San Juan Mountains Llama Treks Guided Llama Pack Trips in the Colorado Mountains

In Memorial
A few of our llamas who have crossed the rainbow bridge...

Sid
June 27, 2003 – April 19, 2019
In April 2019, I lost Obsidian—affectionately known by all as just Sid—which will make all the Aprils just a little sadder! The leader of our llama pack string for several years, he was always alert, keeping his eye on everything... animals, people… making sure no one was out of sorts or out of place. In March of 2017, he had the great misfortune of breaking his right front leg defending his territory. The vets at Colorado State University did a fantastic job of putting him back together. Despite their efforts, the wound became infected requiring additional surgeries. He was very stoic and tolerant of almost daily dressing changes for many months. His complete trust in me and all his caregivers deeply connected Sid and I forever. Yes, there were some “spitting moments” but it was never in my direction. By March of 2019, he was making dramatic improvements, walking over the ranch without much of a limp. We had great plans of finally trekking together again the summer of 2019. Then the unthinkable tragedy struck. I returned home to find Sid with a broken neck… Somehow, he managed to entrap his neck between the gate and adjacent fence post. The most beautiful thing about his death was the perfect rainbow over our ranch the next day. I got to see him cross the rainbow bridge. Thanks, Sid for your perfect trust and friendship. I will cherish it always!

Patrick Henry
March 13, 2001 - July 5, 2017
Patty, as he was affectionately called, was born on our farm and orphaned at age 3 weeks. In spite of all the attention he got early on he was the shyest member of our pack string. He began joining our llama treks as a yearling. In the middle of the night, summer 2017, when the large brown bear attacked our herd we believe Patty attempted to distract the bear and we avoided fewer casualties. Tragically, Patty died trying to defend himself against the bear. The bear was destroyed by Colorado Wildlife Services when he returned to the ranch the following night to make another kill. Patty packed for us from 2003-2015.

Cherokee
Cherokee crossed the Rainbow Bridge May 10, 2015 after 25 years of faithful service as a pack llama. He was “rescued” from a petting zoo near Cherokee, North Carolina in 1989 and began his career as a pack llama in 1990. He was always a delight to children and adults along the trail. His favorite treat was a banana which he expected daily after his retirement.

Buckshot
1993-2011
A faithful packer from 1996-2008

Anodyne
1990-2012
A faithful hiking companion and friend, Andy actually “trained” me to pack with llamas.

Thor
1989-2012
Thor packed for many years with the rigorous Mount LeConte llama pack string in the Great Smoky Mountains before joining our herd. A quite, shy fellow, he enjoyed left-over pancakes.