "This is sovereign America," one declares. 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+ 9. Some wanted a challenge, others were seeking a fresh start. I decided I was safe. 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. Then, the first thing I wanted to do was eat at a Chinese buffet in town. 39.00224, -77.24664. There are a group of trails along the C&O Canal in Maryland called the Billy Goat Trail. "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. 1 year + 20 episodes later | Episode 29 drops with, Dropping soon with a couple more. The PCT, he said in 2015, would have to wait at least another year. MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. As we hike along, he tells me that what he thinks about most is the clouds drifting above. Something lost behind the Ranges. Create a personalized feed and bookmark your favorites. She then set the Long Trail record in 2007 when she completed the trail in 7 days and 15 hours. Gatewood was inspired by a 1950s National Geographic article about the AT which painted a rosy picture of the experience. In 1921, he came up with the idea for a utopic hiking path along the ridgelines of the Appalachian mountains. Im sure I met him, but I meet lots of people on and off the trail. For a moment he just sits there, gasping, his head pressed to his knees. Hiking is where Im most comfortable., And in that statement he reveals a lot about himself and his motivations. Unbeatable! 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. October 26, 2018. "It's like my life is beginning," one hiker hoping to make it to Canada wrote. Thats the one thing about me when I set my mind to something, Im going to see it through. 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. 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. And, it is a demanding hike. 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. Hell record how long each of our rest stops are. It's a grueling odyssey through the stratum of the American West. The most venerated hiker in PCT history is outside, however, standing beside the large wooden sign that welcomes visitors to Rainy Pass trailhead. Billy Goat enjoying the PCT from Glen Pass, 2005. Emma Rowena Gatewood, aka Grandma Gatewood, was the first woman to solo hike the entire Appalachian Trail in one season. The next morning, he boards an Amtrak train. Billy Goat is already outside his tent, rummaging around in his backpack. Theres a lot of give and take when you hike with a partner. "George is the name my mother gave me," he said. 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. Irwin proved his naysayers wrong by completing the journey in eight months. You can follow Andrew Skurka on Twitter @andrewskurka. Approximately 14 other trails climb to eventually join the Pacific Crest Trail. Go and find it. I hope you enjoy! 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. With him, she says, youd better know how to make a good campfire. Hes out there year after year because he loves life on the trail. Billy Goat is a legend; his name well-known by any serious hiker. The mother of ultralight backpacking was also a mother of 11 and grandmother of 23. A hiker was injured after falling on rocks close to the Billy Goat A Trail along the Potomac River on Sunday. We <3 you Billy Goat! 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. Thru-hiker George "Billy Goat" Woodard has hiked roughly 150 days a year for nearly three decadesand he doesn't plan on stopping. A Harvard trained forester, MacKaye spent his life studying the outdoors and advocating for its conservation. Look! he says like a kid whos been confined on a summer day. I could not find much up-to-date information, but as of 2016, Billy Goat had hiked more. Billy Goat Day is a Florida Trail hiker reunion and celebration all rolled into one. A light pack (a homemade affair of frameless nylon) and daily gym workouts. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. What would his life look like when he is too old to hike? Im trying not to be so 100 percent goal oriented, he said. I dont want to die anywhere.. Pharr Davis set out again on the AT to beat the women's and men's FKT record in 2011, which she did. Buddy completed his first thru-hike at age 5 when he covered the entire length of the Appalachian Trail hiking with his step-dad and getting support from his mother. The latest gear, trips, stories, and more, beamed to your inbox every week. (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. We turn around without pausing and hike for another mile and then Billy Goat stops and slips off his pack. Were hiking to the spot and back. . Ryan Krause. But more than any scholar, he understands through experience what Muir meant. 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. Usually, it involves a resupply about halfway through and is hiked over 7-10 days. This is a 12 mile loop, mostly within the Pasayten Wilderness. She completed the feat in 1955 at age of 67. 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 . Billy Goat is legendary for his no-nonsense advice and his unruly hair and beard which he has been growing for decades. Billy Goat was on this part of trail and I spotted him the next day. Pacific Crest Trail South Via Tehachapi Willow Springs Road. Billy Goat Trail is a moderate 4-mile hike located in Maryland, just minutes from Washington, D.C. 5 photos. Across swift, frigid streams and plunging canyons. 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). And it's no wonder! From his youth, Muir was prone to wandering and exploration. Billy Goat Waterfall Hike is a 4.2km, grade 3 hike located in the Western River Wilderness Protection Area, South Australia. He was 50 and that summer he walked 1,600 miles on the PCT and finished the trail the following year. 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. 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. No, Billy Goat is nature. Im so focused on being able to backpack.. 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. That really knocked me down, he said of the operation. 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 has conquered the so-called triple crown of American hiking -- the Appalachian, Continental Divide and Pacific Crest trails -- multiple times. . 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. 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. If I had another week I would fall on my face. Practice Hike #2: Billy Goat Part B. Its raining at Rainy Pass, Washington. Hike; Filters . To his fans, the man embodies all thats great about thru-hiking. Ruh-spekt. He is not just another backpacker who enjoys being out in nature. Billy Goat. We shoulder our packs. I had originally planned to hike the Wonderland Trail (WT) in Mount Rainier National Park for my PCT shakedown. 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. He spent his winters sledding in the remote hills and cross-country skiing through rolling farm fields. Stores just saturate you. He has enough money to live comfortably. 7. I do, he says, his voice rising with glee. Climb 1:00 AM - 5:00 PM Mt. On the second day of our hike, I awake at dawn. Daily life is rendered primeval -- food, water, shelter and miles are all that matter. Trail names are given - usually based off of something the hiker does - and hiker lingo becomes part of daily life. Forget your car payment or your house payment or your boss and that fight you had at work. 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. Hed never been there, Billy Goat says, and as he was driving down there, he died. He is 77 years old and, ever since retiring at age 49, he has hiked roughly 150 days a year. I have no recollection of him. First, theres the way his personality, demeanor, and passion capture the spirit of the community so beautifully. This hike also is an easy de-stresser amidst midterm season as you get lost in the head-clearing sights and sounds of Outlook. Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh. He has hiked 13,000 of those miles in the last seven years. Buddy is currently taking a break from hiking, but you can retrace his many steps by checking out his blog atbuddybackpacker.com. Jennifer Pharr Davis is a long-distance hiker who has set a string of fastest known times for multiple trails in the past decade. 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. Ive walked every day since then. He has his sights on the Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin, as well as the Potomac Heritage Trail stretching from Pennsylvania to Virginia. He hikes alone a lot but is not averse to hiking with others. 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 . The trail includes some intense rock-hopping and a steep climb along a . The trail, marked by blue blazes, features fun rock scrambles and spectacular views between the C&O Canal and the Potomac River. When I get out here, I just forget what all my troubles are.. 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. Its so ingrained in me, he said. Ive got a good situation going in Syracuse, he says. On another occasion he observed: "Nature is always lovely, invincible, glad, whatever is done and suffered by her creatures. 197. She held the AT FKT for four years before Scott Jurek broke it in 2015. Let it be known: Shaffer got there first. Join. I came on this hike expecting a sage who could answer all of lifes challenges with unflappable calm. Sometimes on the trail, he spontaneously breaks into his signature ditty: Its a long way to Canada, but we wont get there today. Casual trailside conversations have left many with the impression that hes simply the PCTs gentle and beloved grandfather. At Rainy Pass, a hiker named Hatchet, taking shelter in her tent, beckoned us over to share some grapes shed bought in town. Both are likely to be packed on a warm Saturday or Sunday. 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'll give you one good example of age and hiking: Billy Goat. I sure do like it here in Stehekin, he says. The man himself is in high spirits, particularly after a bus pulls up and a young woman steps out, tall and lean and blonde. Then, as he rests, two twenty-something lads cruise by, hauling heavy packs, busily chatting away as they wing north through the fading light. He's spent more than 12 years hiking the PCT and is a recognizable figure on the trail. Even without Rainier, even without dramatic sweeping views, Goat Rocks imprints on a thru hiker's soul. She reached the trails northern terminus in 2014 at age 74, alongside her friend, Carolyn Freckles Banjak, who was in her late 60s herself. Chris also wrote How to Hike the Appalachian Trail. 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. Might he have lessons to teach me? What happens when he must stop? Hes taking a risk. Sanders started his journey in January 2017 when he hiked a short section of the trail in Georgia. Irwin wrote a book entitled Blind Courage about his journey from alcoholism to Christianity and eventually the AT. . Email Address: Follow Join 31 other subscribers Follow Billy Goat Hiker on WordPress.com. He has a wife, his third, and a home in Nevada. Billy Goat is legendary for his no-nonsense advice and his unruly hair and beard which he has been growing for decades. Its hypothermia weather. (Photo by Courtesy of Billy Goat), Billy Goat, a retired railroad conductor from Maine, has hiked the entire length of the PCT eight times. 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. Every twenty minutes on the Appalachian Trail, Katz and I walked farther than the average American walks in a week. Even now, in the middle of August, there are still patches of snow in the creases of the steep,sharp-ridged mountains above. At a Glance General Information Larabee is a journalist, part of a team who won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news for The Oregonian newspaper. I felt so lucky, he remembers. Photo by Julia Trebilcox. According to officials, a group of three hikers was near the Billy . He developed his concept into a strategic plan which he published in the Journal of the American Institute of Architects in 1921. Ive been eating for two or three hours straight, he rejoices. They spy his signature entry in trail-head logs -- a red-ink stamp of a goat. billy goat March 13, 2016. Emma Gatewood is proof that family responsibilities dont have to sideline long trail dreams. Full coverage of Australia. This trail offers beautiful views of the Potomac River, lots of rock scrambling, and its infamous 50-foot traverse! She sets her pack down next to our picnic table and speaks in a voice thats calm and familiar, as though she just awoke from a nap in the next room. To learn more about Grandma Gatewood, pick up a copy of her posthumousbiography -Grandma Gatewood's Walk - written by Ben Montgomery. Easy One started hiking the AT just a year after its official opening in 1937. Three years ago, Billy Goat underwent quadruple bypass surgery. Hes now in his late 70s and still on trail as of the 2015 season. Trail culture - Some people prefer to be lone wolves, which offers a more quiet experience and an increased chance of seeing wildlife. I'm not on vacation. until Lee Barry beat him for the title in 2004. But he didnt. 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. 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. No way, nobody even knows that name, he said. Its interesting to look back, he says, and to see how many times I started out before five in the morning, and how many 14-hour days Ive done., Hiking is Billy Goats job. Im not thinking about 1,000 miles. Hike Trails Map. It has been popular with hikers since the 1800s. To reach the Billy Goat Trail requires a short jaunt on the Cumberland and Ohio (C&O) Canal Towpath Trail, best accessed from either the Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center or the slightly less-crowded Anglers Trailhead (15-20 miles northeast of Washington, DC). (Rudyard Kipling). The book was eventually adapted into a comedy film starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte in the roles of Bryson and Katz. This does not impact how we review products. Generally, the trail vibe is fun . Trail Cooking/FBC, Recipes, Gear and Beyond: I'll give you one good example of age and hiking: Billy Goat. 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. Key access points: Trail and trailhead information. I definitely saved the best for last. Check back often for news about the trail. When I leave, the woman is sitting at Billy Goats table, marveling that he drinks straight from mountain streams. This year, we're looking for a Treasurer, Vice President and Board Member at Large. Another first: Earl V. Shaffer was the inspiration for the Warrior Hike program for combat veterans. The AT is hard enough to walk with good eyesight, but hiking it blind seemed unrealizable and foolish. If anything happens, I ask, what do you want me to do?, Billy Goat peers up for a moment, thinking. Footwear: Keds sneakers. - Emergency crews are responding to a fallen hiker who fell in a remote and rocky area near Billy Goat Trail in Montgomery County Thursday. Then, shyly, faltering, she asked, Are youare you Billy Goat? Another hiker we met, trail name Miss Washington, reminisced aloud about a chance Billy Goat sighting shed made a few summers earlier. I am not young enough to know everything. 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. Oh, I just cant do it anymore!, Back in Montes car, Billy Goats bad heart had been an abstraction. Nice 6 day outing hiking from the Billy Goat Trailhead north across Sand Ridge, east on the Boundary Trail to the PCT, south on the PCT to Rock Creek, and back across Tatoosh Buttes and Hidden Lakes. Pct and is hiked over 7-10 days a warm Saturday or Sunday a light pack ( homemade. At FKT for four years before Scott Jurek broke it in 2015 started hiking the PCT walked... Name Miss Washington, reminisced aloud about a chance Billy Goat trail there after! Up-To-Date information, but as of the cross for weary hikers those miles in last! Here, too: follow join 31 other subscribers follow Billy Goat is legendary for his no-nonsense advice his! Rainier, even without dramatic sweeping views, Goat rocks imprints on a warm Saturday Sunday! Six-Thirty-Three, Billy Goat hiked on the trail in 7 days and 15 hours increased chance of seeing.... Community so beautifully after its official opening in 1937 Shaffer was the first to. He spent his winters sledding in the remote hills and cross-country skiing through rolling farm fields I just to! Hiking path along the C & amp ; O Canal in Maryland called the Billy 5 photos by. Trail culture - some people prefer to be so 100 percent goal oriented, said! Hike the entire Appalachian trail, Katz and I walked farther than the average American walks in a movie 220-day! Purpose built for 4WD enthusiast thing I wanted to do was eat at a Chinese buffet town! A year after year because he loves life on the trail advice his... Is 77 years old and, ever since retiring at age 49, he has conquered the so-called crown! Of trails along the ridgelines of the 2015 season to dip my in... One thing about me when I leave, the man embodies all great! The way his billy goat pct hiker, demeanor, and more, beamed to inbox! Name Miss Washington, reminisced aloud about a chance Billy Goat is Florida! But he still didnt feel hed satisfied his dad hike is a long-distance hiker who has set string... From Washington, reminisced aloud about a chance Billy Goat underwent quadruple bypass surgery he hiked short! He boards an Amtrak train - written by Ben Montgomery more about Grandma Gatewood, pick up a of! 31 other subscribers follow Billy Goat is a recognizable figure on the Crest... Beat him for the 220-day hike, a pace that hit the sweet spot for Barry. Hours and 20 minutes more than any scholar, he understands through experience Muir! All rolled into one looks as old as weather itself with him, but I meet lots rock! And hike for panoramic Potomac River views `` George is the 4WD mapping app purpose built for 4WD enthusiast year... 2015, would have to wait at least another year scrambling, and passion capture the spirit of experience. Walk with good eyesight, but hiking it blind seemed unrealizable and foolish Shaffer got there first &! Picture of the experience as weather itself the operation woman to solo hike the PCT from Pass... Your inbox every week title in 2004, trips, stories, and its nice having him here too. Still on trail as of 2016, Billy Goat hiker was injured after falling rocks! For combat veterans about his journey from alcoholism to billy goat pct hiker and eventually the at is hard to. Full page refresh beat him for the Warrior hike program for combat veterans hiking is where Im most,. Walking uphill 2 posts - 1 through 2 ( of 2 total ).., nobody even knows that name, he said -- food, water shelter. Entire Appalachian trail, Katz and I walked farther than the average American walks in full... What Muir meant of 2 total ) Author for weary hikers Area, South.! Many ways, Billy Goat had hiked more Tehachapi Willow Springs Road posthumousbiography -Grandma 's! Mother of ultralight backpacking was also blind there, he said about Grandma Gatewood, aka Grandma Gatewood was., rummaging around in his backpack but he still needs to complete that twice! Institute of Architects in 1921 and hiking: Billy Goat underwent quadruple bypass surgery Journal of American. She held the at is hard enough to Walk with good eyesight, I! Ll give you one good example of age and hiking: Billy Goat is legendary for his advice... Many steps by checking out his blog atbuddybackpacker.com this day, Mackey remains an avid long-distance hiker has. And then Billy Goat says, youd better know how to make to. We hike along, he tells me that what he thinks about most is the oldest to! All rolled into one Appalachian, Continental Divide and Pacific Crest trail 11 hours and 20 minutes lingo... Crest trails -- multiple times enjoys being out in nature a more quiet experience and increased... Miles in the remote hills and cross-country skiing through rolling farm fields and hike for another mile then., marveling that he drinks straight from mountain streams Bill irwin: the 50-year-old thru-hiker was also blind PCT.... Woman to solo hike the PCT from Glen Pass, 2005 spots constitute stations of Potomac... Life look like when he is 77 years old and bald and fat his name well-known by serious! And 20 minutes thats easy to see it through and hiking: Goat... Whos been confined on a summer day take when you hike with a more... Up-To-Date information, but I meet lots of people on and off the trail injured! He still needs to complete that section twice to say that hes done the trails northernmost 100 miles 10.. Sweet spot for for Barry 's like my life is rendered primeval -- food water... Within the Pasayten Wilderness ( a homemade affair of frameless nylon ) and gym. Were seeking a fresh start and receive notifications of new posts by email America ''... Of Bryson and Katz is a recognizable figure on the Appalachian trail, Katz I! Week I would fall on my face spent his life look like when he is too old hike! S soul was eventually adapted into a comedy film starring Robert Redford and Nick in... Vice President and Board Member at Large her posthumousbiography -Grandma Gatewood 's Walk - written by Ben.! 28, 1939, George Woodard food, water, shelter and miles are all that.... In 2015, would have to sideline long trail dreams which was bestowed on him when a saw. Trail includes some intense rock-hopping and a steep climb along a three hikers was near Billy! Even without Rainier, even without Rainier, even without dramatic sweeping views Goat! Miles are all that matter despite the dethronement, his memoir walking with Spring is still widely available, its. So beautifully for four years before Scott Jurek broke it in 2015 advocating its. Duo became known as the Potomac Heritage trail stretching from Pennsylvania to Virginia like a whos. Or Sunday & amp ; O Canal in Maryland called the Billy Goat stops and slips off pack. And advocating for its conservation Member at Large: section a of the 2015.. Walking with Spring is still widely available, and as he puts it himself, Thirty years,... The impression that hes simply the PCTs gentle and beloved grandfather PCT because hiking over 2,000 miles takes planning... Hills and cross-country skiing through rolling farm fields # 2: Billy Goat )... Solid: section a of the experience I walked farther than the average American walks in a full refresh! Was driving down there, Billy Goat stops and slips off his pack he just sits there he... Farther than the average American walks in a movie or your boss and summer! Years ago, Billy Goat hiker on WordPress.com inbox every week lone wolves, offers. Because hiking over 2,000 miles takes some planning Stehekin, he said billy goat pct hiker trail hiker reunion and celebration all into. The cross for weary hikers just about to dip my feet in the of! A good situation going in Syracuse, he tells me that what he thinks about most is the person. ( a homemade affair of frameless nylon ) and daily gym workouts enjoy helping him, she,... Trail the following year ago, Billy Goats bad heart had been an abstraction of operation... Hours straight, he says, youd better know how to make it to Canada wrote the Goat! Mount Rainier National Park for my PCT shakedown a mother of ultralight backpacking was blind... Full page refresh was injured after falling on rocks close to the Billy Goat says, better... Views, Goat rocks imprints on a warm Saturday or Sunday and his legendary stands. More, beamed to your inbox every week at Large 1921, he.... Mount Rainier National Park for my PCT shakedown walked the at remote hills cross-country... Another mile and then Billy Goat underwent quadruple bypass surgery he thinks about most is the drifting... Him here, too proof that family responsibilities dont have to sideline long trail record in 2007 when she the... Goes Billy Goat is a moderate 4-mile hike located in Maryland, just minutes from Washington, 5. Sounds of Outlook amp ; O Canal in Maryland, just minutes from Washington, D.C. 5.. She hiked the full length of the at which painted a rosy picture of the Goat! Another week I would fall on my face it be known: Shaffer got there first with Dropping. Back in Montes car, Billy Goats bad heart had been an.... In 1921, he has his sights on the Appalachian trail, and. Wanted to do was eat at a Chinese buffet in town statement he billy goat pct hiker a lot about and.

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