Originally published in the Kitsap Sun on March 7, 2006
By Seabury Blair Jr., For The Kitsap Sun
Meet the Mountain Goats: More than a dozen local hikers who head for the hills every Monday. Like their namesake or the U.S. Postal Service, neither rain, sleet nor snow keeps them from their appointed rounds. They charge up mountain trails, scramble around cliffs, wallow in snowdrifts and challenge winter wilderness pathways most hikers consider solely summer fare. Most Mondays, they'll hike more than a half-dozen miles and climb several thousand feet. They are a splinter group of the larger Monday Hikers, a big non-organization of Kitsap and North Mason folks who walk, saunter or hike local trails. On the average, the Mountain Goats members have been on this planet for 64.8 years. A week ago, the Goats headed for 6,280-foot-high Mount Townsend, that Olympic peak buried under at least 8 feet of snow in the Buckhorn Wilderness. Most hikers wait until June or July to tackle Mount Townsend; the Goats prefer having the trail all to themselves. Since one of the tenets of the Monday Hikers and the Goats is to eschew leaders or spokespersons, there's really only one way to get to know them: Pant and sweat along behind on one of their outings. The Marquis de Sade himself could not devise a more exquisite torture. Sixty-seven-year-old Neil Dahmen of Kingston risks ostracism by writing "Goat Notes," a weekly log of the group's outings. He's one of eight Goats to patiently accompany a camera-wielding, waddling mountain of flesh who believes — without reason — that he can keep pace with these trail animals. Other Goats now slogging about 2 miles up snow-covered Forest Road 27 to the Mount Townsend Trailhead: Ellen Schroeder, 67, Ann Richey, 66, Renate Scisney, 58, all Bremerton residents; Ed Woods, 64, Poulsbo; Gary Larson, 67, Olalla; Jack, 74, and Faith McCarn, 66, of Port Orchard. The snow is soft and corny, and the group quickly splits into a fast party and those who take pity on the mountain of flesh. They pretend they can't keep up with Schroeder, Woods and Jack McCarn, although Dahmen and Larson later join the faster group. The white stuff grows increasingly deeper on the road and the hikers try to stay along the sides sheltered by trees above. The toughest part of the hike is the last mile to the trailhead, where you sink up to your knees and must therefore lift each foot knee-high to continue. That's a workout. The Goats herd together again at the trailhead while everyone takes a breather. The flesh mountain sweats enough to create flood conditions on the Quilcene River below. Surprisingly, the hike on the trail is easier. The forest canopy shelters the trail and snow falling from the trees above consolidates the white stuff on the path. The trail begins with a series of switchbacks and Schroeder, Woods and McCarn again stampede up the path through the rhododendron groves. They are followed by a slower group that soon realizes the mountain of flesh is beyond hope and leave him to wheeze along by himself. After about a half-mile, the Goats settle by a quiet creek crossing for lunch and talk before heading back down the trail and road. Schroeder, who also goes ice-skating three times a week and takes ballet, says she joined the Goats for the challenge of mountain hiking. "You can't get this kind of exercise down there," she says, waving in the general area of the Quilcene valley. The Goats say they like the steeper trails, the tougher hikes and the alpine scenery better than the lowland pathways their Monday Hiker counterparts enjoy. They agree that the physical challenge keeps them in good shape. Besides the herd on the Mount Townsend Trail, regulars on Goat outings include Pat Whalen, 57, and Margot Turner, 68, both Kingston residents; Ed Powers, 68, of Hansville; Sarah Armstrong, 55, of Bremerton; and Alan Lindstrum, 65, of Bainbridge. The Goats and Monday Hikers never seek publicity and, since they are a non-organization, rarely meet except to gather at 8 a.m. every Monday to carpool, usually at Poulsbo's Church of the Nazarene park-and-ride. So it is a rare opportunity for a mountain of flesh to accompany the Goats on a hike. Why would they put up with it? Dahmen answered: "The general conclusion was that if our example can serve to inspire other old codgers like ourselves to get off their duffs and come to the mountains for exercise and a look at what Mother Nature offers 24/7, all the better." So, there you have it: The Mountain Goats. Call them strong Goats, or Goats in excellent physical condition. But old Goats? Hardly.
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