Twin Lakes Overnight Llama Trip

 

Last weekend my parents, Dmitri, and I went for an overnight training hike with four of our llamas.  This is the second time that three of these llamas had been away from home.  The last time was the previous weekend when we did a day hike to Duffy Lake.

 

 

After loading everyone up with packs and saddles, we headed up the trail toward Twin Lakes in the Jefferson Wilderness.

 

There were lots of downed trees on the trail.  The Forest Service hasn’t made it to this trail to clear it out yet this year.

 

 

 

Very close to Twin Lakes there is a very nice parkland where we decided to make camp.  The meadow has a fair amount of lupine in it but our llamas didn’t touch the poisonous plant.  Instead, they ate all of the young, succulent grass.

 

 

We setup our cooking area on a good flat spot.  This was our first trip with a real table.  It was a nice addition.

 

My tent setup at the edge of the parkland.

 

At this point, Dmitri and I went on a hike up Maxwell Butte.  Photos of that are available in a different post on this blog.

 

 

As the sun sank low in the west, we started a fire and ate our dinner.

 

The next morning.

 

There are many dead trees in the area.  All of the lodgepole pine were killed off several years ago by bark beetles.  Someday this area is going to have a good fire sweep through due to all of the dead standing and fallen timber.

 

 

It was a Quest for Fire morning on the lake.

 

 

Getting ready to head down the trail.

 

On the way down we ran into two people who run the Northwest Hiker website.  They took pictures of our llamas.  I wonder if we will appear on their website soon.

 

 

All the packs are off and put away.  Time to load up the llamas and head home.

 

Exploring Old Logging Roads with Heather at Oak Creek

 

The other day Heather and I took her dog Lilly for a walk out at Oak Creek.  We found these interesting vines with seed pods growing along the Homestead Trail.  I have no clue what they could be.

 

 

 

 

Lilly really enjoyed exploring a new place.

 

 

 

Heather and I enjoyed getting out of our respective routines.

 

 

 

I believe next time Heather is going to tell me to leave the camera in the car.

 

 

 

A bug trap setup by some scientists from the EPA by Oak Creek.  There were indeed bugs being caught by the device.

 

 

 

Day Hike to Duffy Lake with Friends

On Saturday, my parents, Heather, Matt, Joaquin, two of their friends, and I went hiking to Duffy Lake with some llamas who needed training.  Ever year we run training hikes for the llamas we raise at Spring Creek Llama Ranch.

Up the trail we hike!

The three new lady packers didn’t eat a blade of grass.  Chief, an old pro, spent the whole time munching down.  He knows exactly what to do at lunch breaks.

My parents having lunch.

There was a LOT of snow still around the lake.

One of Matt and Joaquin’s friends swam out to the middle of the lake.

Matt looking awesome.

Heather and Joaquin looking at the lake and our crazy swimmer.

She made it to the middle!

 

A panorama of the lava plug that overlooks Duffy Lake.

I believe this is where Heather said I should stop taking pictures of her.

The Akubra hat strikes again!  Zach would be proud.

Back down the trail.

Unloading at the truck after a successful hike.