GOTHIC, Colo.—The sky was a crisp blue high up in the West Elk Mountains of Colorado, and the plows had cleared the road to Gothic of fresh snow.
The day began with a bone-numbing minus 8 degrees Fahrenheit on Nov. 20—but billy barr was aware of that. He meticulously recorded the temperature and other crucial weather indicators on his computer, as he has been doing for years.
In the beginning, keeping track of the weather was a way to pass the time and learn about nature’s ways and patterns.
“It was something to do,” said barr, 74, who prefers to spell his name with lowercase letters out of a sense of humility.
“When did the first birds and the first animals arrive” in the spring? “It was like, ‘Oh, the first robin is here.’ I’d write it down. Year after year.”
Half a century later, barr celebrated his 53rd winter living like a real mountain man—a term he finds perplexing.
“I live in the mountains. I am a male. But I don’t know what the people mean by mountain man—and that’s the problem,” barr says with a grin.
He cuts wood, goes cross-country skiing, but he also knits and bakes.
“It just doesn’t make sense” to some people, he said.
In 1972, the New Jersey native decided he’d had enough of cities and crowds and living like everyone else.
He was just 21 years old and wanted to find peace away from the stresses of modern society. At the same time, he hoped to get married and have a family, but things didn’t turn out that way.
He realized he didn’t have the temperament to meet people and socialize.
“I really was not doing well where I was,” said barr, who lives in a wood frame cabin he built near the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab on the way to Gothic Mountain.
“It was just so bad that I wanted to get away from problems, and so it was not that difficult to come out here.”
The switch from city to solitude was easy, he said.
Most of the mining claims owners barr reached out to never responded,” he told The Epoch Times.
Eventually, he connected with a rancher in Gothic who sold him 1.5 acres of land for $45,000. With the help of friends, barr built a wood-frame cabin on the property, boasting stunning views of the surrounding landscape, a greenhouse, a second-floor bedroom, and an entertainment room with a large projection screen and an extensive DVD movie collection.
He diligently monitors the daily weather conditions, keeping track of temperature, wind speed, and snowfall from a weather station near his cabin. Initially, he recorded this information in notebooks out of curiosity and with plenty of free time on his hands.
As personal computers became more common, barr transitioned to a desktop to make his weather entries, which he then shared on his website, Gothic Weather.
Starting his day early, barr gathers weather data before 7 a.m. and transmits it to local avalanche centers or weather bureaus that may require an early report.
Throughout the day, he works as a part-time accountant in his lab and continues to document accurate weather trends. Over the years, he has observed changes in the snowpack, noting that snow is now wetter and melts faster compared to when he first arrived in Gothic.
Despite the physical challenges of mountain living, including harsh winter conditions and avalanche risks, barr remains resilient and cautious, emphasizing the importance of not taking unnecessary risks.
As he ages, barr acknowledges the increasing difficulty of mountain life, especially after undergoing hip replacement surgeries. Despite these challenges, he remains committed to his self-sufficient lifestyle, utilizing composting toilets, solar power, and other sustainable practices to minimize expenses and live comfortably in his remote mountain cabin.
While the solitude of living alone can be challenging, barr has adapted to his lifestyle and continues to appreciate the unique experiences and independence it offers. “It becomes routine if they become easier to do,” he said.
“It could be a hell of a lot worse,” said Barr, whose status as a local legend often precedes him.
The lab’s caretaker, Travis Guy, has known Barr since 2021 when he started his job.
“I knew billy before on the internet as this important person of climate work and snow,” Guy said. “He’s really down to earth. He’s funny. He’s got a great sense of humor.
“He jokes that any year could be his last. I think he’ll stay as long as his health is good.”
At Elevation Hotel and Spa in Crested Butte, the owners thought Barr’s reputation deserved special recognition. So they built a new bar on the second floor and named it after him.
The “billy barr” opened in 2023.
“Who better than Mr. Barr?” said front desk manager Avery Maxwell, standing behind the bar.
The irony is that the bar’s namesake doesn’t drink.
“When we approached him about naming it after him, he was like, ‘Sure,” Maxwell told The Epoch Times,”’but you’ll probably never see me there.”
Of course, there’s a billy barr menu, Maxwell added, “and people love locals—love them.”
Sometimes, Barr thinks about love, his life, and whether the path he chose was worth it.
He wishes some things had turned out differently.
“I wanted to be the one to get married, but I was so socially inept I couldn’t even talk to someone. It just got worse and worse,” Barr said. “I am so set in my ways, but I do wish I was with somebody else. I’ve always wanted to be married and have kids. And I regret not having that.
“But I have a lot else. There’s more in life than just one thing.”
Every night after dinner, he reads, knits, and watches a movie on the big screen. He enjoys romantic comedies to escape from his daily routine. He turns off the TV and radio news to avoid the chaos in the world.
“The world is too advanced at killing itself,” he said. “It used to be you could disagree with somebody.”
The world has changed.
The world always has problems.
But out here, in the sacred wilderness, billy Barr has the mountains. Can you please rewrite this sentence? Can you please rewrite this sentence? Please rewrite this sentence.
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