I usually start conditioning in late April or early May depending on snow levels. My glory days are behind me so 5-7 mile day hikes are fine with me. The most important aspect to conditioning is to not let your llamas get fat during the winter. The weight goes on slowly and comes off slowly. After a few day hikes, I will start off with lower elevation overnight trips 6-9 miles with 40 to 50 lbs. of gear. Then I work up to 2 to 4 night trips. The defining test is elevation gain. Sometimes your early season hikes are at lower elevations and on easier trails and until you do some serious elevation gains with 60 to 70 lb. loads you cannot tell how in shape your llamas are. If you do not put the effort into conditioning your llamas, do not expect them to perform well on the JMT or other challenging trails.

The most common term is Ccara. Loose translation “old style”. This is a double coated llama with little wool on the legs, face, ears, and between the ears. Body size and shape can vary 42” to 50” at the withers and 270-400 lbs. For the recreational hikers 42” to 46” is adequate. Leave the taller animals for the outfitters and breeders. Also, the taller animals have a longer stride and go faster. If you are a mature hiker and the glory days are behind you, pick a smaller to medium llama. Llamas are low impact pack animals uniquely suited to the National Park and forest wilderness areas of the United States. They were selectively bred as work animals by the South American inhabitants of the Andes. They are of the Camelid Family, so their food and water requirements are less than traditional stock. They are two toed with a tough foot pad making them very sure footed. Lastly, they are smaller and calmer than horses and mules so that an inexperienced stock handler can travel safely and comfortably for extended periods.