There's been discussion in two topics on "Hiking with Animals" about llamas, and in Jim's in '10 a mention was made about packing with goats.

On our trip to the mountains (near Mt. Sherman, a 14er) last week, we met up with a pair of packing old goats (and I don't mean old men with guns), the first we had ever seen in the 'wild.'


Peanut the packing goat.

My wife and I are both convalescing, so we were CTT (confined to trailer) when we ran into these goats.

Three guys in two trucks pulled in just before a big storm up Four Mile Creek from us, and we saw what we thought were llamas crawling out of the pick-up topper out of the back. Debbie got the binos out and said they looked like goats, big goats.

After the storm, the goats' owner rambled over with them for a visit. He was retired, lived in Monument, CO, and had the goats for more than half a decade.


Owner & goat.

Each one could carry about 40 pounds of gear and food. Grilling him, I was given the reasons he preferred goats over llamas. First was cost. He'd bought his older, bigger goat for $100 since it was registered, with the name of Rooster (Cogburn.) Peanut, the younger one, cost him $40 and was a 'rescue' goat. Compare that to prices for llamas that are in the $1,000-3,000 range, unless you get a good deal like the one Jim described.

Probably even more important is their disposition. He said they're quite intelligent and surprisingly docile. Around the campfire at night, they'll lay down by the fire and put their heads in his lap to have their ears scratched.


Peanut & Rooster Cogburn.

He was into the psychology on how to deal with them. He said he was alpha, with the bigger Rooster the Number Two and Peanut the also-ran. When I stood next to him, Rooster came over and butted me back; the owner said Rooster didn't like others to be between him and the boss. Quite loyal.

He said he makes sure the goats, especially Peanut, have on their orange waterproof vests during hunting season for obvious reasons.


Heading back to camp

Interesting sidenote was that the three guys were hiking a variety of 14ers and 13ers over the next few days with the goats. They were all ham radio enthusiasts (goats excluded) and were involved in a competition to carry lightweight ham gear up to broadcast from the peaks to record in a compilation book like birders do. So the goats toted the radio gear on the trail for them.