That proved to be an understatement.
We left the ranch with six llamas aboard the boat, boxes full of saddles, hay, pellets, and our own gear and food. The waves weren’t bad and we made good time up to Lucerne, our destination uplake. The llamas got off at the Lucerne Ranger Station area and we walked them to the Lucerne dock. Meanwhile Jim drove the llama boat to the dock, unloaded all the gear and moored the boat at Refrigerator Harbor.
The “Llama Truck” from Holden arrived early and we quickly loaded the gear and llamas for the 11 mile trip up to Holden. At the luggage dock at Holden where we unload the llamas there was a crowd gathered to see the process. As each llama came off the truck we found a youngster about age 10-15 years old and handed them the lead with the llama, asking, “Would you like to hold the llama for us?” The parents were as excited as the children and began learning to walk the llamas around, trading llamas among themselves.
After about 15 minutes we announced we were going to the ball park. “Would anyone like to lead a llama to the park for us?" Each llama had a different youngster and they all went the whole way there with their parents. The youngest was a small five year old who chatted along the way and seemed the most excited.
We hitched the llamas along a long rope and began the saddling process. Soon the crews arrived with all the buckets and boxes of food, supplies, tents, tables, tarps and lots of tools…pruners, pulaskis, shovels, rock breakers, etc. That’s always when the tedium begins. Although the crew had the buckets and boxes weighed, there is always the juggling, and pairing of items going into the panniers (bags) on each side of the llama. Each pannier should weigh within a pound of each other so that the load doesn’t begin to sag on one side. Some llamas can carry more than others (50-65 pounds) and some do better with bulky items than others.
Finally we were ready to go. As the llamas have to ford a creek part way up the trail, and because they can’t cross the single tree log bridge for humans, the crew members waited for their llama after the fording. As they hiked along the 4 mile trail to Hart Lake the mountains on each side with their rugged beauty and snow capped summits always are a delight. The path first is soft soil, then changing to more difficult rocks and side creeks needing careful footing.
One healthy, young llama named “Legs” suddenly just sat down, and didn’t want to get up. With much coaxing, he still didn’t get up. He was carrying most of the tools. They were taken off and some of the crew ahead came back later and took the tools to the final destination
Meanwhile, “Legs” stood up, walked maybe 20 feet, his hind legs wobbled and he sat down. No coaxing would work. The other five llamas returned to camp. In the evening Jeff and Josette decided to check on "Legs" who had been tied to a tree. Aha! He was standing up. They led him a short distance and he sat down. Period. Down.
The next morning, I hiked back to “Legs.” He seemed rested and ready to go. Great! And off we went in the direction back to camp….for about 25 feet. Then down. Rest, coaxing, 20 feet more, rest, coaxing 10 feet, rest…Nope…nothing worked.
Jeff and Josette arrived with the other five llamas loaded down for another trip to Hart Lake and Jim stayed to help me with “Legs.“ We made it to the fork…then down he went again. No rest nor coaxing would now work. “Up, up.” Pulls on the halter, tugs, pushes. Then the smart llama learned that if he were to lie down, turn on his side with at least two feet in the air, he was about impossible to coax to get up at all.
So there we “sat.” We were about ¼ of a mile away from the road where the truck could come, in Wilderness territory that doesn’t allow motored vehicles anyway.
Jim left for Holden Village to see what could be done. About only ½ hr later he arrived with FOUR strong, good-looking young men with a clean heavy white tarp, and a huge coil of soft rope. They all had smiles on their faces, ready for this new adventure. One was a firefighter with experience hauling humans in various fashions and he especially began thinking…..
Rested now for ½ hour, Legs again walked about 20 feet, then down again. He was rolled onto the tarp, the four corners lifted and the young men were struggling. “Legs” probably weights 350 + pounds, divided by 4 humans hauling.…whew!!. They went about 20 feet, then they set the llama down. Up stood the llama and walked 10-20 feet then down. Meanwhile a gal ranger arrived. She took one side in the middle and Jim took the other middle. Things went better…6 people…a bit longer distance ‘til set down. “Leg’s walked 20 feet, then down.
Thus, slowly, ever so slowly, lift down, walk, etc. we arrived to a waiting pick-up truck that they managed to get him into the back. Exhausted, and dirty, the guys were still smiling. What a bunch of guys, and gal.
The nagging question was, “What is wrong with “Legs?” He was healthy, young and running all around a day before. “What happened?”
“Legs” was driven in his own pick-up truck to the landing. The other 5 llamas with our gear and us in the bigger stock trailer. Jim got the llama boat and we first loaded our gear, then the five healthy llamas. Now “Legs.”
One of those handsome guys, who came all the way down Lucerne, opened the door of the bed of the truck and lowered it. “Legs” jumped out and was led quickly to the boat which was near. Then he sat down. Aha! In the boat, just inside the bow door. Perfect. Hurrah! Every one was cheering!!! And exhausted.
Below in the photo can you see "Leg's" brown body lying down just inside the bow door? (All the other llamas are standing.)
On the way back, we pondered several ideas of what it could be. We unloaded all six llamas and then “Leg’s sat down right by the shore. But HE WAS HOME.!
We took Jeff and Josette across the lake to 25 Mile Creek and offered them an ice cream reward from the store there. It was a lovely night and several people were around. We sat down and I noticed Fallon, the daughter of one of our friends who work there. Fallon has only one more year of vet school at Washingon State University and is doing several internships around the area. What serendipity!!
We told her the symptoms and that we suspected it could be “Llama Tick Paralysis.” We just didn’t know of anything else. She said it could be a problem with the spinal cord due to Meningeal worm, which is carried by mainly the white tail deer. We have lots of mule Deer and not many White Tail…
Fallon then suggested looking for the tick exactly below the jaw in that hollow portion there. They would be most likely to get it there as they’re grazing. Sometimes the llama has to be shorn to find it or a special bath prepared to kill the tick.
All four of us llameros were very tired from the trek. Josette commented that she had a full week of massages coming up to do, etc. We parted ways but so grateful to Jeff and Josette for all their help..a solo trip into Hart Lake and it was only their second day of being llameros, etc.
Back at the ranch we unpacked what we had to, and took the other five up to the barn. “Legs” tried to follow but his hind legs just slid on the hill and he had to sit down. We gave hay and water right next to “Legs”, showered and went to bed very early.
After breakfast, we found “Legs” had traveled several feet from the dock area to our log cabin area. We googled, “Llama Tick Paralysis” and found several articles about it. I got a small chair, a kneeler and we started feeling all over “Legs”. Jim found a small tick but it wasn’t engorged with blood. At 10:30 AM I found a very large tick, fully engorged just a few inches below the jaw exactly where Fallon had suggested it might be. Wow! Maybe we won’t have to shave “Legs” all over after all.
More tomorrow when we find out how "Legs" has progressed.
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