Rare Washington High Mountain Llama
On Saturday Laura and I hiked along a bit of the PCT toward Sourdough Gap, stopping by Sheep Lake to soak up the scenery.
As we approached, I said, “Look, there are a few elk on the far side of the….lake…” I trailed off…confused by the bizarrely malshapen “elk” tethered to the meadow.
Sadly, this llama isn’t a free-ranger, but a beast of burden. Apparently pack horses or mules are far too unoriginal for the Pacific Northwest, so long live the Washington high mountain llama?
Great find Wish – you are like the Jacques Cousteau of the Pacific Northwest. I would like to attend your next expedition, when you will be searching for the ever-ellusive Rainier Ostrich. On second thought, I’d rather not go near one of those human-kidnapping monsters without an M-16 or something.
I’d like to point out that your “beast of burden” is actually a LOT less impactful on it’s precious wilderness surroundings than the “unoriginal” pack horses or mules. Pack llamas and goats are varied grazers and don’t eat all in the same area,and eat far less vegetation than the larger livestock. Thier manure is also a lot less plentiful and is easily washed away by rainfall.
Pack Llama,
I agree completely. Horses are *much* more destructive than llamas or goats. I’ve seen countless mountain scenes completely torn up by untethered horses. Llamas are born of the mountains, where could they be more at home?
Hi, my name is Lexi Davis. I am from W.F. West High School in Chehalis, WA and i am on the newspaper staff. We were curious if we could use this llama picture, for our cover. Please let me know at your soonest convenience.
Thank you for your time!
-Lexi Davis