It would be easy to say that my favorite memory of llama packing was riding my trusty llama, Signal, over High Sierra bridges and looking down on a rushing river. Or getting to camp at Relief Reservoir and hunting for “dinosaur eggs.” Or maybe the overwhelming excitement of finding my favorite butterscotch candy left along the trail as encouragement by my fast-paced dad.
But my favorite memory of llama packing was the summer of 2018. My dad hurt his back from the seat in his truck (which is code for “I’m getting too old for this sh*t”) so he hired me to finish his deliveries for the season. A popular rental trip for llama packing is doing the John Muir Trail, or at least a section of it. But doing this type of trip means the client needs to be dropped off at one location and picked up at another. This particular year he still had about five drop offs and pickups to do with very limited mobility.
With a bottle of painkillers and my trusty Jack Russell Terrier, Charles Wallace, we drove off on the first delivery. Having lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for the previous year, I had become quite accustomed to being a speed demon in my cherry red Prius, but on this day, I magically transformed into Driving Ms. Daisy. Driving a Duramax Diesel GMC Sierra for the first time and towing a trailer with llamas earned me more than a few eye rolls both from inside the cabin and the cars behind me. But with a little time behind the wheel, I soon was just as comfortable driving the truck as my little car, Lucy.
Off we went, up and down the narrow and winding Sonora Pass, with a pit stop at the peak. Bonding over the band Joseph and podcasts about how to improve firefighting efforts, we pulled into Horseshoe Meadow. Being the only people with llamas in a campground full of horses, we had to take extra care to set up camp at a distance. In case you are wondering, horses are afraid of everything. Did you catch that? EVERYTHING. After parking the truck and trailer, which required me to back the trailer into the space and I totally nailed the parking job, we set up camp and hung out for the evening.
After spending the night at Horseshoe Meadows, I was amazed at how well I slept. I was even thinking, Huh, maybe this outdoor llama stuff really IS for me. Maybe I should take over the family business. Until my dad noticed that I had slept in the truck with the windows and doors nicely closed, creating some hypoxic bliss at 10,000 ft. Oh well.
We packed up, sans llamas, and headed back to homebase: Sonora, Ca. On the way back, we of course stopped at our favorite coffee shop, Looney Bean, in Bishop. We also stopped at Manzanar, the former Japanese Internment camp turned museum. Seeing the photos and walking through a hallway lined with quotes from survivors was a beautiful experience. Having their lives and accomplishments completely uprooted over irrational fear was an eye-opening experience, to say the least.
The three of us (Dad, me, and Charles) loaded up the truck and trailer 4 more times, heading back to Horseshoe Meadows, Onion Valley, and other various locations to pick up and drop off llamas. Frequenting the Looney Bean coffee shop and the Mobil Station in Lee Vining (serving some of the best road food EVER), we fell into a nice routine. We even had the excitement of having to divert on one of our return trips home due to a rapidly spreading wildfire over Sonora Pass. Whatever was thrown our way, we handled it together with ease.
On our final trip together, one of my dad’s clients casually deemed me “Greg’s Intrepid Daughter” while on the phone with his wife and those three words perfectly captured my feelings of this time spent with my dad. Growing up, my dad was the stay-at-home parent, but it had been years since we’d spent so much time together. I had grown up and moved away and started my own life, but getting to spend these few 1-2 day trips together made me reminisce over those days when I was a child, spending what felt like hours in the truck with my dad just running simple errands, watching the world go by as he told long stories from his childhood.
Kennedy Meadow South-
This is a great early season, May trip with plenty of grass, lots of water, and
moderate temperatures. By early summer it is hot, water is drying up, and
rattlesnakes are active. Trailhead camping is approximately one mile north of
Kennedy Meadows store. Campsites are unmaintained with no water or garbage
pickup. Enter the PCT at mile 704 at 6020’ elevation. After 3 miles of easy
gain you will cross a steel-girded wooden bridge, snack break. At another 1 1/2
miles you will cross Crag Creek and pass through a burn area, over a
hill, and down on the left there is a good camp area with grass and Crag Creek.
The next camp and water is on the South Fork of the Kern River, about 6 or 7
miles. We always stop at Crag Creek, both humans and llamas are out of shape.
This is a dry desert environment with lots of brush, and it is subject to high
winds. Always be extremely careful with campfires, we rarely start one. The
next stop is the South Fork of the Kern River. Gaining an easy 1000’ in
elevation you will start to see the transition to the Sierras and high alpine.
Only 65 miles further north, about 3 days of hiking for the speedy PCT hikers,
is Forester Pass and the southern end of the John Muir Trail, a majestic wonderland.
Upon reaching the South Fork of the
Kern River is another steel-girded wooden bridge, also known as Swallow Bridge.
Most years the Swallows arrive early and nest under the bridge. At intervals
all the swallows leave the nests under the bridge and do loop de loops in the
sky for a few minutes then return to their nests. Uphill from the bridge is a
tiered campsite with rock benches and flat tent sites. The vanguard of the PCT
hikers start coming through in late April, or early May. They are lean hiking
machines. It is amazing how far they can go on Snickers bars and trail mix. My
friend Karen Laws has fished downstream from Swallow Bridge with great success.
She wades upstream where the willows choke the sides off about one to two miles
upstream. To loop back to Kennedy Meadow, cross the bridge and turn east
following an old cow track. From here on the trail is less defined and there
are no sign posts. In some spots a multitude of deer trails intersect. The
first two miles or so, you will cross the Kern River eleven times. The last
crossing is the most difficult. It is hard to see where to cross. There is a
deeper hole that your llamas may try and jump. On this section you must be
patient, constantly orientating with your map, and sometimes sending a scout to
find the way. Dutch John Flat is the next destination. There is good grass a
few hundred yards west of camp. In between camp and the grass, there is a
spring with a cistern. Some years the small spring next to camp is running.
From Dutch John Flat to Kennedy Meadows is about eight miles. You must decide
if you wish to hike a full day and drive home that afternoon or camp at the
trailhead and drive home the next morning. Option 2 is to have a short days
hike, camp in the wilderness one more night, and then drive home the next day.
I always pick option two. The only decent place to camp is about is about three
miles south of Dutch John flat. On the left will be a grove of big shady trees
and a small spring crossing the trail. A small meadow is about 100 yards west
of the trail, perfect for llamas. The spring is where your abs pipe will come
in handy. The last day is an easy hike back down to 6000’ and Kennedy Meadow.
Stop by the Kennedy Meadow store and have a burger or hot dog out on the deck.
Mingle with the PCT hikers and listen to their stories. Who knows you may meet
the next Dixie.
Tips and Resources
Maps: Pacific Crest Trail #3, Inyo National Forest
Rattlesnake shots--I recommend that llamas get Rattlesnake shots. Dogs are ok on this trip, but the dog needs to get a rattlesnake shot as well.
Remember to filter all water.
Always be very fire safe.
ABS Pipes- Many Hardware stores carry 18” x 1 ½” pre-cut black abs. PVC will work also. Use this to create a drop on slow moving water sources.
Horseshoe Meadow-
This is a wonderful entrance for stock into the Sierra Nevada forest and
Sequoia Park. If you wish to travel the JMT and the PCT with stock, this is the
closest entrance to Whitney Portal. Stock is not allowed to enter or exit thru
Whitney Portal. The total distance from Horseshoe Meadow to Tuolumne Meadow is
very close to the same distance from Whitney Portal to Happy Isle. Llamas are
not allowed to enter or exit thru Happy Isle. Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and
Yosemite National Park have much more regulation than National Forest areas. It
may seem daunting at first trying to plan a trip north thru Sequoia and Kings
Canyon. But it is doable. My biggest hint when traveling thru the parks is to
interact with the backcountry rangers. Ask if your camping plan for the next
few days is correct, have your permit handy, have the poop rake visible. Offer
to haul out any trash they might have, the rangers would much rather be
proactive than writing citations.
A nice short trip is to cottonwood
lakes. There are several lakes below Old Army Pass. The lakes have Golden
Trout, but they are wily. The upper lakes are above the tree line, so secure
your tent well. To connect with the PCT JMT, skirt the back of the stables
heading toward Cottonwood Pass. Not long after going over Cottonwood pass you
will join the PCT. Go right, and about a mile later is Chicken Spring Lake.
Good water and grass. The next water hole is five or six miles. I have dry
camped at the Siberian Pass Trail Junction. Rock Creek has stock camping south
of the trail junction on Rock Creek. There is no grass in the campsite at the
creek. The backcountry ranger is there. Check with him or her on grazing
restrictions. The climb out of Rock Creek will get you puffing, soon you will
arrive at Crabtree Meadow and the JMT Junction. If you are camping at Crabtree,
be sure and check with the ranger on where to graze. From Crabtree Meadow to
Sonora Pass you can spend a lifetime exploring some of the most spectacular
high alpine terrain in the world. I have.
Some Grazing Tips: The JMT corridor
has a lot of grazing restrictions for livestock. Sometimes exploring off the
trail a quarter mile or so can alleviate that problem.
Example: Wallace, Wright, and
Tyndall Creek offer many off trail options. Check with rangers at Crabtree or
Tyndall Creek.
Another tip is setting yourself up
for high pass summits. Your first major summit is Forester Pass. Camp at the
base of Forester Pass and get on the trail early. Do not start any passes in
the middle of the day. Sometimes the passes have narrow trails and you want to
get up and over before the hikers can crowd you.
Onion Valley-
This is another popular east side entrance to Kings Canyon Park and the JMT. It
is 6.6 miles from the trailhead to the JMT, but there are a lot of grazing
restrictions west of Kearsage Pass. I suggest a first day short hike, stopping
at one of the lakes on the east side of the Kings Canyon Park boundary. Grass may
be sparse, so it is a good idea to bring 4 or 5 pounds of pellets per llama for
dinner and breakfast. If going north, start early. Turn north at the JMT and go
to the base of Glen Pass. The next day will be hard. Summit Glen Pass early,
pass through Rae Lakes (no stopping with stock), and you must go to the stock
camp just north of Baxter Drift Fence.
South Lake- The
Bishop Pass Trail starts at South Lake and Junctions with the JMT twelve miles
in. South Lake is 22 miles west of Bishop. It is a good access road and Bishop
offers many services. It can be crowded in summer. I always enjoy stopping at
Looney Bean on 395. Parking at the trailhead can be crowded. You may have to
park back down on the road. Dusy Basin is a good goal on the first day, but it
is a steep hike up to 12,000’ Bishop Pass. If starting late, or pooping out
early, consider stopping at one of the lakes below Bishop Pass. You will need
some pellets for your llamas. Stopping early, or making it to Dusy Basin, there
is no grazing in Dusy Basin or surrounding areas. If you are exiting at South
Lake from Le Conte Canyon, it is a whole lot of uphill. I recommend stopping at
Dusy Basin.
North
Lake Trailhead is close to South Lake. It basically goes the same direction as
the Bishop Pass Trail, and ties into the JMT about 26 miles north of Paiute
Canyon Trail. It makes a good loop trip.
Florence Lake-
This trailhead is a really nice entry to the JMT at Muir Ranch. Unfortunately
the long long road in is a lot of potholes connected to a little bit of
asphalt. There is a good llama camping spot uphill from the pack station on the
road to Jackass Meadow. It is on the right just past the bathroom. There are
bear boxes, easy turnarounds, and lots of flat space. There is no water, grass
or garbage pickup. It is maybe a ½ mile walk to the trailhead. From there you
follow the lake trail to the end of Florence Lake. Cross the bridge and head
towards Muir Ranch about four miles east. If you are starting late, or pooping
out early, you can veer off the trail just past Alder Creek over towards the
South Fork of the San Joaquin River. A mile and a half or so further is
Shooting Star Meadow with a good stock camp. The camp is right next to the San
Joaquin River, but a little hard to find. About a half mile past Muir Ranch,
exit the trail towards the river. There is no sign post or obvious pathway. The
first time I was there I left my friend Jack and the llamas near the trail and
scouted the meadow. Eventually I found a pathway in the middle of the meadow
paralleling the main trail going south. The path leads down to the camp. Picket
the llamas in the meadow and then move them into camp in the evening.
On
other trips, if utilizing Muir Ranch for resupply, do not walk your llamas thru
the gate and into the ranch, they have horses, and the llamas could cause a
ruckus. Less than a hundred yards uphill from the gate on the left is a small
flat area. Tie the llamas up and walk down to pick up your food buckets. Bring
them up to the llamas, refill your bear canisters, and bring the buckets back
down with your sorted garbage. Also, everyone sends too much stuff in their
resupply and there is an abundance of free extra food. People have a tendency
to send large (32 oz.) containers of olive oil, peanut butter, and honey that they
do not wish to carry.
From
Muir Ranch you can enter the JMT and go south to the High Sierra or north to
Mammoth.
Mammoth Lakes- This
popular winter ski resort and summer camping area has four wilderness entry
points:
Duck Lake- This
trailhead can get crowded on weekends with day hikers. Parking is limited. It
is one of the easiest to get a permit. Leaving the trailhead it is about 4
miles and a 1700’climb to Duck Pass. You can continue down the main trailhead
toward the outlet. There is no camping along the lake nor at its outlet. At the pass you can take a left, go
down the hill and camp up a sloped area. This is the option I take because at
10,700’ on the first day I have hit the wall. From the fork on Duck pass to the
JMT, it is 1.7 miles, south to Purple Lake or north toward Devils Post Pile.
Red Cones-This is
the best trailhead in Mammoth to enter the JMT with llamas. It is also the
hardest to get a permit. The trailhead starts at Horseshoe Lake. You park just
uphill from the lake and the lower parking lot. You have a short ¾ mile hike up
to Mcleod Lake. Soon you start a long downhill, with big trees and lots of
shade. There will be multiple trail junctions to Reds Meadow or Upper Crater
Meadow. If you are heading south, go towards Upper Crater Meadow. There is good
grass, camping and usually water.
Tuolumne Meadow-
This is one of my favorite trailheads. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to
get a permit. There are three directions you may go west towards Cathedral Pass
and Sunrise Camp. I do not
recommend this direction, there are too many bears that have no fear of humans
or llamas plus you cannot exit or enter Yosemite Valley with llamas. South into
Lyell Canyon toward Donohue pass, the park service prohibits camping from the
permit station to the Vogelsang Trail turnoff. They also request that llamas
not be on this section of the trail before 9am so as not to upset the horses.
Lyell canyon is beautiful and a good first day warm up before ascending 11k
Donohue Pass. Finally there is north,
I have hiked into this northern section and it is wonderful. There is no
camping allowed for 4 miles from the permit office north. McGee Lakes is about
6 miles I but not good for stock. Glen Aulin is about 6 miles, but closed to
stock until early September. Plus, too many bears. You need to continue toward
Cold Canyon and look for camping off the side of the trail. There are some
fragile meadows in this area, try and camp on harder surfaces. From here on
there will be about 70 miles of spectacular hiking. Do not rush this section.
The
best parking for Tuolumne Meadows is in the parking lot at the stables. It is
about a mile up a gravel road from the wilderness office. Near the wilderness
office is a stock camp, reservations only- remember, where camping is allowed
only in permitted campgrounds. No camping in the stable parking lot,
fortunately going with the north or south the first day is easy. Another hint,
there is no stock access from Hetch Hetchy. On the narrow access road from Highway
120, there are no trailers allowed. Llamas in vans or stock trucks are ok.
Green Creek- This
is a convenient east side trailhead at 8000’, six miles south of Bridgeport on
395 turn west on Green Creek Road go 8 miles to the trailhead. It is easy to obtain a permit at the
ranger station south of Bridgeport. If accessing Yosemite, make sure you obtain
stock regulations for the area you are visiting. No camping with stock is
allowed at trailhead, but there are many unimproved campsites 1-1.5 miles before
the trailhead. It is 8.2 miles to Virginia canyon and N.E. Yosemite. If
starting late in the day, West, Green and East lakes have camping but poor
feed. Bring Pellets for the first night of camping.
Twin Lakes- This
trailhead is southwest of Bridgeport about 15 miles from Bridgeport on Twin Lakes
Road. Enter Mono Village Resort and veer to the left at the bait shop to the parking
lot. To the right of the bait shop is an entry booth to the trailer campground.
Walk over and register for pay parking. Follow the road through the campground
with Robinson creek on your left. Eventually you come to a cable across the
road, go around, and the trailhead is about 1/3 mile ahead. If starting late I
suggest you camp to the left of trail about 2 miles in. There is good grass for
the Llamas, water, however, no fires are allowed. There is no good camping for
8-9 miles from the trailhead. There is no camping at Barney Lake. Great way to
access N.E. Yosemite!
Leavitt Meadow– This
is a nice, lesser used trailhead in the Hoover Wilderness. There are three
vehicle areas all close by on Highway 108. Leavitt Meadow campground is a small
car camping campground but no stock is allowed overnight. The trailhead starts
at the bridge at the east end of the campground. You may short term park
($7.00) to load or unload llamas. About 200’ west is the backpacker parking
lot. Do not enter with a truck or trailer. If it’s busy there won’t be room to
turn around (Yuck). There is a bathroom, sometimes water, garbage and self
-registration wilderness permits (Yipee). About another 200’ west on highway 108 from the parking lot,
is an unmarked parking area where you will leave your truck and trailer. You
may camp there, but there are no improvements.
Starting
at the bridge, it is about 4 miles to Roosevelt and Lane lakes. There is no camping at Roosevelt Lake.
One good llama campsite is at the far end of Lane Lake. At the outlet crossing
of Lane lake (usually dry) go south, then veer up a short hill to campsite- do
not camp here. Tie up the llamas then continue around to the south side of the
lake, crossing a meadow to a large established campsite. It is easier to scout
the way through downed trees and obstacles. There is no good camping along the
trail until lower Paiute meadow. Upper Paiute meadow is very nice. I Do not
recommend Fremont lake, it has poor grass and gets very busy. This trail is a
good access to the PCT and Northern Yosemite.
Leavitt Lake- This
is on the western boundary of the Hoover Wilderness. Leavitt lake road starts
at highway 108 about 4 miles east of Sonora Pass. The road is unsigned and
branches off highway 108 in a hairpin turn. It is about three miles to Leavitt Lake
but I suggest parking at highway 108 as the road is very rough and I will not
haul a trailer up it. I usually camp at the outlet the first night as there is
no good stock camping until Walker Meadows. It is about two miles from Leavitt Lake
to the junction with the PCT. Be prepared for gorgeous views and blustery wind.
If going south toward Tuolumne Meadow, there are numerous lakes and good stock
camps.
Kennedy Meadow North-This
trailhead starts at the well-developed Kennedy meadows resort, about ½ mile
from Highway 108. There will be a large parking lot up the hill on the left,
with lots of parking, and bathrooms and water. Continue walking toward the
resort and the trail starts just past the store and stables. As a courtesy have
someone walk over to the horse packing area, no llamas in tow, and ask if they
have a horse train leaving soon. This is the Huckleberry trail which heads
towards Yosemite. Kennedy Lake is 6.5 miles and one of my favorite 2-4 day
trips. Do not plan on camping at Kennedy Lake as the camping is poor and the
last 3/8 of a mile is very wet. There is plenty of camping in the two meadows. Relief
Reservoir has sparse grass so you must bring pellets for the first night. There
are decent places to camp between Saucer Meadow and Sheep Camp, but limited
grass. Be sure to keep your llamas well off the trail so as not to spook the
horses. From Mosquito Pass on
there is good feed and numerous lakes to fish and explore. You can easily spend
10 days exploring the southern emigrant, cross over to Dorothy Lake in Yosemite
(No Dogs) to find Cisco Lake and Walker Meadows and come back up to Big Sami and
High Emigrant Lake.
Gianelli Cabin (Burst
Rock)- This is a western trailhead into the Emigrant Wilderness. It can be
busy on summer weekends. Chewing Gum Lake is about 4 miles in, but very busy.
Next is Y Meadow Lake at 6 plus miles, which can also be very busy. I like to
make it to Toe Jam Lake about 9 miles in. From there on, are several lakes.
Wire Lake, Long Lake, Buck Lake, and Emigrant Lake all have good camping and
sometimes fishing.
Crabtree Trailhead is a popular spot for hikers and horse people. Paiute Meadow at six miles in is my favorite first night spot. About two hundred yards before the creek crossing there is a good camp spot on the left. The meadow has abundant grass and a small creek. You may have to walk down to the creek crossing to get water, but the good camp is worth it. Eventually you can intersect the Huckleberry Trail in two places.
Shingle Spring- This entry point is in the southwest portion of the Emigrant Wilderness. You enter through the town of Groveland and then head toward Cherry Lake. You will be following Kibbie Ridge, and at 1.3 miles you will junction with the trail to Kibbie Lake. No stock is allowed at Kibbie Lake. It is a popular weekend backpacker destination. Continuing on Kibbie Ridge there are no good camp sites until Sachse Spring at about 8 ½ miles. A few miles ahead, just before Styx Pass, are some nice open camping spots, but finding water is sometimes difficult. Descending Styx Pass you will cross Cherry Creek, and continue onto a hard to follow trail through ferns. Before crossing the creek, observe some of the old trees on the upstream side. The high water marks show signs of significant flooding. There is only one campsite on the eastern side of the meadow, near the next water crossing. This water crossing can still be deep even after the snow melt. Once across, it is a good idea to scout ahead to find the correct trail. There is a false trail that rises away from Cherry Creek and eventually becomes impassable to stock. About 5 ½ miles past the only good camp site at Lord Meadow, is Anderson camp. Not all maps will have it marked, but it sits at the beginning of Huckleberry Outlet. There is good fishing, and the bugs are not as bad as along the trail. You cannot see Anderson Camp from the trail, there is no signpost, or discernible pathway. It is best to send someone to scout. There is also camping at the eastern end of Huckleberry, but the bugs are usually worse. From here you have access to several lesser visited lakes, and the further east you go the terrain becomes more open, and the vistas more spectacular.
Permits- Securing
a permit varies widely from region to region. Generally, permits for National
Forest wilderness areas are easier than permits for National Parks areas to
obtain. Some trailheads have no quotas, and others do. Most areas with quotas
have reservations available for about half the spots. You apply online six
months in advance. Many popular trailheads will assign all the reservations
very quickly that night. Make sure you are familiar with the online system and
have your complete itinerary before you start. If unlucky at obtaining a
reservation, your second option is getting in line at the ranger station the
morning of departure. Most offices open at 8am, but the popular trailheads will
have a line start much earlier. If unsuccessful your third option is to use a
more remote trailhead.
Example:
Tuolumne Meadow in Yosemite has a huge demand for JMT and PCT permits. If
unsuccessful try Mammoth south of Yosemite.
They have four trailheads accessing
the JMT-PCT trail, Agnew Meadow, Reds Meadow, Red Cones and Duck Lake. This is
about 1 hour and 45 trail miles south of Tuolumne Meadow. Or go to Twin Lakes
trailhead in the Hoover Wilderness about 1 hour and 50 miles north of Tuolumne
Meadow and explore Northern Yosemite. This trailhead has no quotas. This is just
an example of one high demand trailhead that has surrounding lower demand entry
points that can access beautiful wilderness areas.
Loose Dogs- National Parks do not allow dogs in the wilderness.
National Forests do. Most dogs you encounter are well behaved with owners that
have leashes handy. Quite often I will encounter a dog or dogs off leash with
no humans nearby. I will stop and start yelling for the owners to come put
their dog on a leash. I tell them that my llamas are afraid of dogs (they are not
really) and that they need to take their dog 20 to 30 feet off the trail. Most
people comply happily, but I have had a few bad encounters with dogs and I now
carry Bear Spray. Make sure you check the wind before you spray.
Public Relations on the trail-Llamas
are a big deal on the trail in the middle of nowhere. There will be about ten
general questions people will ask: Species, gender, how much weight, spitting,
etc. Depending upon your schedule that day, you can have a nice chat or smile,
wave and keep on hiking. Much of my time in the backcountry is spent Training
and conditioning so I like to stop and talk and let my llamas interact with
strangers. People will eventually ask if they can touch touch them. Many times
after petting them I will hand the lead rope to them and step back while their
friends take pictures. I am sure my llamas have ended up on many Christmas
cards.
Bears and Coyotes- My main areas of llama packing stretch from the
Southern Sierra to Sonora Pass. The only critter I fear is chipmunks. They are
quick to pounce on a Snickers bar, or a bag of trail mix. Bears have never
entered my llama camp. Alarming llamas seems to do the trick. Coyotes on
occasion stumble into camp but usually make a hasty retreat. The areas I
frequent have hunting pressure
(National Forests) or strict bear canister control (National Parks). If
I was planning a trip into Montana, Idaho, or Wyoming, I would definitely reach
out to active llama outfitters or llama trekkers familiar with those locales’ predators.
Firearms are prohibited in National Park Wilderness Areas. Firearms are allowed
in National Forest wilderness areas for the taking of game in season. Do not
bring a gun to protect yourself from predators. You will be at far greater risk
from a self-inflicted gunshot.
When encountering large stock on
the trail, always give them the right of way. Llamas rarely spook around
horses, but many horses and mules can get upset. I try to get at least 100 feet
off the trail, downhill if possible. Occasionally I might have to turn around
in order to find a place to pass. It is much easier to turn Llamas around than
horses and mules. Be especially cautious when encountering pack trains. A
single outfitter with six or seven mules behind them needs a really wide berth.
You do not want to be the one that starts a rodeo.
Loose Dogs- In the National Forest, dogs are allowed in wilderness areas. Usually within a half mile or so, most people let their dogs off leash. As soon as you see a dog up ahead, stop and engage the dog owner. Ask them to leash their dog and get at least thirty feet off the trail. Sometimes people will say their dogs are friendly. I respond that my llamas are afraid of strange dogs. My llamas are not afraid of new dogs, but they can get upset when the dog gives them the predator stare and they are too close to the trail.
Water crossings- When crossing water courses no one rule applies. Early summer high water crossings means that you must use caution. When the depth reaches a llamas belly and panniers that is when it becomes unsafe. Another problem is if there are round, slippery boulders. If your llama steps on these and stumbles, many times it will cause them to “bull rush” on across. Many times I have had to step aside and let the llamas go across by themselves, usually they will just stop on the other side and start eating grass. If there are two or more people, send one person holding long rope and then leading the llamas from the other side. Do not let your llamas stop in the water as this will cause them to pee and poop. I had a llama once that easily crossed a twenty or thirty foot wide stream but would leap ten feet when crossing a two foot wide run off.
Our daughter went on her first llama trip at four months of age into the Jefferson Wilderness in Oregon. The next two summers we took week long trips into the Marble Mountains of Northern California. Llama packing with children has both its rewards and its challenges. Very young children are much easier than four to six year olds. The young ones you can put into a child carrier and hike down the trail at llama speed. Older youngsters cannot keep up with the llamas so you must adapt. The llama leader can stop every fifteen minutes or so and wait for the group to catch up. My llamas do not like the stop and go method. The llama train can also go on ahead and find a camp. If mom and dad both know where the destination is fine, if not make sure both have a map. Sometimes after setting up camp I would hike back down the trail and meet the group.
With today’s plethora of electronic stimuli devices, it is such a pleasure to enjoy the down to earth activities. Board games, cards, small kites, all are ways to pass the time. One year we made small boats using just what we could find around camp and had boat races in the nearby creek. In 2014 I met a mom and her two sons, seven and nine, at the base of Forester Pass on the JMT. Mom told her boys they could only bring one toy each. The oldest brought a small video game and the youngest had a set of interlocking blocks. They were near the end of a 28 day JMT hike and all were happy. Looking back on those early childhood years, those were some of the best memories of thirty five years of llama packing. Leaving civilization behind with all the modern distractions distills life down to the essentials.
Tip: For the youngest of travelers bring the Osh Kosh coveralls. Strip off the coveralls before going into the tent and your bed will stay much cleaner.
Suggested Reading: Llama Hiking with Katie by Bob Wynia
Greg has been involved with llamas for over 30 years. He has logged hundreds of hours hiking and packing llamas that he has lovingly trained for this purpose. He is now involved in an active breeding program at his ranch in the Sierra Foothills.
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