Now that the snow is receding and the mud is starting to dry up I can get into the llama pasture to herd the llamas into the catch pen. I like to just spend a few days putting them in the catch pen and walking around amongst them so they get used to me being close to them and touching them again. It's amazing how much their attitude changes over the few months of winter when they are pretty much left to their own in the pasture. Well at least as far as it goes in relation to packing anyway.

What I would ideally like to be able to do is catch 2-4 llamas on a daily basis, alternating llamas each day, until I have my main string of 8-10 llamas ready for the packing season. By starting out with light loads of 20 pounds and working up 6-10 pounds per outing I will have them and I in packing shape by the time the snow in the high country melts.

I have several different methods of adding weight to the llama packs. I have 2-liter soda bottles full of water that I keep in the tack trailer just for their ease of use. And if it turns out to be a hot day I always have water with me for the llamas. An additional benefit is that if the llamas are starting to work too hard I can always empty the water out and lighten their load for the return trip.

For larger weights I use sand in seal-a-meal bags that are pre-weighed into 5 and 10-pound sizes to meet the needs of each llama. For summer trips I use bags of pellets that can be fed to the llamas at camp or used to balance out panniers. Doubled, gallon size, reseal-able bags also work and can be resealed in the field. The empty bags are used to haul trash out of the wilderness.

The distances covered on training hikes depends on the amount of elevation gain more then the miles I feel we need to go. Luckily I have a variety of terrain near my house to choose from for hiking.

Early hikes are done on level ground with little to no elevation gain and I go until I notice the llamas starting to act tired then, we turn around and return home. After the three or four trips I move to a different old road that has about three hundred feet of elevation gain over a mile. Not steep, but enough to make the llamas and myself realize that we have not been walking much over the winter!

Once this road has become easy or is moving into the boring stage, I start adding weight to increase stamina before changing over to the last road that is within walking distance of the house. This road is steep, and I mean, with a capital S, steep. The first time out on this road I revert back to lighter loads in the panniers and take plenty of time for 'breathing' breaks. This trail I may only get to once a week instead of the two or three times I would like.

By this time we have been doing the hikes for at least four weeks and probably more like six to eight weeks. Four weeks is when I start making the conditioning hikes less routine and more like real life practice. I load the panniers with the sleeping bags, cooking gear, top load the tent, etc., so that all the rattles and odd problems that might show up. I load on the fly poles in their cases to see which llamas are all right with those and which are not.

The ultimate test comes when I pull out the float tube and add that to the top of the pack. Those that have been in my string for a few years are pretty mellow when it comes to new items but a float tube can be a pretty scary item to even the most trusting llama.

Here you must choose not only a llama that will not be frightened of the float tube, they have to know or learn to avoid all trees, limbs or other obstacles that might damage your float tube if they rub on or catch on it along the trail.

Along with all the conditioning hikes I have been watching for any obstacles that I might encounter on a wilderness trail or other places I'll be hiking. Small streams are easy to find while the snow is melting and offers good training for water crossings.

Fallen trees are plentiful in some places after the winter storms and work good to teach going over or under depending on their placement.

Cutting between small re-growth evergreen trees will accomplish many things. It will show you where any loose items are that may need to be placed or tied on differently. It will train your llamas to learn that things touching their legs will not always mean they are being attacked and that the noise of the limbs on the panniers is not something to be scared of or run from.

As the distance we hike increases I take advantage of the chance and stake the llamas out so they are again used to the process. If they are green-trained llamas I have been training them to stakes at home under controlled conditions but have found that in the field there are more things to distract them and new situations that show up that both the llamas and I need to learn to deal with.

Most of all with our training hikes we try to have FUN. If you are not having fun you are working at it too hard and your llamas are probably feeling the same way. Slow down, lighten the load or do whatever you need to do that makes it fun for everyone and every animal.

And last of all; remember to take some Photos of you and your llamas while you are out enjoying this wonderful hike and pretty scenery.