After seeing "Visit Maine" commercials on tv showing a llama packing gear for hikers, I was wondering if the use of llamas is practical in the north east? Is it "frowned" on by hikers in the northeast? Is it even legal to do on hiking trails?
pack animals
- Thread starter brianW
- Start date
Help Support vftt.org:
NYBRAD
New member
More bans!
No fires, no camping above 4000ft, mandatory canisters, and now no llamas? How the hell am I going to get my gear into the backcountry now!
No fires, no camping above 4000ft, mandatory canisters, and now no llamas? How the hell am I going to get my gear into the backcountry now!
David Metsky
Well-known member
The sign was put up there after someone took some mules up the mountain back in the early 90's. It was partly in jest, partly serious.tycho_32 said:
-dave-
Maddy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2003
- Messages
- 1,801
- Reaction score
- 157
Cindy Ross wrote a very good book "Scraping Heaven".
It's an account of her 3100mi trek on the Continental Divide with her husband, a 3yr old, and a 5yr old. The journey was accomplished over 5 summers and they used llamas.
There is a website www.llamas.org if you are interested in hiking with these fine creatures.
It might not be a bad idea to have some help out there in my declining years.
I know my Akita would love her own llama to carry her pack. She's a "hiking fool" but put a pack on her and she looks as if I am taking her to the gallows.
Kodi's expression when wearing her pack!
It's an account of her 3100mi trek on the Continental Divide with her husband, a 3yr old, and a 5yr old. The journey was accomplished over 5 summers and they used llamas.
There is a website www.llamas.org if you are interested in hiking with these fine creatures.
It might not be a bad idea to have some help out there in my declining years.
I know my Akita would love her own llama to carry her pack. She's a "hiking fool" but put a pack on her and she looks as if I am taking her to the gallows.
Kodi's expression when wearing her pack!
Grumpy
New member
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2003
- Messages
- 1,503
- Reaction score
- 153
Don’t know about llamas . . .
But I do remember hiking in to Lake Colden (Adirondacks) on a midsummer day ca 1963, and being greeted by a braying donkey tethered in the yard at the ranger station there. According to the ranger and his wife (I can’t recall their names -- can anybody help?) a party had used the beast as a pack animal for their trip in from Upper Works. As soon as the thing hit that grassy “lawn” around the ranger’s cabin it stubbornly refused to leave, they said. It evidently had been there several days when we arrived.
I don’t know what became of that burro. Maybe somebody else here recalls that episode and can supply further details.
It did leave me with an impression that the donkey probably was not a good choice of pack animal for that neck of the woods.
G.
But I do remember hiking in to Lake Colden (Adirondacks) on a midsummer day ca 1963, and being greeted by a braying donkey tethered in the yard at the ranger station there. According to the ranger and his wife (I can’t recall their names -- can anybody help?) a party had used the beast as a pack animal for their trip in from Upper Works. As soon as the thing hit that grassy “lawn” around the ranger’s cabin it stubbornly refused to leave, they said. It evidently had been there several days when we arrived.
I don’t know what became of that burro. Maybe somebody else here recalls that episode and can supply further details.
It did leave me with an impression that the donkey probably was not a good choice of pack animal for that neck of the woods.
G.
Stan
Well-known member
Funny story, Grumpy. Opens up all sort of speculation. Here's mine.
That burro arrived with the same campers who've been abusing Periwinkle's trail, found this nice grassy spot and said, "I'm not going any further with those jackasses."
That burro arrived with the same campers who've been abusing Periwinkle's trail, found this nice grassy spot and said, "I'm not going any further with those jackasses."
peakbagger
In Rembrance , July 2024
The Thelemark Inn (its an odd spelling) used to (and may still) run llama packing trips into the wild river area. My brother and friends went on a couple of the trips and the owner had told them that he wanted to do trips in other parts of the whites, but the forest service wouldnt allow him into high use areas. They actually were trying to have him move their trips up the Kilkennys.
The llamas were best suited to hiking old logging roads, if the footing got slippery or rough, they tend to get injured. My brothers group went on the one and only trip up Unknown pond trail and the owner swore that he would never go there again as the trail was too rough.
Even in the wild river area, the llamas were used to bring people up to a basecamp, then the group would dayhike solo without the llamas up to Carter Dome, while the llamas hung out at camp.
BTW, the llamas are not supposed to eat the local vegetation, but getting the concept through to the llamas is not real effective.
Of course the alternative to llamas are pack goats !. They apparently are much better suited to our terrain, but they dont have as good PR as the llamas.
The llamas were best suited to hiking old logging roads, if the footing got slippery or rough, they tend to get injured. My brothers group went on the one and only trip up Unknown pond trail and the owner swore that he would never go there again as the trail was too rough.
Even in the wild river area, the llamas were used to bring people up to a basecamp, then the group would dayhike solo without the llamas up to Carter Dome, while the llamas hung out at camp.
BTW, the llamas are not supposed to eat the local vegetation, but getting the concept through to the llamas is not real effective.
Of course the alternative to llamas are pack goats !. They apparently are much better suited to our terrain, but they dont have as good PR as the llamas.
Similar threads
