Llama Tales
from Alaskan Trails

by Pam Barnes Murphy

Llamas as back packing buddies? Absolutely!

These personable animals are wonderful walking backpacks. They make a backpacking journey easier, and the campsite more comfortable, while having very little impact in fragile backcountry areas because of their soft, padded feet, and the way they lightly browse and graze on local vegetation. But llamas also just make great trail companions. It’s not the amenities of hiking that folks recount after their hiking adventure; it’s their experience with llamas. Usually, it’s the animals themselves (and what happens because of them) that are recalled most fondly from a llama packing adventure. Llamas are unique and curious animals and they enhance most backcountry experiences. Between the llamas, wildlife, scenery, and camaraderie, your time on the trail with llamas will shape memories that will last a lifetime!

My first overnight pack trip with llamas was in 1984. I was training a llama named Toby, and we spent the afternoon hiking up a steep trail in the Chugach Mountains, in Alaska, in late June. I pitched my tent in a high grassy bowl beneath a set of summits called Twin Peaks, and I spent the evening photographing a very pastoral scene of my llama grazing in the alpine meadow surrounding my tent. The horizon was a panorama of snowcapped peaks, and the opaque, sea-green glacial waters of Eklutna Lake filled the valley below us.

I was enjoying my view so much I didn’t immediately realize that a separate Alaskan show was in progress on the slopes behind our camp. A band of 20 Dall sheep, all ewes and lambs, were also grazing and frolicking in the lengthening rays of the sun. I snapped a few more photos. It was difficult to determine which I found more interesting to watch as the evening progressed; both scenes were quite remarkable. I eventually went to bed around midnight even though my llama, the sheep, and the sun were all still up.

I ignored the daylight filtering through my tent for a couple of hours, but by 6:00 A.M. I decided to check on the quiet outside of my tent. Still lying in my sleeping bag, I reached over and unzipped the entrance. Toby filled my view, his dark head just inches away from my face, his body framed in the tent opening. A gloriously sunny Alaskan day was already awake in the mountains behind him. Toby was intently snacking on some tender morsel right at the tent door and didn’t even flinch when the nylon disappeared between the two of us. He turned his head and I noticed a small bunch of wildflowers had gathered in his halter’s cheek ring from a recent rub in the tundra. Another remarkable scene! I took a few more photos thinking, "I’m going to need a much better camera for these trips!"

And so I was hooked. In fact, seventeen years, four thousand miles, and five thousand photos later, I still haven’t tired of watching and photographing these animals in the backcountry---both the llamas and the wildlife.

Llamas and Wildlife
One of the greatest things about llamas is their amazing calm in unusual situations, especially in wildlife encounters. And generally, the wildlife seems to be pretty unaffected by the llamas’ presence and frequently displays curiosity about our passage. This combination has created some very memorable experiences over the years.

One evening we were camped along the wooded banks of Eagle River, a glacial stream about 40 feet wide. We were enjoying a hearty evening dinner and the llamas were bedded down on a sandy bank of the river chewing their cud. I noticed that all llama noses were pointed in the same direction. Leaning forward, I saw a small black bear directly across the river from the buddies. He was raised up on his hind legs, leaning forward over the current and curiously sniffing the air. I popped up, but the llamas remained lying down and quietly watched as the bear scampered off when I shouted. For the black bear, it was undoubtedly his first scent of llama and he didn’t know what to make of it!

We’ve had several occasions where Dall sheep ambled right into our camp to mingle with the llamas, which made my white llama, Rumpus, prance in circles and strain to get closer to the visitor at the end of his tie-out line. On one outing in the Mentasta Mountains, we were watching some sheep with binoculars and almost didn’t notice that a wolf was loping across the tundra towards us about a quarter of a mile away. He stopped and then moved closer again to check us all out. By the time I could find him in my binoculars, all I could see was his face before he disappeared into the brush!

Moose are quite common in Alaska and also seem very unaffected by the llamas’ presence. One evening we found a young bull browsing right among the llamas. I had staked them out in the finest browse available and since the moose wouldn’t budge, I ended up moving all of the llamas, instead. The bull ended up bedding down nearby for the night. At this same campsite, on another trip, one guest unzipped his tent in the night to find a huge bull moose bedded down 150 feet in front of their tent door, his antlers shining like a satellite dish in the moonlight.

Rarely, llamas react to the sight of wildlife by making an alarm call, to alert the herd to attention. The sound of this call is pretty unusual, falling somewhere between a braying donkey and a honking duck. Occasionally the noise actually draws in a curious backcountry resident. One morning in the Denali area, we were immersed in fog, with only an occasional break in visibility as the wind pushed the mist around us. The llamas would appear and then disappear. My llama, Barley, started to alarm call repeatedly and I could intermittently see that they were all intently staring up the valley. For a brief instant, I glimpsed an impressive bull caribou over half of a mile away. I relaxed knowing that caribou are curious but not threatening. Barley continued an occasional alarm call into the unknown. A few minutes later the wind pushed the fog from our camp again, and the caribou stood just beyond the buddies, surveying the scene and trying to figure out what made that noise! With the break in visibility and his curiosity satisfied, the bull trotted back into the fog to resume his day.

Llamas and People: the Bonding
Wildlife always creates a big part of the excitement on a trip, but the interaction of the buddies with our guests can be almost as entertaining! Most people sign up for a pack trip specifically because they’re curious about llamas. The buddies often win over even the most reticent of participants. Some of the most reserved folks have ended their outing with arms wrapped around a llama’s neck asking for "one more photo." Llamas can make quite a lasting impression! Over the years, more than a handful of our guests have ended up as llama owners and others have simply kept in touch by sending cards addressed to their llama (not their guide)!

But the affection that people feel towards their buddy doesn’t spring from the llama’s exuberance for attention. Have you seen Disney’s film "The Emperor’s New Groove?" It’s about a llama named Cuzco with the motto: "No touchie!" The truth is that most llamas will work their heart out for you on the trail, but few honestly enjoy a lot of physical petting or cuddling. Instead, guests develop a rapport with their llamas because of the llamas’ endearing curiosity, quiet hum, and subtle sense of humor. The llamas’ intelligence, patience, and surefootedness are also appreciated on the trail and remembered after the trip ends.

Kids and llamas make an almost magical combination. There is something heartwarming about watching a child lead a llama down the trail and listening to them communicate along the way. The pairing of seniors and llamas is also a great match since the llamas’ relaxed gait creates a comfortable walking pace for all explorers. And, everyone appreciates the llamas’ gentle and polite nature that makes them especially easy to lead down the trail. Some guests end up spending the evening in camp brushing the llamas to collect wool for a memento of the trip; young kids often ask to lead the buddies around the campsite in the evening or stake their llama out near their tent. Photos are usually snapping during our evening ritual of treating the llamas to some grain as our guests feel their llama’s velvety soft lips tickling at their palms! By the end of a trip, everyone has found their "favorite llama" to remember in the years to come.

So if you’re looking for a unique, fun, and adventurous experience for your next family vacation, that will create memories that will last a lifetime, consider a llama packing adventure! And don’t forget to pack your camera!

Pam Barnes Murphy has guided and outfitted llama trips since 1985.