View Full Version : Billy Goat Gets The Front Page of the LA Times
The Weasel
06-25-2008, 20:52
Honest. I wake up this morning and I see a real trail dude.....
Front page, above the fold, center. Respect for a long walker. The real deal. Wow.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-billygoat25-2008jun25,0,7598932.story
The Weasel
Frolicking Dinosaurs
06-25-2008, 21:02
Excellent - thanks for sharing.
notorius tic
06-25-2008, 21:10
Good article
It's a very good article. I read it this AM off an RSS feed here @ WB.
max patch
06-25-2008, 21:11
uh oh, here we go again.....
"Each year about 300 people attempt to hike the PCT in one season, generally April to September. Of those, about 60% make it -- fewer people than scale Mt. Everest in a year."
Lone Wolf
06-25-2008, 21:11
obsessive compulsive. why be married. i can see why weasy is jealous
Lone Wolf
06-25-2008, 21:12
uh oh, here we go again.....
"Each year about 300 people attempt to hike the PCT in one season, generally April to September. Of those, about 60% make it -- fewer people than scale Mt. Everest in a year."
most marriages fail too
Bulldawg
06-25-2008, 21:18
Nice article!!
uh oh, here we go again.....
"Each year about 300 people attempt to hike the PCT in one season, generally April to September. Of those, about 60% make it -- fewer people than scale Mt. Everest in a year."
The purist mentality doesn't exist on western trails.
Lone Wolf
06-25-2008, 21:29
The purist mentality doesn't exist on western trails.
then how do we know folks actually hike the PCT?
The Weasel
06-25-2008, 23:44
obsessive compulsive. why be married. i can see why weasy is jealous
No, Wolf. While you may not understand the difference, some of us can admire people without being jealous of them. Particularly on my wedding anniversary.
TW
The Weasel
06-25-2008, 23:46
The purist mentality doesn't exist on western trails.
Ummm...Mowgli? He's walked the CDT and the AT, multiple times, and across the US.
TW
This year, according to Billy Goat's wife, BG is filling in sections of PCT missed on previous hikes.
While the PCT normally has a higher completion rate than the AT, high snow years being the exception, not all follow the official trail. Two alternate routes most hikers take are the Carter Lake rim trail and the Eagle Creek trail, both closed to horses.
then how do we know folks actually hike the PCT?
Who cares? Not me! All I know is that I'll be on the PCT in a few weeks!
Ummm...Mowgli? He's walked the CDT and the AT, multiple times, and across the US.
TW
My point was directed at Max Patch - who seemed to be questioning the 60% PCT completion rate referenced in the article.
max patch
06-26-2008, 08:31
My point was directed at Max Patch - who seemed to be questioning the 60% PCT completion rate referenced in the article.
Thats not what I meant at all.
I was referring to the thread a few weeks back when someone asked an innocent question -- doing at AT thru elevation gain wise is the equivalent of ascending Mt Everest 16 times and they wanted to know where on the AT those 16 points would be. In typical WB fashion this quickly disinegrated into a stupid argument as to what is "tougher" -- an AT thru hike or summiting MT Everest.
Oh, OK. I misunderstood. Thanks for the clarification.
Alligator
06-26-2008, 08:59
Thats not what I meant at all.
I was referring to the thread a few weeks back when someone asked an innocent question -- doing at AT thru elevation gain wise is the equivalent of ascending Mt Everest 16 times and they wanted to know where on the AT those 16 points would be. In typical WB fashion this quickly disinegrated into a stupid argument as to what is "tougher" -- an AT thru hike or summiting MT Everest.I understood what you meant Max, both this and the last time.
I understood what you meant Max, both this and the last time.
Thankfully, I missed the other argument.
Who cares? Not me! All I know is that I'll be on the PCT in a few weeks!
About five or six weeks for me. Seriously psyched, but the news stories of drought, wildfires and mountain lions are mildly worrisome. More so the former -- some of the fires are centered exactly on the section we'll be hiking.
oldfivetango
06-26-2008, 09:11
I notice in the article that Mr Woodard eats a mixture of
groats and other vegetables.
Would someone please inform me what a GROAT is?
Yeah,I am that ignorant.
Oldfivetango
was a great article btw.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groats
I hear Billy Goat likes his groats gruff. ;)
faarside
06-26-2008, 09:34
An awesome article... thanks for sharing.
There are probably more folks out there than we will ever know that share the same societal anxiety/depression "symptoms" as BG. Most folks don't display their true, inner feelings while performing day-to-day tasks on the job or at home. They hide them for fear of ridicule or for some other countless number of reasons. All along, inside, something is regularly eating away at them or, more appropriately, prodding at them. Something - some feeling - they cannot quite identify. The something can be and usually is different for everyone.
For me, it is a constant dream of being outdoors - having constant thoughts of hiking, sleeping under the stars, being free from the social anxiety that weighs me down, not hearing car alarms or horns, or loud hip-hop blasting from car stereos (and I live in the country!). My concentration, senses, and memory are all sharper while on the Trail. It is no wonder that it (the Trail) seems to be the only remaining place where I can do something else that I enjoy - write.
I do not hike as much or as frequently as I once did. For now, my desire to be outdoors and on the Trail MORE is and remains, just a dream. Dreams are wonderful things.
Happy Trails!
Alligator
06-26-2008, 09:46
Thankfully, I missed the other argument.Actually you posted to that thread (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=38496);). The second post was Max's. (And then you picked up an argument there two minutes after posting here:eek:.) That's neither here nor there though, I just wanted to let Max know he wasn't totally misunderstood is all:p.
Actually you posted to that thread (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=38496);). The second post was Max's. (And then you picked up an argument there two minutes after posting here:eek:.) That's neither here nor there though, I just wanted to let Max know he wasn't totally misunderstood is all:p.
That thread was about replacing gear at outfitters. Not Mt. Everest.
Alligator
06-26-2008, 10:00
That thread was about replacing gear at outfitters. Not Mt. Everest.That was the other place that Max was misunderstood. I guess maybe you meant to quote Max:confused:.
fiddlehead
06-26-2008, 10:41
About five or six weeks for me. Seriously psyched, but the news stories of drought, wildfires and mountain lions are mildly worrisome. More so the former -- some of the fires are centered exactly on the section we'll be hiking.
That's plenty of time to change your destination. I'd head up to Oregon or down to Tahoe area or somewhere wetter than where those fires are.
Why bother with hiking in smoke when you have a 2650+ mile trail to choose from?
Congrats Billy Goat. Keep on keepin on. You're my inspiration for doing a thru with my kid when he's 15.
That's plenty of time to change your destination. I'd head up to Oregon or down to Tahoe area or somewhere wetter than where those fires are.
Why bother with hiking in smoke when you have a 2650+ mile trail to choose from?
Good point. Tickets (to SFO) are already purchased. Tahoe had been an early candidate (out of convenience) but I was looking for something more remote and "different." Oregon's not a bad choice but I'm already somewhat familiar with that terrain, so it scores a bit lower on the "new and different" scale. #1 choice would have been Kings Canyon/Sequoia, but it's just too hard to get to for a short (100 mile) hike.
fiddlehead
06-26-2008, 11:48
Lots o good stuff on the PCT. How about heading north out of Tuollume (lots closer to SFO than Etna) or north from Carson's pass? (i'm not sure of where the fires are and maye they'll be out till you go but, I've changed plans because of drought, fires, snowstorms, huge storms, etc. lots of times.
My goal usually is to enjoy myself to the max so, you have to be open.
My 20 year old niece is visiting me right now here in Thailand, travelling alone for the 1st time and she is not into making plans at all. She's seen some parts of Thailand that i've only heard are beautiful never having been there (yet). It is a much better way to travel i think.
Anyway, sorry for hijacking the thread. Billy Goat deserves a whole slew of threads about his many hikes and climbs. I have a feeling he'd be ok with what i'm sayin though.
Just got wind of this. Billy Goat is a real trail legend. One of the kindest, funniest, calmest people you'll ever a meet, a true gentleman.
I wish him the best in continuing to hike the PCT, his favorite trail.
budforester
07-03-2008, 12:07
Groats are the hulled grain of a cereal; I usually think of buckwheat.