Mountaineers: Features Llama Packing In Escalante Country

A stop on the way to camp, the llamas loaded with gear. Courtesy photo

Setting off into the wilderness, with some quite practical items in the cargo. Courtesy photo

By BILL PRIEDHORSKY

Los Alamos Mountaineers

The May Mountaineers meeting will feature a talk by BJ Orozco entitled “Llama Packing in the Escalante Country”, Tuesday evening, May 25.

Orozco has spent two decades guiding in the red rock wilderness of southern Utah, the last decade as proprietor of his company Llama2Boot. Llama2Boot, based in Boulder, Utah (population 226), has run over 100 full service trips for clients from around the world, including many a time the Los Alamos Mountaineers.

In his presentation, Orozco will tell about the llamas – workers, retirees, and up and coming youngsters – and why they are so suitable for the desert backcountry, going places that horses cannot, and travelling gently on the land as they carry 70-pound loads.

He will share stories of the trips he has taken and the country he has traversed. Even seemingly straightforward trips require careful planning and organization, as he will explain. The rewards are many – Orozco and his clients have experienced flash floods, animal sightings, and celestial events on occasion, and wonderful scenery and adventure every time.

Llama packing is an adventure that can be shared by many, whether catered or self-service, and Orozco will explain how one can take part.

The Mountaineers will be taking one such trip this fall to the canyons and slick rock of Antone Ridge above Death Hollow. At the time of this writing, spaces remain – see http://lamountaineers.org/drupal7/node/1362.

Mountaineers’ meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of every month. When held in person, they take place in the planetarium of the Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC), 2600 Canyon Road, Los Alamos, NM 87544. Recent meetings have been held electronically starting at 7 p.m. and registration details for this meeting can be found at https://peecnature.org/events/details/?id=36988.

The desert is not all cactus and sand – an oasis in the Antone Ridge country. Courtesy photo

A llama caravan on the way back to Escalante, Utah and civilization. Courtesy photo

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