Summer 2015 - Goat Tracks Magazine: Journal Of The Working Goat

Goat Tracks
Journal of the Working Goat - Summer 2015
Until One Has Loved an Animal, Part of One’r Soul Remains Unawakened.
Anatole France
Hiking the Wilds of North Washington State!
Day Tripping With The Goats
Page 13
Also in this issue:
Page 6: Land Use Issues
Page 9: Goats and What to Do with Them
Page 13: Day Tripping with the Goats
Page 19: Cajeta, a Receipe
Page 21: Early Spring Hiking in Hells Canyon
Page 1
Goat Tracks Table of Contents
Page 3 - On Track With Goat Tracks
Larry Robinson, Idaho City, ID
Page 4 - The Mailroom
Page 4 - Cascade PG Club events
Jan Privratsky, Lebanon, OR
Page 5 - On-Line Goat Birthing Stall
Blogland, WCSH
Page 6 - Land Use Issues
Larry Robinson, Idaho City, ID
Page 7-8 - Bighorn Sheep News
Various News Sources
Page 9-10 - Goats & What to Do With Them
Richard Kaylena Frates
Page 11-12 - Tales from the Training Pen, Goats on the Trail
Rex Summerfield, Weippe, ID
Page 13-15 - Day Tripping With the Goats
Karen Bean, Maple Falls, WA
Page 17 - A Goat that is More Rare than a Panda
www.smallholder.co.uk/news/
Page 19 - Cajeta, a Receipe
Shannon Hassey
Page 20 - Harness & Cart Goats
Bambi Iles
Page 21-23 - An Early Spring Potpourri, Hiking Hells Canyon
Larry Robinson, Idaho City, ID
Page 24 - The Packgoat Marketplace
Page 26 - The North American Packgoat Association
Page 27 - Working Goat Directory
Goat Tracks
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Publisher
Larry Robinson
Editor & Contributors
Carolyn Eddy
Larry Robinson, Jeff Ross,
Rob Gray, Bambi Iles
Brian Talbert
Training Consultant
Carolyn Eddy
4H
Brian Talbert
NAPgA News
NAPgA Board
Contact Information
Correspondence and phone calls to:
Larry Robinson
13 Norwood Place
Boise, ID 83716-3283
(208) 331-0772
larry@goattracksmagazine.org
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Page 2
On Track with Goat Tracks
by Larry Robinson
Not certain how all this works, but it seems like just yesterday that I was ruminating that hiking season in the high country would never get here, and here we are
on the very cusp of that very time period. Stanley proper has cleared of snow, and
that means that the Bear Valley HS as well as Bernard Lake, a couple of my favorite
destinations will be accesible, and in just 30 days or so, so will most of the rest of
the high country. Of the two most common high-country hiking destinations in our
area, the White Clouds and the Sawtooths, the White Clouds generally becomes
accessible first, with the Sawtooths shuffling along soon after. However, the Sawtooths, due to its exceptionally rugged drainages, still can retain some significant snowbanks into August.
In my world in particular, the high country hiking won’t be the first of my 2015 hiking experiences.
This year I made it to a local defunct mine-in-hills in February, and took an extended jaunt of 52 miles
in Hells Canyon at the last of April. The Hells Canyon hike was exceptionally brutal, and exceptionally
beautiful. The weather was beyond spectacular, and the dog maxed out his fun meter. The goats, as
always, frequently repeated the sad refrain, ‘are we there yet?’ :-))
Ahead of us in little more than a month is the NAPgA Rendezvous. It promises to be a fun event with the
distinction that this year we will be blessed with words from John Mionczynski, the one who started it all.
For those of us that love goatpacking, we owe John a very large debt.
Don’t overlook the Land Use Issues beginning on Page 6. There always seems to have been some changes
in the overall situation by the time another issue of Goat Tracks hits the presses.
So far, it is looking like a great year for hiking. I am planning some audacious adventures, and I hope that
you’all are as well. I’m anticipating that it will be another fun year for getting out with your goats!
I am always looking for folks to describe their goat-travels here in Goat Tracks. I have a lot of my
stories on backlog, but you are going to get real tired of just reading about me! Please consider
sending me a narrative of your adventures. I can edit like mad, but can’t descibe your travels!
Page 3
OSU Pet Day
Greetings from Paradise Ranch,
Wed. our birthing season began here at the Ranch, a day
early, the weather was perfect and “BoPeep” started it
off with a “Bang”. BoPeep is Forest’s (Kens colorful Boy)
mother and the “Mother of the Year” from last year with
almost 30lbs of triplets.
We rebred BoPeep to “Zean” (Ober that is also the sire
to Ken’s other two and Charlie’s Jethro). Well what a
surprise we did get Wed. about 3:00 pm, when “BoPeep”
delivered a 9lb 7oz buckling that was marked almost
identical to “Forest”. Then just a few minutes later she
delivers another buckling at 11lbs 1oz that is marked
identical to one of Forest sisters (Brook), a solid caramel
color with a black dorsal stripe down the center They
both were up within minutes, and filling their bellies
with mom’s milk. What a great start!
But next on the birthing list was “Breanna”, an ADGA
National Champion Saanen, and the mother of
Charlie’s “Sampson” (Sabor). “Breanna” was Artificially
Inseminated to “Gum-Bo”, the 2013 ABGA National
Grand Champion buck (and the finest Boer buck I’ve
ever seen). Breanna, like a fine Swiss Watch, delivered
exactly on time, today, at 12:30 pm, a monster 12.0lb
buckling. His head and shoulders were so huge it took
45 minutes to get him dislodged from Breanna, and
near the end we were in tears because we thought we
had lost him. But with another big push from Breanna
and a huge pull from Mary he shot out and began to
breathe, within minutes he was up and after mom. He is
“Gorgeous” and “HUGE” in all dimensions!
What a gift we’ve been given! At some point photos of all
will follow.
Happy Trails, Dwite & Mary
The Cascade Packgoat Club participated in 28th Annual
OSU Pet Day again this spring. This event is arranged by the
Veterinary students at Oregon State University in Corvallis
OR. This is the 11th year that the Cascade Packgoat club
has participated. They estimated that almost 5000 people
attended this year and a LOT of them stopped at our display
to see Michael
and Stephie
Powell’s 10-dayold triplet goats.
This is Joker
resting after a
walkabout with
his saddle on.
The other photo
I sent show
our display and
Stephie Powell
with Sam wearing
the shirt he won
in the SOLVE
Beach clean-up
photo contest.
Harness Goat Clinic
The Cascade Packgoat
club had their annual
Harness Goat Clinic on
March 15th.
This event is held at a
covered horse arena in
Oregon City, OR. The
photo shows Michael
and Stephie Powell harnessing up on of their big Saanen
boys while the newbies watch.
SOLVE Beach Clean-Up
SOLVE Spring Beach Clean-up was held on March 28th and
the Cascade packgoat club participated again this year. We
cleaned from Moolack Beach to Beverly Beach, located near
Newport, OR. We were favored with good weather and had
a lovely walk on the beach while finding lots of trash.
Continued, Page 5
Dwite & Mary’s BoMancha Quintuplets
Page 4
Attending were Myself, Michael and Stephie, Janet & Phil
Lamberson, R.C. Lori and Taylor Kline and Taylor’s friend.
SOLVE Photo Contest
Stephanie Powell’s photo of her goats Sam and Hawkeye
was chosen as one of two photos that will represent SOLVE
in the coming year! If you click on this link and then scroll
to the bottom and click on Timeline photo’s you will see
them:
Does this goat have better hair than you?
Cara Clegg
Apr 4, 2015
http://en.rocketnews24.com/author/cara-clegg/
Kamanoko is a goat from a in a zoo in Yamaguchi Prefecture, and he’s sure to be a hit with the lady goats thanks to
his hip hairdo that sets him apart from the herd.
Kamaboko was born
in April 2014 and
is a mixed breed
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.101527
‘shibayagi’, with yagi
58521441569.1073741860.45711471568&type=3
being the Japanese
For being chosen they received two SOLVE t-shirts!
word for goat. He is
Jan Privratsky
one of three siblings
and, in an article
Sec./Treas. Cascade Packgoat Club
for the Japanese
Lebanon, OR
Huffington Post,
Life’s an adventure... especially with goats!
his carer said that
Kamaboko is the only
one of the three to
have this magnificent
fluffy fringe.
There’s a reason
for this. Usually the male goats at the park are castrated,
however Kamaboko’s gonads were spared for breeding
purposes. Right now he’s living apart from the goat herd
in a section with other male animals such as llamas. The
castrated males’ hair remains short, but if left uncastrated
their hair grows as they do.
However, usually this fringe grows in a side parting style,
but for some reason Kamaboko’s is stylishly curly. His
Goat Farm Puts Birthing Stall Online
carer told said that “When goats have itchy heads they
By ARTICLE IN BLOGLAND WCSH, Updated Apr 10, 2015
rub them against trees. I think that, in Kamaboko’s case,
http://www.necn.com/news/new-england/Goat-Farm-Putshe may have made his curly from rubbing,” and hinted
Birthing-Stall-Online-299326421.html
that maybe he styled it himself! And if that’s the case, we
Sunflower Farm Creamery has been mounted in their
don’t know how long it’ll be until he gets bored with this
goat stall, allowing viewers to watch every development
style and decides to change things up.
online
This picture posted on the zoo’s public Twitter account
Having a baby is a very private moment, unless you’re a goat.
has had over 7,000 retweets, so clearly people have been
Sunflower Farm Creamery in Cumberland, Maine, has
charmed by Kamaboko’s suave style.
16 goats that are due to give birth between April 11 and
May 19.
A webcam has been mounted in their stall, allowing
viewers to watch every
development online.
This is the same farm
that got national
attention last summer
for a video that went
viral on the Internet by
spoofing the famous
running of the bulls
with a running of the
goats.
Page 5
Land Use Issues
I wish this could be the ‘good news’ column, but
it ain’t necessarily so, as it continutes to have to
report losses in the land useable by our goat boys.
The last of the maneuvers in the Shoshone NF FEIS
has been completed, the final Record of Decision,
and they have doggedly hung on to their [illegal, by
the way] even-before-the-public-input stance that
we are a clear and present danger to the Bighorn
Sheep gods and we must be kept on another planet
so as to make sure we don’t infect them with some
pathogen or another. At this point, NAPgA and its
attorney are considering the options for further
action on this issue.
Regarding the ‘action’ in the Owyhee mountains
here in Idaho, we have been told to take our goats
and get them outta here! The war is over, and we
have lost. We are now permanently restricted out
of this area. On the basis of an introduced animal
that was never native to this area in the first
place. How interesting that public land more and
more is ‘their’ land, and we are only allowed there
by permit, or by their good graces (of which they
have precious few).
Speaking of infections... it has become more
and more obvious over time that this ludicrous
sterotypical myth that should our goats get
anywhere near a Bighorn, that they will immediately
race over and run their noses all over them, and
since they (our boys), at least in the mindset of
the wildlife biologists, are virtually dripping with
pathogens just chomping at the bit for another
animal to infect, the outcome is in stone, and that is
the death of any Bighorn within a 100 mile radius.
Even in areas that, at least at this point, still do not
have any closures, this is still the (infected) thinking
of the wildlife folks. It is not only not true, is not the
entire equation in the Bighorn die-off scenario in the
first place, and it has taken on such a massive lifeof-its-own, that it is not realistically ‘disputable’ in
spite of its lack of realistic truth. As I said in another
venue, it is like fighting a ghost. You can’t fight it with
science, because their isn’t any conclusive science.
However, that begs the question, that if there isn’t
any conclusive science to prove the reality of the
danger, how then can we be in the position we are in,
in the first place?
The recent action in the Owyhees should tell you
something about the danger of this entire scenario.
Even where there are no BHS, all they have to do is
bring in some, then they turn around and say, “Now
you take your goats and get out!” Remember well,
that originally there were populations of BHS in the
entirety of the area west of the Mississippi River. If
we don’t make any headway fighting this, there will
be no place to hike with our animals.
Regarding the BHS (Bighorn Sheep) issues we
are fighting in the Inyo and Blue Mountain NFs,
currently there is no updated information available.
Original BHS Range
Roaming ‘disorderly’ goat corralled after headbutting door
By Associated Press Published: Apr 5, 2015
http://www.kboi2.com/news/offbeat/Roaming-disorderly-goatcorralled-after-head-butting-door-298716241.html
PARAMUS, N.J. (AP) - A “disorderly” goat has been
corralled in northern New Jersey, and authorities are
now trying to determine who owns the wayward animal.
Two Paramus police officers nabbed the small white
goat shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday. The department says
on its Facebook page they were responding to “calls of a
disorderly goat head-butting a door.”
Officers captured the goat as it was running in the
roadway.
The goat apparently was not injured in the incident. It
was being cared for at a local animal facility.
Authorities suspect that the animal likely escaped from
a local residence.
Page 6
BHS News
Researchers Explore Threat Of Pneumonia
Among Bighorn Sheep In Grand Canyon
By Will Stone, May 06, 2015
Domestic Sheep-Bighorn Sheep Bill Headed To
Governor’s Desk
By MELODIE EDWARDS • MAR 3, 2015
http://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/domesticsheepbighorn-sheep-bill-headed-governors-desk
Tuesday, the Wyoming house passed two bills that
would lay out a strategy for keeping domestic sheep
and bighorn sheep separated. Domestic sheep carry a
bacteria that can spread pneumonia to bighorns, wiping
out whole herds. But Wild Sheep Foundation Director
Kevin Hurley has problems with the bills, especially
Senate File 133, which sets aside funds to remove a herd
of transplanted bighorns from the Wyoming Range.
“You know, I guess the Wyoming Plan has been very
collaborative,” Hurley says. “So it has been a handshake,
a Wyoming way of doing things. I think 133 is, it’s
unnecessary and duplicative and to me it’s retribution
that if domestic sheep can’t be there, then bighorns can’t
be there either. And that’s not what we’ve talked about
over the last 15 years in my view.”
http://kjzz.org/content/135877/researchersexplore-threat-pneumonia-among-bighornsheep-grand-canyon
Researchers are looking into the threat of pneumonia
spreading among desert bighorn sheep in the Grand
Canyon.
Seventy-five percent of the sheep tested so far have come
back positive for pathogens. That does not mean they
have full-fledged pneumonia or will develop it, though.
Still, pneumonia has led to die-offs of bighorn sheep in
other parts of the southwest, such as the Mojave Desert.
For that reason, wildlife biologist Brandon Holton with
Grand Canyon National Park said it is critical to get a
better sense of how many animals in the park actually
have the disease.
At this point, only three sheep have come back positive
for pneumonia, Holton said.
“However, Grand Canyon is a tremendously vast and
very logistically difficult place to get around, and
without a doubt the majority of sheep that actually die
of pneumonia, or other causes, go undiscovered,” said
Holton.
Hurley says 133 is also redundant because the U.S.
Forest Service recently sent a letter to Governor Mead,
assuring him domestic sheep would only be removed if Holton said they’ve been conducting this study since
they endangered native bighorn sheep, not transplanted 2011.
The Grand Canyon Association now hopes to raises more
ones.
than $100,000 to continue and expand the study.
The second bill, Senate File 134, awaits the governor’s
signature while 133 still needs approval in conference
committee.
Hunting district closes as bighorn sheep
numbers plummet
Bighorn herd struggling along Rocky Mountain Front
By BRUCE AUCHLY Fish, Wildlife and Parks, May 19, 2015 10:41 am
http://billingsgazette.com/lifestyles/recreation/bighorn-herdstruggling-along-rocky-mountain-front/article_84d171c2-bf56-5a47a5a7-d29f71475886.html
With the Sun
River bighorn
sheep herd
declining by
MISSOULA (AP) – Big-game hunters looking forward to
more than half in
bighorn sheep outside Plains will be disappointed after
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks closed the area’s hunting
five years, state
district because of disease outbreak.
wildlife biologists
are trying to
The Missoulian reports that a population survey found
figure out how
only 18 bighorns in Hunting District 122, which Fish,
Wildlife and Parks spokeswoman Joleen Tadej said is the that will affect hunting licenses, what it means for the
animals’ long-term future and what’s causing the drop.
lowest number since the herd’s introduction in 1979.
The application deadline for bighorns is May 1. About 200 “That’s the million dollar question,” said Brent Lonner,
people had already applied for the 10 licenses available in Fish, Wildlife and Parks wildlife biologist. ”We’ve got a
district 122 as of a Monday meeting to discuss the closure. pretty good idea that pneumonia is the ultimate culprit.
They will be offered a chance to request a different
What’s causing it is the big question.”
district or receive a refund for their application.
In April 2010, Lonner counted 933 bighorn sheep in the
An unrelated bighorn die-off near Gardiner prompted a closure
Sun River herd on the Rocky Mountain Front. The Sun
in Hunting District 305 after pneumonia killed 34 sheep.
River herd is roughly defined as bighorn sheep from Ear
The Associated Press 9:53 a.m. MDT April 21, 2015
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/2015/04/21/huntingdistrict-closes-bighorn-sheep-numbers-plummet/26122751/
Page 7
Mountain south to the Benchmark area.
This year he counted 329 animals. Wildlife counts are
considered a minimum of the population.
“The number was probably closer to 400 because the
spring weather was mild and the animals were not as
concentrated,” he said.
The most significant drop in numbers has hit each year’s
lamb crop.
“Ideally I should see 30 to 40 lambs per 100 ewes on
early spring surveys,” Lonner said. “Now, I’m seeing 10
lambs per 100 ewes, though that is up slightly from 2011
when I saw five lambs per 100 ewes.
“Based on summer surveys, the ewes are producing lambs,
but many of the lambs are not surviving to late summer
or early fall. This phenomenon is similar to what has been
observed in other wild sheep herds post disease and dieoff. It’s caused by the lingering effects of the disease.”
Pneumonia in wild sheep often comes from bacteria carried
and tolerated by domestic sheep. If enough of the bacteria
get into a bighorn’s lungs, it starts a cascade of events that
triggers an autoimmune response, where the body attacks its
own defenses, leading to pneumonia and death.
Because there are no domestic sheep near the Front, it’s
unclear how the wild sheep picked up the bacteria or
even the type of bacteria causing the problem. What is
clear is that this herd has not added many young animals
to its ranks for five years.
Lonner is also positive the significant increase in deaths
of each year’s lambs is not tied to predators or weather:
“That’s not the cause of the big downturn in sheep.”
Although young sheep are not entering the population,
the herd has a solid number of older rams in some areas.
“For example, in Hunting District 422, which includes
Castle Reef,” Lonner said, “I counted 49 rams out of
119 total sheep this spring, and of those rams about 75
percent were three-quarter curl or better. Those are 4- to
5-year-old sheep or older.”
This year FWP has proposed four either-sex sheep
licenses for HD 422; there have been no ewe tags for two
years. Lonner hasn’t decided whether to recommend
upping the either-sex licenses, perhaps, by one or two.
“Do we maintain four tags for a few years in hopes we can
make the most of the older-age rams we have now for as
long as we can?” Lonner asked. “Or bump that number
up by a tag or two for the next couple of years to add
opportunity now?”
health is not certain.
“Until lamb recruitment improves, I don’t expect the
numbers to rebound any time soon,” Lonner said. “How to
stop it? That’s what we are trying to figure out.”
Last year, Montana State University and FWP began a
statewide bighorn sheep research project, looking at the
animals’ biology and ecology. The study includes several
herds throughout the state, including the Sun River bunch.
North Dakota Game and Fish cancels bighorn sheep season
By - Associated Press - Wednesday, March 4, 2015
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - North Dakota will not have a
bighorn sheep hunting season this year for the first time
in more than three decades.
The state Game and Fish Department is making the move
because of the deaths of dozens of sheep last year in the
western Badlands due to bacterial pneumonia in the
herd. Many of them were mature rams, according to Jeb
Williams, the agency’s wildlife chief.
Most of the sheep had been transplanted from Alberta,
Canada, about a year ago. State wildlife officials said
the wild sheep likely were infected by domestic sheep,
though sheep ranchers questioned that theory.
The last time North Dakota did not have a bighorn sheep
hunting season was 1983.
“The summer 2015 (bighorn population) survey will
provide more information as to when Game and Fish
may be able to re-establish a sheep season,” Williams
said.
Bighorn sheep licenses are once-in-a-lifetime licenses
in North Dakota - meaning hunters who get a license
cannot get another one even if they fail to bag a sheep.
One license is given out every year through an auction
to raise money for sheep management, and the rest are
given out through a lottery drawing. All five hunters who
got a bighorn license last year bagged a ram.
Moose and elk licenses also are once-in-a-lifetime
licenses in North Dakota. Both of those hunting seasons
will have more licenses available this year than in
2014. Game and Fish said 301 elk licenses will be made
available, up 40, and there will be 131 moose licenses,
up 20.
The FWP Commission will finalize the number of 2015
bighorn sheep licenses at its June 11 meeting.
Anyone with questions or comments can contact Lonner
at his Fairfield office at 406-467-2488.
Whatever the decision, how to improve current sheep
Page 8
And from a new, and very creative writer for Goat Tracks! “Obviously, I’m new here. I am impressed with your
Goats... and What to Do With Them
Richard Kaylena Frates
After having goats for a while, I found myself growing a
little fond of them. I was giddy with anticipation for the
arrival of kids. Not mine; the goats’. My wife thought I
needed an intervention.
“You are getting too attached to these animals. They are
meat goats you know! How are you going to eat them,
now that you’ve named them? “
“Eat them?” I returned, “Their taste is not to my liking.
Besides, you can’t eat family! “
Kitty rolled her eyes, “They aren’t family! They’re not
even pets! They are farm animals. You need serious
counseling!”
Even if we could afford counseling, I was sure there were
no animal addiction recovery groups in the area to offer
support. I imagined they might exist in big cities. What if
she sent me to one of those meetings?
There would be a group leader saying, “Welcome to animal
lovers anonymous. What you hear here, stays here.”
All in unison, “Here, here.”
Everyone would be seated in a circle. The group leader
would remind everyone that animals existed for definite
purposes such as carrying people and their loads,
protection, providing food for people and in more recent
history, as pets. Although we might love our pets, we
shouldn’t treat them like people! Then we would all be
invited to share our stories.
The man next to me would open with, “Hello. My name is
Guy.”
Everyone would say, “Hi Guy!”
Guy would then say, “I am addicted to my pet gerbil.
Steve goes everywhere with me in my pocket! He’s like
the brother I never had!” Guy would break into tears and
sob about how he could never just leave Steve in his cage
to eat seeds-alone!
Then the woman next to me would introduce herself and
go on and on about her 13 pet cats and how she bought
premium meat from the deli, spent thousands on health
care annually and upon their passing, had planned to
have them stuffed and put on the mantelpiece with their
predecessors. She was here because she wanted to have
human friends again that wouldn’t shun the “Crazy Cat
Lady”. She was seriously considering getting rid of one of
her cats. She then went catatonic thinking about it!
People would take turns talking about their addictions
to urbane pets like dogs, cats, goldfish, etc. There would
be some guy in love with his pet lemur, Doloris. I guess
it would be my turn at some point. I would stammer out
my name and they would all chime in, “Hi, Richard!”
courage and am inspired to confess that __I __am __
addicted __to __my __<swallowing> goats.”
A guy across the room would be so stunned that he
would fall out of his seat in catatonic shock! Many would
gasp and a woman would cry out, “OMG! Farm animals!
That’s disgusting!”
I went to bed sure of one thing: I would not eat my own
goats and like it!
[and with the passage of time…]
I don’t remember how I learned about pack goats but
the idea struck me as brilliant. I knew they were strong
and sure-footed, but capable of packing loads? This
demanded research.
Using the Internet, I found the past and present of goat
packing. Apparently, mankind has been using goats to
pack for thousands of years. I pictured an unfortunate
fellow named Abdul considering his options for
caravanning across the desert. The animal dealer walks
up to him and says:
“Hey now, my friend, have I got a deal for you! These topof-the-line camels come with wide traction feet and their
own water supply! Only 1,000 rupees a piece!”
Abdul shakes his head and the dealer turns to a pen of
horses.
“You look like a man who likes speed! These mustangs
will get you to across the desert in a fortnight! Loyal too.
Only 700 rupees each!”
Abdul frowns and feels his money bag. “What can I get
for a nickel?”
Now it’s the dealer’s turn to frown. He scratches his
head. “Hmmm. Well I do have this old goat...”
-----------------------------------------There are outfitters nowadays that will even rent goats
to city folk for wilderness expeditions. The world’s been
turned on its ear!
Now I was excited! My bad back had kept me from
backpacking, and now my “pets” could pull their weight
by packing mine into the mountains! I had a vision of
my family hiking into the wilderness followed by goats
carrying all of our gear. We could go for miles and
the goats would just browse along behind us without
creating a ruckus that animals like mules might do
(Their kind is so ill-mannered)!
The first question I had to answer was what kind of goat
to use for my own expeditions. I had recently taken Billy
the billy to the auction so our strongest goat was history.
It had been tough saying goodbye to the father of our
herd -- especially with Kitty dancing around, singing and
clapping her hands together. She always did have a hard
time with farewells.
Page 9
Turns out that wethers make the best packers. I
wondered if being confined in small spaces with billy
goats while crossing deserts had anything to do with
the decision! Dusty was a young wether but I knew he
couldn’t carry any weight yet. However, I could train him
to lead, so I put a collar on him and, using a leash, set out
on a walk down the lane. Dusty did fine until he got out
of sight of his mother. Then I learned what a momma’s
boy he was! He started calling for mommy, and when she
answered his calls, he put on the brakes!
“For heaven’s sake Dusty, you’re almost a year old! Let
go already!”
The walk became a pull! I dragged him down the road
until he went down on his knees. I pulled him back up
and dragged him some more until he flat lay down! I
prodded him with my foot, but the stubborn kid refused
to go on without his mother. I rubbed my whiskers,
pondering a solution, when a familiar voice broke in:
“That ain’t no way to raise up a goat! Lemme show ya
how it’s done!”
Dusty had broken down out in front of Fitch’s place.
The self-proclaimed animal expert had been rocking
his chair out on the porch, enjoying the show we were
putting on. He ambled down the steps of his porch and
out to the road where Dusty was feigning death.
“We could pull him together?” I ventured.
“Pshaw! Do I look like a spring chicken to you? ‘Sides,
I thought yer back wuz no good. There’s only one easy
way to git a stubborn critter to move!”
Fitch dug into one of the capacious pockets of his
coveralls and produced a prodigious amount of pocket
lint. “How long had it been since he washed his clothes?”
I thought, wondering what he was looking for. Another
pocket yielded a cigarette lighter.
I refused to relinquish control of the leash to the
panicking goat. My free hand clamped down on my head
to keep my hat from flying off while the other hand tried
to rein in Dusty. “Whoa! Whoa! Stop already!”
Dusty did stop for an instant, but I didn’t. I tripped over
his small frame and face planted into a beet-tops! Dusty,
hearing the renewed cries of his now frenzied mother,
jumped right over me on his way home.
Goats being naturally shy of water, I was sure he would
stop at the ditch. Instead, he sailed over it like an
Olympic hurdler. And on he went, through one fence,
under my truck, and over the fence separating him from
momma. “Whewww!” I whistled as I watched him go. “I
have got to get a pack on that boy!”
I realized then that it was time to cut ties with his
mother permanently. I found a weed abatement herd
where she could spend the rest of her days abating all
the weeds she wanted -- and traveling too!
When the herdsman came to pick up old Annabelle, he
paid me my asking price and we loaded her up on his
truck. Dusty and young Annabelle were none too happy
to see Momma moving on. The man turned to thank me.
“What’s the matter? Got some dust in your eyes?”
“Yeah. I always seem to get dirt in them when I’m
loading up my goats.”
He sighed knowingly. He pulled something out his
pocket and handed it to me. It was a nickel.
Before I could put one and one together, Fitch put the
two items together and produced a ball of fire, which he
calmly dropped on the ground behind the goat. It rolled
underneath his tail! Dusty, who had had been regarding
the goings on rather sullenly, suddenly had a change of
attitude! I don’t know if it was the smell of his burning
hair or the searing pain that reached his brain first, but
his altitude changed with his tail sensations! When he
returned to the earth, his legs were already churning! He
took off like a shot, heading into the sugar beet field next
to the road, jerking me along behind him.
“Thaaaaank youuuuuu Fiiiiitch!” I managed to get off as
was bumping along over the beets.
Over the bleating of the hot-tailed goat, cackling could
be heard. I wondered if this was some sick idea of Fitch’s
to repay me for the nasty trip he took with Billy a few
months back.
Page 10
From the Training Pen
(The Best of Rex Summerfield)
Keeping Low Impact on the Trail
Goats on the Trail
One of the biggest advantages to using pack goats is
that we don’t have to lead them or even have them
strung together like most other pack animals. Not
having your animals on a lead leaves them free to
explore and wander off trail as you travel along.
Even though you are traveling with the goats loose,
you still need to have a plan to get the goats under
control quickly. Try keeping a lead rope on each
goat while hiking to help control them quickly if the
need arises. Tie the extra rope to the saddle leaving
a loop hanging from the goat’s collar or halter that
you can grab if necessary.
Packgoats have been used in the US for several
decades now but nearly every day I still meet
someone just finding out about them for the first
time. Chances are that many of the people you
meet on the trail as well as land use managers
will be uneducated about pack goats. It is vitally
important that we make a good impression with
everyone we meet to help show goat packing in
a positive manner. Most of the trails we use with
our goats are on public land, usually under state or
federal jurisdiction. With public land comes land
use guidelines. In regards to trails, there may be
restrictions on the type of animal that can use the
trail, number of animals allowed in each group and
restrictions on how the trail can be used. There
are also some general guidelines that users are
expected to follow, or trail etiquette if you will.
This may include simple right of way issues or
suggestions to help keep the trail from eroding.
For example; when you meet a group coming the
other way and need to pass in a narrow section,
the general rule of thumb is that the group with the
larger animals has right of way. The person with
the smaller animal, or no animal, should step off the
trail on the downhill side. This is important because
it will keep a spooky horse on the uphill side of the
trail. Many trails are in steep dangerous country
and a horse spooking off the downhill side of the
trail can be deadly for the horse and its rider. I
know a few people who stubbornly refuse to worry
about which side of the trail they get off claiming
the horse owner should be responsible for having
a spooky horse on the trail in the first place. This
attitude leaves a bad impression on the people we
meet on the trail. Courtesy is always the best course
of action. Besides, we are using goats so moving
downhill is no problem for us.
Always promote the positive low impact use of
pack goats with people who stop to talk to you on
the trail. Carrying a pamphlet like those available
through the NAPgA to hand out to people who are
curious is a great way to introduce people to pack
goats and will save you some time by not having to
answer the same questions over and over.
Now that we have promoted the low impact use of
pack goats, how do we ensure that they are indeed
low impact? There are a few behaviors inherent
in goats which lend themselves to destructive
behavior if not managed by us. One is their pension
for eating the greenery along the way. This is
great because we don’t have to pack weed free
hay or feed supplements, thereby preventing the
unnatural introduction of invasive plants to the
backcountry. The downside is that goats can strip
a sparse area of vegetation in short order. Make
sure not to stop in scenic areas or camp spots used
by other trail users where this could be a problem.
Camping off the beaten path gives the goats places
to browse and keeps our impact to a minimum.
Another behavior we need to manage is goats
traveling off trail. Generally a narrow trail will
prevent the goats from causing any noticeable
damage. One sensitive area for all trail managers
is people or animals cutting the switchbacks.
For anyone not familiar with western trails, a
switchback is a place where the trail curves back
above or below itself in steep country. Goats strung
out behind you will see you above or below them
and cut straight to you instead of staying on the
trail. A frowned upon action by all land managers
known as “cutting the switchback.” This eventually
Page 11
leads to a shortcut trail on a steep section which
channels water and starts unwanted erosion that
damages the hillside and trail. The bad news is that
goats are notorious for cross country travel and
cutting straight up to you just makes more sense to
the goat than taking the long way around the trail.
There are several things you can do to prevent this.
The first thing would be to encourage your goats to
stay on the trail. Use a narrow section of trail and
use a squirt gun to discourage any goat who walks
off the side of the trail. Squirt it when it walks off
the trail and praise it when it returns to the trail. Be
consistent and the goat will eventually figure it out.
Another option is to tie the goats together when you
are in an area with a lot of switchbacks, a practice
known as “stringing”. Tying the goats into a pack
string requires some practice at home before you
try it on the trail. Making sure to tie all the goats in
their proper hiking order is paramount to success
with this method. A simpler method is to stop just
short of the switchback and let all the goats catch up
to you. Once the goats are bunched up right behind
you, then you can head into the switchback. If none
of the goats are lagging, then there are no goats far
enough behind to be tempted to cut the switchback.
A combination of training and goat management are
necessary to work out the problem but it is easily
accomplished by the responsible packer.
See you on the
trail!
Cargo & Rockslide, two of Dwite Sharp’s incredible
boys at the Kansas Sampler Festival
In my frequent forays into the files that make up the GT Archives, I have come to the conclusion that the only reason that
everyone doesn’t have a copy of this information is that they
just don’t realize how completely entertaining lots of this stuff
is. There have been some great writers for GT over the years!
Page 12
Day Tripping With The Goats: Mt. Baker, North ridges with fabulous views of Baker’s snow covered
slopes. Low shrubs, grasses and flowers are perfect
Mt. Baker is the most northern of Washington state’s for a quick picnic for both humans and goats. This
glacier covered volcanoes. The jagged peaks and area is famous for its spring wildflowers.
deep valleys that surround this towering peak have This can be a fast day hike to the first touch on the
some truly lovely trails. Many of these welcome ridge, or you can follow the ridge to the Baker’s snows,
goats, along with other pack animals. I have the winding along narrow points with views on both sides
undisputed joy of living within 40 minutes of many and through pleasant meadows. Camping spots can be
found on the ridges and overnight stays are marvelous.
of these trailheads.
The trails are short: usually seven to ten miles, one- Once the other hikers have gone, marmots and deer
way. But the beauty of the area is such that the goats, come out to browse the lower slopes.
Karen Bean, Maple Falls, Washington
dog, and I (and sometimes my husband) often make There will be company on this hike. It is very popular. If
you want solitude Cougar Divide may be a better choice.
Cougar Divide:
14 Miles round trip. Logistically, this is the next
ridge to the east of Skyline Divide. This walk offers
solitude, but at a price: the trail is not maintained:
deep ruts, fallen trees, and steep climbs await. It’s
easy for the goats, but you’ll not see any other pack
animals here. Mind you I’d probably be the only goat
packer you’d meet.
an overnight trip out of what could be a day-hike. As
much of the walking is at or above tree line, there is The trail is a roller coaster: Up 500 feet, down 150
feet, up 100, down 300 and so on, diving in and out
always the possibility of taking off cross-country.
of trees until you hit an area about 5 miles out, then
The backcountry area here is huge. Goats may walk
it settles down into straight shots across open ridge
in some parts but are forbidden in others.
slopes and then constant rises with amazing views.
North Cascades National Park – No Go
The snow-covered slopes of Baker come into view
The North Cascades National Park comprises a good soon after a short climb out of the parking lot. Then
section of Eastern Whatcom County. Goats are not the trails drops into sculptured stone walls and trees
allowed in this area. The reason: Mountain Goats (over, under, around). It’s lovely, but to me, the first true
are on the highest peaks, no where near the trail. Go joys come from the flowered slopes that hang above
figure. The ban on packgoats works out for me, as I 1000-foot drops to the valley below. In the distance
don’t like hiking in National Parks. I have an aversion are the ragged peaks of the northern Cascades. The
to being told when and where I can camp.
trail then pops you in an out of trees and slopes until
you clear the tree line and reach the rounded ridge.
Nation Forest and Wilderness – Goat Friendly.
Happily, the Mt. Baker Wilderness is equally large.
Goats are welcome on many of the trails and there are
no restrictions on cross-country travel. The National
Forest web site with a list of trails in this area that are
open to stock is at the end of this article. Note: Goats
(and llamas) have no date restrictions, unlike horses.
What follows are three of my yearly treks in this area.
Skyline Divide:
About 10 Miles round trip. A 2,500-foot climb. This
starts with a fairly easy walk up and long a tidy, wellmaintained trail through the fir and hemlock forest.
The trees open at the ridge crest presenting rolling
Page 13
Creeks can
be heard
as
they
cascade
though
the deep
valleys
on
both
sides
of
your route.
Lupine,
asters,
I n d i a n
paintbrush
are at your
feet (and in
On Cougar Divide, Mt. Baker in background the goat’s
mouths). The 360-degree view takes in Baker’s
glaciers, the Nooksack River heading to the ocean,
and the peaks of the Canadian and US Cascade
ranges. You can keep going and about 8 miles from
the parking lot you should hit the snows of Mt. Baker
at the crest of Chowder Ridge.
The steep climb up Excelsior Pass Trail through the
trees dumps you puffing on an east/west ridge with
outstanding views of Baker and the mountains to the
north. Late fall gives you waving stands of fireweed
and more blueberries than you or the goats can eat.
The ridge walk gently rises and falls in a succession
of outstanding views and carpets of color until you
reach the top of Welcome Pass. Bring water and a
water purifier or iodine tablets. The tiny seasonal
pond here is the only water in the area, and brackish
does not begin to describe it.
You can drop down the bone-jarring descent of
Welcome Pass at this point or pitch a tent and head
out cross-country to an overlook of Yellow Aster
Butte. The beauty of watching the vales below fill
with mist in the twilight gives way to incredible stars
followed by crisp morning air. Mind you, it can rain
– so bring a book as well.
A faint footpath leads nearly straight up as you travel
northwards onto a higher ridge. Alpine plants,
more blueberries, granite outcrops, and views to
the Canadian Cascades are a fabulous pay off. The
near vertical drops to the valley below are amazing,
but there is ample space to meander about without
nearing the edge. My goats, of course, believe the edge,
and those tiny shelves below are just the thing for a
fun “let’s see if Karen will have a coronary” moment.
I have met walkers who have traversed over to the
crest of Skyline Divide and made a horseshoe walk
by combining the two (usually up Skyline down
Cougar). You need two vehicles to do this, as the
trailheads are miles apart. You also need some good
This is where the compass – or GPS – is truly needed.
snow skills. Most years the area that links the two
trails is under snow – snow with crevasses. The boys
and I have never walked it.
Bring bug repellent for you and the goats – the flies
don’t get much fresh human and goat flesh up on
Cougar Divide and they truly enjoy taking advantage
of it when present.
High Divide
(Excelsior to the Yellow Aster Overlook with possible
My personal favorite! Since I spent a number of years
return down Welcome Pass):
in Bellingham, WA, only a stone’s throw from where this
8 Miles, kind of. It all depends on what you want to writer hails from, Mt. Shucksan has always been a fav. Not
do, how far you go, and where you decide to exit. I’ve just mine, however, as Mt. Shucksan has been showing up
never measured the mileage on this one, and as the on posters for all the years I have been around. Ed.
portion I like is part trail and part overland, there’s
no formal distance. The entrance and exit to this To head to the Yellow Aster Overlook you head east,
area, with packgoats, is strenuous. Both are a 2,500 dropping off the ridge and though a small pass then
feet change in just over 2 miles. Switchback city climb up – straight up – to the next hill top. Heather
though trees, both up Excelsior and down Welcome. and Kinnikinnick offer handholds for humans – and
The pay off is magic. You would need two vehicles to a snack for the happy goats. This ridge top is often
windy, but beautiful. Snow, rain, and wind have
go up Excelsior Pass and down Welcome Pass.
carved the rocks up here. Patches of icy snow can
Page 14
be found even in September. The hilltop rises as
you move east until you are perched on a point that
seems to drop straight down into the Yellow Aster
Butte pond area. Livestock is not allowed down
there. But it is just as well. In warm weather the
area is filled with humans and dogs. The view from
the point is astounding, expansive and quiet. I have
only encountered one other person at the point in all
my years of walking there.
Canada’s mountains stretch to the north. Yellow
Aster, American Peak, and Tomohoi Peak are before
you. And the amount of rocks for the goats to play on
offer hours of joy. I like to sit, rest, ponder, and then
walk back to the tent at the top of Welcome Pass.
Be Aware, Alert, Alive:
there’s no one about, there may be: My goats wear their
red raincoats even if it’s not raining. This is hunting
country. I wear bright colors. The majority of hunters
are knowledgeable, but I don’t want to meet the one
hunter who thinks my goat is deer, or I’m a bear.
Bear, Cougars, Coyotes: This is the wilderness, we
have (and I welcome) large predators – to me it’s their
land, the goats and I need to adapt. This is primarily
black bear country. There has been a grizzly sited –
one, only one. Cougars too, roam the tree lines. These
predators are not prone to coming around people, as
people have guns. But they are here.
Dogs: To me a bigger hazard than wildlife. The majority
of dogs the goats and I have encountered are well
behaved. They return to their owners when called. I
have encountered the bad owner – I never blame the
dog, just the owner who is not in control. I have had
stand-offs with a few dogs on trails, and words with
their humans. To date I am bigger and meaner than
the dogs (and my dog is smaller, but absolutely nuts
when a dog charges her goats – “I can take a German
Shepard” says the little terrier-cross, “Let me at ‘um”).
Beauty Triumphs Over Challenges.
I like the challenges of hiking the wilderness around
Mt. Baker with my goats. The pay-offs of magnificent
vistas, beautiful flowers, quiet pools, stunning peaks,
and blissful solitude are well worth the effort. And to
have all those delights with the company of my goats
is glorious – even when I’m yelling, “give me back that
bag of raisins, you b!!!!!” as I chase after a sneaky boy.
Directions:
All the trails I’ve mentioned are accessible from the
Mount Baker Highway (STATE ROUTE 542).
For detailed trailhead directions and more on the
stock trails check out
Terrain: This is lovely country but rugged. Good
working knowledge of map and compass (or a GPS)
is needed for any off-trail walks. It’s not a bad idea
to bring them along on the trail. Seldom used trails
can fade or wash out. Wet weather walking can lead
others to make new trails that go, kind-of, in the
same direction. Hunter trails may lead off leaving http://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/mbs/recreation/horseridingtwo options. And the trail may disappear into the camping/?recid=17520&actid=30
mist. Weather can change fast here. A sunny day can They include:
end in rain or very dense fog.
n Baker Lake Trail
Weather: It can be very wet here. It snows here, not a
n Park Butte Trail
lot this year, but usually. A sunny day can become windy,
n Canyon Ridge Trail
wet and cold very quickly. As long as you and the goats
n Goat Mountain Trail
are prepared for inclement weather, it’s not an issue.
n Hannegan Pass Trail (but only in Forest
Humans: You can walk this area and meet only
Service Land, not the National Park)
one person, or no other walker at all. Skyline is the
n High Divide Trail
exception – on that walk I feel like my packgoats are
n Pacific Crest Trail
ambassadors to all the folks we meet who are thrilled
n Silesia Creek Trail
by, and photograph, the goats. But even when it seems
Page 15
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Page 16
Goats More Rare Than the Panda…
First published Tuesday 10 March 2015 in News
http://www.smallholder.co.uk/news/11829322.Goats_more_
rare_than_the_panda____/
The Bagot Goat is rarer than the panda and has been officially
registered as ‘critically endangered’ by the Rare Breeds
Society Trust in 2015.
There are only 200 registered
breeding females in the UK
and Kingston Maurward
College, Dorchester, will be
bringing some of their Bagot
Goats along to the Sherborne
Castle Country Fair and Rare
Breeds Show on Monday May
25. The specialist Animal
Park at the College is now
home to seven Bagot Goats
with a breeding programme
in place to reach a total of
ten.
Bagot goats are white and long-haired with their heads
and fore quarters black, although some animals have black
spots and patches on their hind-quarters and a small white
laze upon their face. Both of these are allowed in the show
standard but they are faults that will probably be bred out as
numbers increase sufficiently to allow improvement.
The emblem of the head of a goat has appeared on the coat
of arms of the Bagot family since the year 1380 and the close
association of the family with goats is believed to stem from
the presentation of a herd of goats to Sir John Bagot by King
Richard ll. In the Bagot family church at Blithfield, the crest
with the head of a goat is carved on tombstones and there is a
stone frieze of goat heads at Goat Lodge near Blithfield Park.
Available documentary evidence of the continuance existence
of a herd of goats in Bagot`s Park, which lies close to Abbots
Bromley in Staffordshire is sparse but the colour of the goats
which is similar to that of the Schwarzhal goats in Switzerland
lends credence to the theory that the Bagot goats are possibly
descendants of animals brought back from the mainland of
Europe, perhaps by the Crusaders. This makes the Bagot goat
one of the oldest breeds of goats in Britain today.
The goats arrival at Blithfield Park around 1380 would indicate
that they probably went first to one of the Royal Parks. The
damage they would have done there, would probably have been
considerable, and the King would have been glad to be rid of
them to another place where they could be enjoyed for hunting.
Bagot numbers have fluctuated for a variety of reasons but it’s
hoped the breed is now more secure with the announcement
by RBST that the Trust has recently invested in 38 registered
in-kid Bagot nannies with the aim of strengthening existing
breeding herds and setting up around four to six new ones.
RBST is currently looking after these goats until they kid and
the plan is in May/June 2015 to relocate them to their new
herds on a loan basis. RBST has also been working with the
Bagot Goat Society to gather billy goat semen for the Gene
Bank and this work will continue.
Page 17
Dennis Willingham
P.O. Box 333
Rough & Ready CA 95975
(530) 432-0946
bhpackgoats@hotmail.com
Family owned and operated Butt-Head Pack Goats has been in business since 1988.
All of our equipment is hand made by Dennis Willingham in the small town of
Rough & Ready, California. We value our customers and take pride in our work. All
of our products have been tested on the trail. We appreciate your business and
guarantee your satisfaction.
Page 18
Cajeta
temperature for a long time. If you’re planning to store
it for several months or send it for Christmas gifts, I
This is a delicious Mexican caramel sauce made from
recommend water bath canning. Once the jar is resugar and goat milk. It was invented in the early 1800’s
opened it should go in the refrigerator where it will last
in the city of Celaya, Guanajuato, where the Mexican War
for many months. (I’m not sure how many because I
of Independence began. It became an important part of
haven’t had any go bad yet.)
a soldier’s ration not only because it was tasty, but also
because it would keep for months on the trail. Cajeta
has a very light flavor different from any other caramel
I’ve tasted (probably because it contains no corn syrup).
It is delicious on ice cream, sweet rolls, coffee cake,
pancakes, and anything else you might use caramel or
maple syrup on.
(sometimes known as “dulce de leche”)
Cajeta is extremely easy to make but requires a good
deal of patience, so it’s perfect if you want to hunker
down with a good book on a cold day.
What you need:
1 Quart goat milk
1 Cup sugar
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch (optional but
recommended to thicken syrup faster)
1 tsp. vanilla (set aside for later)
Use a wire whisk to stir the baking soda and cornstarch
into a small amount of the milk. Make sure all lumps are
completely dissolved. Pour the rest of your milk into a
saucepan on medium-high heat and add the sugar. Stir
with a wooden spoon until the sugar is dissolved, then
add the milk/baking soda mixture. Bring the milk to a
boil, and stir to keep it from scorching. When the milk
begins to froth up, turn the heat down until it simmers
constantly without boiling over. Continue stirring.
Now for the waiting game. The boiling-down process
takes almost an hour (longer if you start with more
milk), and you have to stir almost constantly. For a long
time it will look like nothing is happening. The delicious
smell will drive you crazy and your arm will begin to
feel like it’s about to fall off, but the results are worth it!
Eventually the milk will begin to turn light brown. This
is caramelization. Keep stirring as it slowly thickens and
browns. Do not let it scorch!
Keep at it until you think it is a nice consistency.
(Remember that it will thicken a little when it cools.)
The last step is the one I often forget--add the vanilla!
This step is saved till the end so the vanilla doesn’t burn
off during the cooking process.
One quart of milk will make about 1-2 cups of cajeta
depending on how thick you make it how patient you
are. Preheat a glass jar in some boiling water and pour
the cajeta in while the jar is still hot. Fill it to the top,
put on the lid, and allow to cool at room temperature.
You should hear the lid “pop” after a while. This
means there’s a good seal and you can store it at room
Meet the Mayo goat who thinks he’s a dog!
Wednesday, 8th April, 2015 1:22pm
h t t p : / / w w w. c o n - t e l e g r a p h . i e / n e w s / r o u n d u p /
articles/2015/04/08/4036898-meet-the-mayo-goat-who-thinkshes-a-dog/
PERRY is a Westport
goat who is convinced
he is a dog and acts
just like one!
When he was born
five
years
ago,
Perry was fostered
and bottled fed by
popular local man
Jason Kelly when the kid’s mother was unable to look after
it, writes Mark Kelly.
After Perry got stronger, he grew up in the same home as a Jack
Russell puppy and the two animals played together all the time.
Explained Jason, who is the farm manager at Horkan’s Garden
Centre at Turlough, Castlebar: “Perry was only supposed to be
with us for a few months. But once he got fit and healthy after
his difficult introduction to life, we could not let him go because
he became such a huge part of the family.
“Perry does not act like other goats. He loves going for walks
and playing with the children and other pets. On occasions,
he has been known to chase the postman, just like a dog
would do.”
Perry can often be seen walking with his Jason around
Islandeady and at Lough Lannagh in Castlebar. He is
frequently spotted sitting in the front seat of Jason’s Opel
Vectra, wearing a seat belt, as Jason and himself pass through
Castlebar on the way to work in Turlough.
Such is his celebrity status that he is regularly invited to
birthday parties and school events throughout the region.
He was also a star attraction at the Easter Farm in Horkan’s,
which remains open until Sunday next, April 12.
“Everybody who meets Perry loves him and he enjoys the
attention,” added Jason.
Page 19
Harness & Cart Goats
from the Cart Goat Lady
Bambi Iles
Working goats can perform a lot of useful tasks
around the homestead. A properly trained harness
goat can be hitched to a number of different
implements to perform a variety of tasks. Harness
goats can pull a small disc in the fields or garden
or they can pull a load of firewood down from the
hilltops. On our small farm we have grown organic
lavender for well over thirty years. Our harness
goats have been a large influence in the success of
the lavender. The harness goats pull a small disc
in the fields to prepare them for planting. Also we
hitch a single goat to a small wheeled cultivator we
use between the rows of lavender. The goats have
hauled compost to the field in the sled and they have
hauled thousands of loads of lavender cuttings to
the distillery where we produce our oils. Sometimes
if my back is bothering me I will have a goat hitched
to a roll around stool and bucket trailer so I can sit
down and harvest the lavender while the goat pulls
me along the row of lavender plants.
Harness goats also pull the small two-gang disc in
the garden to get the area ready for planting. We
repurposed an old two-gang disc designed for a
garden tractor in the 1960’s. A set of pair shafts and
single trees were attached to the small disc. We use
a pair for this job because it is very difficult work. It
takes us a few days to disc the entire garden because
we take many rest breaks and only work forty-five
minutes a day. We do this so we do not injure the
goats. Caution has to be taken to keep from over
working goats and causing bodily injury.
Probably the best job for harness goats on the
homestead is pulling a four-wheeled wagon. It is so
nice to go for a drive in the warm summer evenings
with a team or pair of harness goats hitched to the
wagon. I love the quietness of the goat’s hooves hitting
the dirt and the soft jingle of the sleigh bells on their
harnesses. Goats are very eco-friendly because their
exhaust is wonderful fertilizer for the fields. Harness
goats are wonderful for the homestead. They can
Recently our harness goats worked to haul firewood perform a variety of tasks and help with the workload
out of a steep twenty percent incline. The trees that of running a small homestead.
were being cut into firewood where located on a If you have any questions about harness goats on
steep hillside. The mechanical equipment (tractors the homestead, or any training questions, please feel
and all terrain vehicles) could not be used due to free to drop me an email: bambi@bilesharness.com
the steepness of the terrain. The harness goats
were called to action. They pulled a huge amount
of oak firewood out of this steep terrain. We chose
to use the sled for some of the work because we
were afraid the carts would want to roll over due
to the steepness. A couple of harness goats pulled
firewood on the sled to another harness goat who
was hitched to the two-wheeled cart and they hauled
the wood the rest of the way to the unloading area.
It took three days and many miles walked to get the
entire job done. The goats were tired for a couple
of days and they required a little bit of rest after
this job. Without the harness goats it would have
taken a lot of trips with the wheelbarrow and many
aching sore muscles.
Page 20
So began a search for locations within reasonable driving
distance that one could get out to, early in the year.
Naturally, due to its low altitude, Hells Canyon emerged
as one of the possibilities. And so I decided that this year
I actually wanted to make it happen. But being somewhat
of a prima donna hiker, i.e., not wanting to have to deal
with rain, finding a weather-window this time of year,
large enough to do a many-mile hike, was a stretch to say
the least.
Only a small piece of Hells Canyon as seen by the satellite. Hells
Canyon is the deepest place in Idaho, and in fact the deepest
gorge in North America. It is both a delight, and a grunt, to hike.
============================
An Early Spring Potpourri - Hiking Hells Canyon, ID
52 miles, 5 days
At least a part of the reason I decided to put this all down
on ‘paper’, is that not only was this venture great for all
the usual reasons, i.e., to have fun, and to get away from
other not-so-lofty pursuits, but at least in this case, it was
as much a learning experience as a fun getaway.
We did have one here, back in February sometime, but at
that time, getting away was out of the question. So began
the waiting game…
All of a sudden, on an April Sunday or Monday, the weatherwindow opened wide, looking ahead to 7-8 days of
unmitigated sunshine. However, getting it all together in order
to launch out of here on Wednesday after my Bible Study
Fellowship class on Tuesday was going to be an immense
effort. Somehow I managed to get everything assembled,
goats loaded and out on the road in the early AM.
S i n c e
you have
to
drive
nearly
halfway up
I not only learned a lot about low-level spring hiking, but
through
also learned about myself, and the considerations and
Idaho, not
limitations of being a ‘mid-seventies’ hiker. Read on…
to mention
---------------------------up
and
This
spring
was
over
a
the first time I even
4400ft
considered
actually
ridge to
Class ‘A’ typical. Here we are about to embark on
getting out on a hiking
get to the
our 5-day Spring excursion:
venture prior to July
Maxie is coming back from early trail exploration
trailhead,
Mocha is looking for one more opportunity to whack in
4th. In the years prior
spite
Maxie, & Coffee Bean is looking around and won- of leaving
to 2014, the possibility
dering, “What’s this all about?”
of getting out on
early AM,
the trail prior to the
we didn’t actually get onto the trail until early afternoon.
high-country hiking
Which meant that a long-mile day was definitely not in
‘window’,
simply
the cards… not necessarily a bad thing however, since it
hadn’t even shown up
was fairly warm, and it was the first hiking day in a while
on the edges of my
for the boys.
radar. Why not? Who
So, 5 miles or so brought us to the overlook over the
knows, other than a
landmark Kirkwood Ranch. An early 1900’s ranch that
A
section
of
the
trail
just
south
of
the
classic stereotypical
has been preserved and maintained on the register of
trailhead.
Not
only
one
of
the
few
placm i n d s e t - i n - e r r o r,
es where you would be close to the river historic places… not the only place in Hells Canyon to be
and the fact that I
on this hike, but representative of much
simply had just never of the trail as knocked out of the side of so-recognized.
Just getting down to the ranch from this overlook was an
considered it seriously the mountain.
adventure in and of itself, as we were several hundred
prior to now.
feet above the river level, the trail was uncommonly
However, in 2014, the idea slipped onto the outer fringes
steep, and traction was somewhere between 0 and a -47.
of the radar, and I began to postulate, ‘Hey, there must be
However we eventually made it, more or less unscathed,
somewhere in this mountainous country that one could
and observed a well-tended beautiful example of early
go hiking prior to mid-year, isn’t there?’
20th century architecture.
Page 21
As a service
to the many
h i ke rs,
Kirkwood
Ranch has
plenty
of
camping on
grass, with
picnic tables
besides.
However, in
line with my
normal modus operandi, i.e., to maintain a low profile
with the goats, I trudged on for about ½ mile to a camp
spot by the river.
Camping was blissfully quiet, and next morning we began
the long trek up to the location on the trail known as
Suicide Point. This inauspicious point was undoubtedly
aptly named by early travelers due to it being cut out of
the rock, the trail’s narrow width, and its considerable
altitude over the river, 400ft, more or less.
One of the many things I was to discover on this trail was
that ‘up and down’ was a very frequent trail characteristic,
and that sections of the trail that were one person wide
were not uncommon. I never did quite figure out what
would be the solution to meeting horse on the trail. For
example getting around the goats to lead them back the
other way would be difficult, if not extremely hazardous
due to the abyss on one side, and there were sections on
this trail where ‘getting back to where you could get off
the trail’ could be a bit of a jaunt indeed.
across
what
were more or
less
scattered
m e a d o w s ,
bringing us to a
location known
as Pine Bar, a
beautiful
spot
on the river, that
was a long-rest
location,
both
coming and going.
After Pine Bar,
we went up and
across
another
rocky promontory, Suicide Point. It could certainly function
well in that endeavor it would seem.
then down along a
rocky, craggy, brushy section of trail that, late afternoon,
brought us to Sheep Creek, & Sheep Creek Ranch.
Apparently still an ‘inholding’ as we were politely invited
by the caretaker to ‘move right along’. Actually, as he
pointed out, there was a flat spot across the river, wellsuited for camping. But I noted that the sun was going to
disappear behind the ridge for the day very early evening,
thereby producing cold environs thereabout for a long
time before bedtime. Gracias, pero no gracias.
Moving on, we went ‘round da corner’ to a spot that I had
noted from the ‘flat spot’, which turned out to be a delightful
on-the-river, sandy, grassy spot to spend the night. This
location is marked Johnson Bar on the map, and has evidently
served to provide rest to many a weary traveler.
H o w e v e r,
Next morning, we climbed up a gentle grade for a bit, then
Just so’s I
traversed
wouldn’t
a long trek
get
too
across
a
complacent,
continuing
thinking that
meadow.
meeting
a
Looking
at
horse
was
Google Earth
an unlikely
afterwards,
possibility,
it is amazing
The locals came out to meet us... then suggested how
there were The 1st night’s camping, right on the river!
much
that we just move on along the trail.
more
lush
obvious signs that a horse had been in and back out
during the time we were down-trail. So much for my nice, and green it was as I was hiking it. It was a beautiful time
warm, fuzzy sense of security. ;-(
of year in the Canyon.
Suicide Point came and went, my having declined to ‘try
it out to test its effectiveness’, and so began the long trek
down to the meadows above Big Bar. These meadows
were a bit rugged in and of themselves, and even they
involved a bloody climb at the south end of Big Bar as it
was necessary to climb up and over just one more rocky
promontory prior to the location known as Little Bar.
At the end of the meadows, a few miles worth, came the
inevitable ‘up’ and the trail crossed the face of a very long
section of mountain, eventually dropping gradually down
to near the river at its junction with Three Creek. A covey
of tents here was due to an encampment of Sierra Club
members who were ostensibly doing trail work 5 miles
either side of Three Creek. I used the term ‘ostensibly’ as in
From there, the trail followed a relatively straight route my forward progress towards Granite Creek, my ultimate
Page 22
destination and turn-around point, I saw precious little
evidence of it. As a matter of fact, the trail was getting
more overgrown with grasses and other brush by the
foot.
I opted to tuck us all in a shady drainage, and wait for the
sun to progress to an angle of considerable less intensity.
Eventually, the time came, we hiked up and over, and
plopped down at the first location of reasonable suitability
After the usual schmoozing session that you invariably for camping.
have to have when you are leading a group of goats, I Note well here…
continued on down towards Granite Creek. There was
a mile or two of gradual mountain face traversing, then This was a 15+ mile day. I think that there are a lot of
down through an area that was as pretty a camping area animals that would have not hung in there with me for
that you could ever ask for, on through a meadow of trees, so long, but my boys never lay down to rest until I clearly
an obvious location of a early century ranch, then through was stopping myself. 10 miles is generally considered
as the limit one should ask of their goat-boys, but this
some more grass and rocks.
is the second time that circumstances have conspired to
It was at this point that the heat (it was by far the hottest cause they and me to have to go further, and my guys have
day yet of this venture), fatigue, thirst (my water filter always gone the so-called ‘extra mile(s)’ for me.
was making it extremely difficult to filter even small
quantities of water), and a general attitude of, ‘I’m bloody The next day, up early as before, we arrived out at the
tired of climbing over every bloody rock on this river’ kind trailhead noonish or so. Since it was the weekend, there
of took over and clouded my judgment to the degree that were a lot of occupants at the Kirkwood Ranch camping
I looked ahead at the ½ mile or so to go to Granite Creek, area, but due to my early beginnings on the trail, I was
saw more climbing, and simply said, ‘no more’. At this able to transit that area before most folks were up and
point I’m sorry that I didn’t go back to the shade, wait for around, thereby avoiding the inevitable question and
the sun to get lower, and motor on to Granite Creek. But answer session.
at the time, I just didn’t see that as a option. Such is the Earlier I alluded to issues concerning septuagenarian
stuff of decisions under pressure, especially the pressure hiking, especially as they were experienced on this venture.
One of them is that in the last 3-4 years, my balance has
of being profoundly uncomfortable.
I did go back to the shade, lay down with the boys, gone to hell in a handbasket. Why? Who knows. What I
and waited for the sun to get much lower. It did, as it do know, is that with the growing attitude of letting old
always seems to reliably do, and we trudged back to the buggers like myself fend for themselves in terms of health
care, I have never been able to get my medico to take an
aforementioned camping area, and called it a day.
interest in my balance issues. What that has meant, in
At that point, attitudinally speaking, I had reached a regards to hiking, is that I find, and found in the extreme
point where all I wanted to do what get outta Dodge. So, on this last venture, that I am very threatened by trails
although I know that some will question this, I consulted with very little width, i.e., very little room for recovery
the Lord, and I asked Him to please wake me prior to first should you stumble or lose your balance.
light. As I desired, the next two mornings on the trail out,
I woke up prior to first light, threw everything together, On this hike in particular, I was simply uneasy going
and was able to hike for long miles in the shade. It was down the trail to the south. But my mind apparently was
working on this issue, and I found coming out that I was
WONDERFUL!
more than simply ‘uneasy’, I was bloody well threatened.
Next to last day on the trail, more or less the end of the day,
So much so that I found it necessary to slow way down,
there was a dearth of suitable camping spots, and so we
stare at the ground watching each step and where it
continued to hike on, and hike on, and hike on… until we
was going, and making sure my hiking poles were not
were facing the
catching on anything which could potentially throw me
Suicide
Point
off-balance.
trek prior to
finding camping It is clear that I am a long ways from having to throw in
the towel in terms of hiking itself, but, as well, I believe
environs.
that the kind of trail that is found on this particular
Once more, since
hike, is quite simply, not somewhere I should be trying
the sun was still
to navigate. Something here about concessions to age I
fairly high over
guess.
the ridges, and
considering that Many more pictures than I could include in this writeup,
at that point as well as descriptive information is here:
At least the beginning of this trail is visible
we had already http://www.boiselarry.com/recents/2015/hellscanyon/
on the right hand side of this photo.
hiked 14+ miles, hellscanyonovrvw.html
Page 23
!
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Any of these choices will more clearly define a herd’s status to buyers and should be welcomed as a
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Page 24
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Page 25
NAPgA
North American Packgoat Association
Why Join NAPgA? NAPgA is the only organization that exclusively represents goatpackers,
and works tirelessly to open areas for camping and hiking with your goats that are closed right
now. The NAPgA governing board holds regular quarterly meetings which are open to the entire membership (Our meetings are held via computer and MS Messenger).
Where Do Your Dues Go? Since this is an all-volunteer organization, there is very little ‘overhead’ and your dues are exclusively used to print/mail our newsletters, postage, and to facilitate
the generation of input that will impact the folks in decision-making positions we are trying to
influence to open areas to recognizing a packgoat as a pack animal. That should be a ‘no-brainer’
but it is not. Areas that recognize horses, mules, donkeys and llamas as pack animals, still say,
“Goats? Forget it, they’re not ‘pack animals’. So we have our work cut out for us, and NAPgA is
the means to get it done.
Please join with us now and help us to encourage and develop packgoating nationwide. Dues
may be paid with
or with a check to: PO Box 170166, Boise, ID 83717. Each NEW membership will receive a complimentary NAPgA patch.
Membership Classes:
Individual: Dues $15/Year, Member entitled to one vote.
Family/Group: Dues $20/Year, Member entitled to two votes.
Associate: Dues $10/Year, Member not entitled to vote.
Patron: Cash Donation of $500-$1000, No yearly dues, and member entitled to one vote
Benefactor: Donation of $1001 or more, No yearly dues, and member entitled to one vote.
Honorary Life Member: The Association may elect to honor persons with this complimentary
membership, because those who have rendered distinguished service directly or indirectly to
the Association, or the Goatpacking enterprise itself.
NAPgA Application
Date:
Date Received:
Member Name(s):
Address:
City:
State:
ZIP:
Phone:
FAX:
eMail:
Web URL:
Brief Description of packgoat experience and/or Interest:
Contact: napga@napga.org Website: http://www.napga.org
Page 26
WORKING GOAT DIRECTORY
For only $10 per year, (That’s $2.50 an issue), advertise your name, address, and goat related items that
you offer, such as equipment, pack or breeding animals, stud service, outfitting services, artwork, ANYTHING relating to working goats. Even if you don’t have anything to sell, this is a great way to just let
other working goat enthusiasts know that you are out there. There is a 15 word limit (address and phone
count as one word). Underline key words and they will be highlighted. Listings will be organized by state.
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Books for goatpackers and goat owners
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Page 27
GOAT TRACKS:
Journal of the Working Goat
13 Norwood Place
Boise, ID 83716-3283
Kids ‘n Kids
Page 28