billy barr (who prefers his name not be capitalized) has lived alone in the abandoned mining town of Gothic, CO for 50 years. He began keeping detailed weather and snowfall reports to pass the time, living in his hand-built cabin, surrounded by old movies and weather instruments. What began as an exercise in boredom has become a treasure trove of information for climate scientists around the world, and his work has become invaluable to nearby researchers studying the rapidly drying American West.
Photographed for The Washington Post