5 minute read
by Laura Higgins
packing with llamas
BY LAURA HIGGINS
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SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS LLAMA TREKS, CORTEZ CO
We often meet folks who ask, “What can you do with a llama?” Of course packing is at the top of my list. What better way to enjoy and preserve the beauty of the backcountry wilderness than by having your personal llama be your “backpack”? Llamas are among the oldest domesticated animals in the world. They were used as pack stock by the Inca’s in South America over 4000 years ago and basically helped build their civilization. Today llamas still carry heavy loads, but in North America, they’re carrying our camping equipment.
Luxury is not an option for the average backpacker where every ounce is counted and deliberated over before it goes into the pack. Adding a llama to the equation changes things since one llama can easily carry 80-90 pounds of gear. I like to think of it as a way to enjoy the backcountry and still have the luxuries of “car camping”.
I first began packing with llamas in 1997. When a knee injury would no longer permit me to comfortably carry a backpack, I began looking for environmentally friendly pack stock. With their soft padded feet and gentle disposition, llamas fit the bill perfectly. They leave no more impact on the environment than the native deer or elk.
Initially, I purchased two “green” llamas just to have for personal llama treks. The herd quickly grew to twenty three llamas, and the “hobby” became a part-time business, known as English Mountain Llama Treks. I got to experience first hand what is involved with training llamas to become good packers. I have found llamas are a lot like humans in that not all are meant to be packers and enjoy the backcountry. My mind goes back to the day I purchased Wendell. I was particularly attracted to him because he was easily haltered and appeared to have a gentle disposition. I didn’t take into consideration this was most likely because he was very overweight and could not escape the handler quickly! He had absolutely no interest in carrying a pack and was perfectly content spending the rest of his days lying around the barn and hay manger. So yes, I think athletic ability and good physical condition are important features in the pack llama. Then there was Cherokee who would go to the stock trailer as soon as he saw me arranging pack saddles and panniers for the trip. He loved trekking and was a delight to children and adults we met along the trail.
After spending 9 years trekking around the Blue Ridge Mountains we closed English Mountain Llama Treks and relocated to southwest Colorado. The Rocky Mountains brought llama trekking to a new level, perhaps more challenging for the handler than the llama! In 2010, we developed San Juan Mountains Llama Treks. Since moving to Colorado, we have discovered Ccara llamas which are bred as working llamas, and were the breed of llama used by the Incas in South America. They are bred for characteristics that support working on the trail. The pack llama needs to have a balance of strength, endurance, and agility. The Ccara breed certainly meets these criteria. While large size and ideal conformation are excellent characteristics in the Ccara pack llama, I feel that the close bond of trust with llama and handler and the llamas willingness to work are equally important.
Well trained llamas are easily handled and make excellent hiking companions for seniors, physically challenged individuals, or children. They are rarely spooked and usually do not become panicky under unusual circumstances.
All photos provided by Laura Higgins & David Bray. It certainly is not for financial reasons that we operate a llama trekking business. It is for the love of the llama! I am
intrigued by their intelligence, their quite gentle nature, and their ability to negotiate obstacles with ease. Llamas are my inspiration and connecting link with the great outdoors.
If you are serious about purchasing a llama for packing I would recommend taking a trip with a commercial outfitter or someone experienced in packing with llamas to better familiarize yourself with packing equipment, saddles, etc. This should also give you incite as to how a well trained pack llama should perform. An excellent book I can recommend is Stanlynn Daugherty’s Packing with Llamas. A final word of caution….hiking with llamas can be habit forming and you may never want to carry a backpack again! For more information about San Juan Mountains Llama Treks please see our ad on page 47 of this publication.
About the author: Laura Higgins MD, an avid backpacker since the early 1980’s, discovered llamas in 1997 and has not carried a backpack since! She owned and operated English Mountain Llama Treks in the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina from 2001 until she and husband, David Bray, relocated to Colorado in 2009. Many of the llamas in their pack string were born and trained on Laura’s farm in Tennessee. Laura is active in numerous regional and national llama organizations, having served on the boards of Pack Llama Trial Association and Southern States Llama Association in past years. Her passion is exploring the great outdoors and sharing her knowledge of wildflowers and nature photography with others. When Laura isn’t packing with llamas she works as a general surgeon for the Indian Health Service.
