Wilderness and the Llamas |
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Lander Llama Company-Wilderness Pack Trips |
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Where are They Now? |
Special points of interest: |
Inside this issue: |
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The Fitzpatrick Wilderness offers beautiful scenery and long treks. |
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Issue 18 |
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Fall/Winter 2008-2009 |
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Llameros Newsletter |
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Lander Llama Company 2024 Mortimore Lane Lander, WY 82520-9771 |
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We have had the privilege to lead many people for many years into some our most pristine federal land….”Designated Wilderness”. Wilderness is special. It’s recognized by our government as special. It’s a place when visiting for the most part, appears untouched by civilizations of Man. It’s special because no matter what happens on the outside, closer to civilization, these pristine areas look the same today as they did 100 years ago. We, as owners and visitors of the wildernesses, have a special responsibility also. We need to teach each other the simple things to care for the land to meet these high standards of designated wilderness. I’d like to pass on few ideas. Campfires. Should we have campfires or not? I think we can have them, when allowed, but it comes with responsibility. Many articles have been written and discussed on this subject in depth, so I won’t attempt detailing it in this limited space. One of the biggest impacts I’ve noticed, is that people innocently want to build big rock fire rings…and leave them as almost a signature for the next owner/visitor to stumble upon or even use. Here’s the problem with this construction project. You assume that the next person wants to use it. It’s safe to say most people do want to use it, but a few choose not to, and if there are several rings in the same immediate area which one do you choose? You should choose one that already has been heavily used. This way the impacts associated with fire rings, like fuel wood gathering and soil compaction, are concentrated. If you do not want to use an existing fire ring, or there is not one around where you want to camp, ask yourself these questions first. Do you need one to survive or just not have to put on another layer of clothing before you retire to your tent? If it’s the latter, then why not make a small fire maybe even without rocks, and thoroughly put it out and dismantle the ashes when leaving the next day? By doing this you accomplish two very good custodial goals. 1) You don’t perpetuate clusters of rock rings leaving a clear presence of Man. 2) You reduce the possibility that the next group will pick the same exact spot, therefore reducing and dispersing the impact of the campsite. If the reason for building the fire is survival, believe me, there won’t be a fire ring, and it will be as big as you hopefully can make it, and safety aside, impacts may be irrelevant for the time being.
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Did you ever wonder what your guides are doing today? Well… we didn’t list every single friend or family member that has helped us on a llama trip or lease, because there’s just too many to mention, but we hit on the main ones! (They’re also not necessarily in the order that they worked for us.) Lars Peterson-Lars and his wife Jennifer live in Laramie, Wyoming and have a young daughter. Lars is a physician of internal medicine at Iverson Memorial Hospital. Mike Duffy-Mike lives in Lander with his wife, Lisa, and two boys. He is a chemistry instructor at the high school and works for the BLM in the summer. Tim Woodruff-Scott’s brother, Tim, lives in Broomfield, CO, with his wife, Shawn, and their four kids. Tim is a physical education teacher in the Adams 50 school dist. in Westminster. Shad Hamilton-Shad and his wife, Mandy, have two young children and live in Lander. Shad is principal at Fort Washakie Charter H.S. He is still into extreme biking and races any chance he can get. Check out his blog. http://landerbackcountry.blogspot.com/
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Shad Hamilton |
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Wilderness and the llamas |
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Where are They Now? |
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Thank You |
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Trail Encounters |
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Banner Year—Bunk House |
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Waylon Farewell |
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Woody’s Fly Shop.com |