Posted by Sarah

With my knee less swollen,  I rejoin Bob and three llamas, Johnny, Granite and Bono, at Stanley Lake in the Sawtooth Mts.


​LLAMAS ARE MAGNETS
 
After a parting dinner at Smiley Creek Lodge,  Dennis left Bob at the the trailhead with the three animals but he was hardly alone.

Numerous visitors curious about the llamas came by to ask about them and take pictures. More unexpected,  Bob's cousin Mike Dellos who has been following the blog tracked Bob down. Mike and his wife were staying with friends at a nearby resort and wanted to check in.


SAWTOOTH MOUNTAINS

Stanley Lake is so beautiful - McGowan peak dominates the classic mountain vista and there is a perfect spot to camp and  graze the llamas just next to the road.  It is the place we were to end our 8 day trip into these beloved mountains. Our original route changed because unsafe steam crossings and dangerous snow bound mountain passes make the traverse impossible for llamas  and for eight year old Jonas Benson who is joining us with his father John Benson, husband of Bob's niece Amy. 
 
Louise Noyes, a backcountry ski pal of mine from Ketchum, has also joined us and has rented her own llama from WRTL. We had a Jonas family send off early Sunday morning. 

 
 THE STRONGEST AND CALMEST

Three of the strongest and calmest llamas continue into the Sawtooth Mts. 

Hot Johnny Llama is now a calm and collected dude. He has been with us since July 5th. Nothing phases him and we trust him in any situation. His calmness is tested at a gnarly stream crossing comprised of a narrow trail, a stream cascading down a steep hillside, and fallen logs hanging overhead at pack level. Only a hour-long logging effort by John Benson clears enough of the trees to allow a narrow zigzag maneuver across. With the right move, there is enough room between the waterfall and the logs for the llamas and the packs if they move just so. First goes Louise and Bono, no problem.  Johnny, however,  with his higher load gets hooked on the overhanging tree.  I am  leading Johnny forward and his pack is being pulled from his back. No drama llama. He stops, just on the edge of the waterfall, lets us unhook the pack and calmly follows me away from the precipice. I am a nervous wreck, however, imaging possible calamities. 

LOGGING THE TRAIL
 
The first part of the trail is incredible. Volunteer trail crews organized by the Sawtooth Society have removed trees and built up the trail. It's good for several miles, then the serious delays and logging begin. All three saws are put to use. Louise brought her Sven saw and wields it handily.  I hold the llamas and watch Bob, John Benson and Louise do their magic. Some 47 small trees and branches fell victim to their tools. Route finding around the fallen trees is as much a part of the day's travel as sawing.

​OUTRAGE
 
It takes hours to go 5 miles and I am outraged. I am furious that the Forest Service has no money to hire trail crews to clear trails in Idaho's beloved Sawtooth National Recreation Area. I am  furious that Idaho congressional delegation single mantra for decades is cutting taxes, shrinking government, to the detriment of those who want to enjoy our beautiful lakes and mountains.  It's not only locals who get turned away. We met several parties from out-of-state struggling with the fallen timber who will never spend their money in the region again. One couple said it had taken 4 hours to go 4 miles and they never reached Trail Creek Lakes.
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Tax cuts for the wealthy are more important than the economic benefits to small business owners located in gateway towns and lodges surrounding public lands. Instead of tax cuts and increased military spending, we need to invest in our public lands, including national parks, trails and infrastructure that benefit everyone.   Failing infrastructure, failed leaders. 

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TRAIL CREEK LAKES

​We jump at the sound of a gun shot. It turns out it is the loud crack of a tree falling, the kaboom of broken branches follows but reach our first alpine lake, granite peaks, waterfall and clear waters. Sublime and stark at the same time  because around the lake, and, through the entire water shed, there are burnt trees. This part of the west side of the Sawtooths got hammered in a recent fire. There have been so many, no one remembers the year.

​Bob is upset with my choice of campsite. I love it for its waterfall view near the lake, but Bob sees only death and and destruction. When Bob was on a fire crew, a fellow firefighter was killed by a burnt snag and we are in the middle of dead trees.

We talk about moving away from the lake but I see a flat spot away from the snags. All we have to do is remove a very large and dirty fire ring. It is a lovely spot for 2 nights, allowing Louise and I to explore all the Trail Creek Lakes in the basin and climb goat tracks to get ridge views of Trailer and Regan Lakes. 

HUMMINGBIRD AND MARSH MARIGOLD CAMP

There are few green pine trees in the entire McGowan chain of lakes leading up to the pass to Sawtooth Lake. We park next to second growth of 8-10 ft trees, a lovely spot despite the scarred landscape near a meadow filled with marsh marigolds and shooting stars. Marsh marigolds only appear just after the snow melts and a few piles of snow still remain. 

​RETREAT
 
After a ten hour exploration of the trail to Sawtooth Lake and beyond, the consensus is that the steep snow banks are too dangerous for the llamas. We return to McGowan for a second night with the knowledge that our last three days to Stanley Lake will be easy.

​WRONG ROUTE UP BRIDAL VEIL FALLS AND HANSON LAKES
 
Our retreat from Sawtooth Lake gave us an extra day to explore Bridal Veil Falls and Hanson Lakes for the last days of our Sawtooth sojourn. Climbing the falls became an epic fight for survival as class four scrambling caused rock falls and exposure. John and Jonas get out of a tough spot and retreat down to safety while Louise and I find a solid rock ramp leading to the top of the cliff band and onto easier terrain to the Hanson Lakes. Coming down we found the user trail, steep and dirty, but much safer and easier than our waterfall climb. 

​Neither effort helped my knee nor hurt it further which is a good sign. I have fond memories of my hike to Hanson Lakes 40 years ago with my friend, Hildegard Raeber, but am not interested in visiting again. It's a thrash!
 

​TRAIL WEARY
 
I am trail weary after eight days, just like the llamas seem after more than 15.  Nina is joining Bob for the next 4 days, so I jump at the chance to return to Ketchun to rest my knee, do laundry, shower, repack and eat. This is the last break before a month in the Middle Fork country. Bob is steadfast in his determination to do the whole 500 miles, 81 days continuously. 
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I have no such goal. My goal is to be there for him and to enjoy the peace of being in nature and disconnected from news and computer.  My preference would be to have mini breaks every 8-10 days. No chance. Nice to have this next one.

JONAS BENSON, SUPER BOY, AND HIS FATHER JOHN
 
We've all enjoyed eight year old Jonas on this trip. He carries a heavy backpack without complaint, puts on his wading shoes to lead the three llamas across streams so the adults can keep dry crossing on a log, and he does 5 hour exploratory hikes and leads the way across rock and snow. Strong, intrepid, fearless, enthusiastic and decisive. Yesterday's Class 4 dirty rock scrambling isn't his thing, however,  just as it isn't for anyone else! Dark chocolate is!

He never complains and is always honest! "Uncle Bob you have left your pole behind 6 times now; Sarah, you slip more than the llamas; Dad, you are a terrible guide, we never should have been on that steep rock." 

​Jonas is a 45 lb 8 year old powerhouse. We hope to be on many more trips with him and his father, John Benson.  John, 41, is a soft spoken southerner and dedicated long time Idahoan. He loves the backcountry and sharing it with his family. I am impressed how he let's Jonas figure things out and to take charge. So many parents finish their children's sentences and wait on them. Jonas' independence has flourished. John and his wife, Amy, Bob's niece, seem to know what they want and have the work ethic to make it happen. 

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LOUISE NOYES
 
Louise an experience backcountry traveler and camper, now llama packer. She jumps in to help at every opportunity and her solar shower and extra clothes have been a godsend to me. To save weight, I gave our solar shower to Dennis, and send home my extra pants and long sleeved shirt. A major rip in the seat of my pants has been temporarily patched . Louise's pants saved the day, however. She is a strong hiker and explorer and enjoys wandering around off trail as much as I do. With my gimpy knee, I can't keep up but she doesn't seem to mind. Low-maintenance trail buddies are hard to find. 

Posted by Bob

RETREAT

Sarah has been railing about trail maintenance, even fired off a letter to the editor on her I-Phone, lambasting Idaho’s Congressional delegation for their failure to fund recreation needs for America’s Greatest Idea and Treasure – its public lands.  Trail crews, facilities maintenance and nature interpretation in our grand natural settings is a “Great America” work opportunity for the nation’s youth to do vigorous, healthful, soul satisfying work. Rather than consuming trenches of death and the economic rat hole of a 15 year unwinnable war, let us send our youth to our mountains, prairies, forests, deserts, and coasts from sea to shining sea.


DEALING WITH DOWNED TREES AND SNOW SAFETY

So yeah, down trees across our trails has been a huge challenge for our party of three seniors, father and 8 year old Jonas, plus three llamas, but we’ve persevered in reaching our high lake objective through grit, frequent pow wows, and scouting.  Not until the approach to our final gem, those secret lakes, did we have diverging opinion that required a five hour scout to resolve differences and desires. Snowfields and cornices were the chief concern and the ability of the llamas to safety navigate five to ten foot deep wind sculpted drifts with steep faces and to cross snow bridges without collapsing.   The latter happened once to a friend guiding a family trip.  The snow bridge collapsed and a child was lost.


WE BACK OFF

We back off.  Everyone had a vote, including Jonas, our 8 year old llama handlers, off-trail scout and backpacker toting 30% of his 50 pounds of body weight the entire way of each trail day.


ICE, HEAT AND FIRES – SO MANY CONTRASTS

Lagging behind the entire scouting party on the final ascent of the northern pass above Sawtooth Lake, I am jarred by the extremes Mother Nature can confront us with.  I look down upon the beauty of a lake still 25% ice covered that is surrounded by jagged peaks whose north and east slopes are snow covered.  At the same time, I am panting under the glaring sun and 17 straight days of scorching heat even at 9,000 feet.  To the west, there are plumes of two wildfires.  The last image in this canvas of disbelief is Sarah standing on the snow cornice with her IPhone in hand getting information on the Yellow Pine fire which potentially threatens our route through the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness.  

Posted by Bob

WIDOW MAKERS

Widow makers are what timbermen and woodcutters call them.  Snags are a common name.  They are dead trees. Many have fallen across the trails we travel here in the north end of the Sawtooth Mountains where an 11 year old wildfire swept the area leaving behind whole stands of stark skeletons.  Makers make you nervous when you weave through them or stop to saw  your way through standing trees swaying in the wind. 

I have memories of the danger that are vivid.  The first occurred over 55 years ago when myself and another kid were hacking a fire line out on the perimeter of a wildfire in northern Idaho. We worked beneath a snag that came down and killed him.  In 2000, my buddy Jake and I weaved around burnt snags like we were doing today; I was in the lead of our 3 mule train.  A mule in the rear hooked his pack on a slender snag. I felt a whoosh of air as the tree came down, narrowing missing me.  My skull would have cracked. 

Now we lunch away from snags on a bench below the Trail Creek Lake basin, a place I’d hoped to make a base camp for a couple of days to explore the basin above.  A tree fell nearby as we lunched.
Sarah and I left that party, split up, racing up the mountain to find a safe place for camp.  I found a site away from the threat of falling snags, came back and packed up the llamas with the rest of the party. Sarah arrived, sharing that she had found a campsite near the lake.


A DANGEROUS CAMPSITE 

We came to my “safe place’ first, with a splendid view, graze for the llamas, but rough ground upon which to camp.  Sarah didn’t like it; she and Louise took off to closer scout her lake campsite, at which at 7 pm, we eventually arrive.  We found 2 safe tent sites near the lake for Louise and John and Jonas.  Sarah and I snuggled up against a big boulder, hoping that if the snags came down, we would not be crushed.

The burn of my fury I felt arriving at Sarah’s better site turns into a silence that was hot to be around, but I kept my tongue.  It was, after all, 7 p.m., and we were all tired after a long day of route finding, tree clearing and sawing.  Louise, John and little Jonas, and ourselves has jelled as a party in managing the trail challenges and llamas; an argument about moving camp wasn’t needed. 

Sarah and I did not sleep much that night.  I talked out my anger. Her own admission of fear during the night and apology were pivotal points in clearing the air.  We searched and found our own safe tent site by moving a campfire ring and ashes near the lakeshore.  Everyone had a fine day hike into the uppermost Trail Creek Lakes.

CONCLUSION

The physical body diminishes with age, not so strong character and will.  Sarah and I had pushed each other numerous times when danger threatened during our 2 ½ year Alaska Odyssey.  This time we agreed we’d scout the route ahead together when danger threatens. 

Posted by Bob

Wow! Camped this day at a very busy trailhead to the Sawtooth, our first resupply point after finishing the 10-day Smoky leg of the trek. The din of recreationists of every stripe coming and going is sharp contrast to the solitude of the Smoky. Not so the oppressive 90-100 degree heat that Smoky wrapped our 9 AM - 6 PM trail days. A soak-your-shirt/hat/kerchief-at-every-creek-across-the-trail kind of heat, only to have it dry within minutes. A 6-8 liter hydration need, whereof you miss a liter, your brain hazes. Stumble as I did into a creekside camp a couple of evenings desperately needing to submerge myself into the cold waters bare-assed to avoid heat prostration. Worthless to lend a hand with camp and llama chores, preferring to stroll bare in the gentle breeze of the shade, then re-submerge. 

Sarah's and my temper frayed in the heat, too; she railing at my plodding pace, myself gone sensitive at the barks. Dennis, our llama wrangler and guide, kept the equanimity -- more concerned about the llamas than any petty squawking from the two-leggeds. 

The llamas? Hardly a mew, but a lot of open-mouthed breathing to exhaust the heat from those fur-wrapped bodies on the steeps. Breaks I was so happy to make (open-mouthed breather that I was, too). Very impressed they bore the challenges so well. 

Said farewell to Dennis at the end of the Smoky trail -- until the next wild trail together. A friendship for the rest of our lives has been made. Lean, powerful of muscle, a raven's mop of unruly hair, a Tom Selleck mustache, and carved features turn the head of gals. Then there are the dark eyes that reflect a gentle nature.  He has embraced the challenges of the trail, the quirks of his trail mates and llamas equally. Wisdom shared with a smile. A guide's guide. Dennis loves the work. No surprise he's the field operations manager and partner of Wilderness Ridge Trail Llamas. 

Long-time friends Walt and AK Minnick joined for half the Smoky trail. A 75-year-old with two new knees, Walt has covered my back on the grunt sections of the trail, but showed no mercy at evening's camp, roasting my history of errant trail behavior. Tolerable given the fine port, Madeira, and wine he packs, a bad now made easy by our llama buddies. 

So the next leg of the trek -- the Sawtooth.  Soon we assess the Grand Teton-like crag of McGowan Peak, a gateway totem on the north end of the range. We are doing a loop here -- the South to North route still blocked by snow-bound passes and raging creeks cascading from the peaks. Am I ready? Sarah has sidelined herself with a swollen knee, resting for two days, joining tomorrow. Dennis is gone. Suffering in the heat, I've had serious doubts about why the hell I'm doing this at this age, a life of great trails already enjoyed. Yet, I've put this carrot before me... it is there. 

Posted by Sarah

1. LLAMA RESUPPLY AT BAKER LAKE TRAILHEAD

Beau Baty from Windy Ridge Wilderness Trail Llamas from Idaho Falls met us at the Baker Lake Trailhead with 6 fresh llamas. Beau wanted to rest those that overheated and were sore and to ensure that Bob and I had the strongest ones for the 500 mile trail. Great service considering he was getting 18 llamas and a pack trip ready to go in 2 days!

Remember Johnny the "hot" llama, he stayed with us. What I love about Johnny is that he is an avid eater and drinks water at every stream.  I think he has the right stuff to go the 500 miles. Sadly, Apple, the Apple of my eye,  got stiff after day 5 so went home for a break. 

Now we have Bono, Buddy, George, Granite, Jackson, Jasper, and Johnny. All wonderful.

2. JOINED BY WALT & AK MINNICK

​SIXTH day on the trail and every bone in my body aches and every step is agony from a blister on my heal. Yesterday we climbed out of the Warm Springs creek and down to the Baker Lake trailhead...up 1,000 feet, down 1500 hundred.  We had more miles to go today, but with Walt and AK Minnick joining  us for the next five days, it helped. 

​Walt and AK have been in DC for the last 10 years so it has been a long time since we've done a trail with them. Walt is a Idaho businessman who served in Congress from 2008-2010,  and  has been  a pragmatic  environmental leader in the state for decades.  AK is a political junkie like I am and has worked in party politics and on many campaigns.  Both have been on many Jonas trips and it was nice to remember how much we enjoy  their company. 

After meeting the new llamas, sorting through gear, packing panniers, saddling the llamas,  we finally left at 4:30 pm for a 3 mile climb and steep descent to Apollo Lake. It was hot, and with my painful blister,  each step was agony.  It was worth it, however.

3. BAKER LAKE TO SMILEY CREEK 

Baker Lake is a popular hiking destination but we quickly leave this route to travel through a remote part of the Smokey Mountains that few reach. We know this by the number of fallen trees across the trail and the fallen trail signs. 
​
I have a new appreciation for well used motorcycle trails. They are maintained by the riders who are courteous and and friendly. Even though we travel on Idaho's Centennial Trail for a while, the deadfall requires hours of detours and tough going for people and llamas.

4. KNEE PROBLEMS

I didn't even know that I had knee problems until a steep climb and a slight twist caused my knee to balloon  and ache. Bob is the one with multiple knee braces, treatment with stem cell therapy for his gimpy knee. My thunder thighs have never failed me nor will they now.  The first sign that I have to tread lightly was a slight weakening in my right knee after the tweak, an ache, though I  can still easily walk without significant  pain. 

I put on a knee brace as a prophylactic measure but the swelling makes  the brace unworkable.  

5. SOLO HIKE OUT TO REST

My swollen knee is just the excuse I need to leave Bob, Walt, and Dennis and the 7 llamas at Vienna Mine to hike out the Smiley Creek Road to meet Karen Aquirre who is my hero for making the trip to pick me up.  The Smiley Creek Rd is also washed out but after 3 miles I get my ride, then a milkshake at the Smiley Creek Lodge, before home, a bath and a home cooked meal with Pete Land, his wife Emily Copeland and children.

All of these things make my knee feel better plus no hiking for two days before going into the Sawtooths.

6. PETE LAND, SUPPORT TEAM OF ONE
​
Our support team of one, Pete Land, for the Smokey Mts, has been on-call for the expected and unexpected. Expected was to deliver the Minnicks to the Baker Lake Trail and to transfer our trail notes and photos for our blog. Unexpected  was bringing the frozen food we forgot to pack, to take out gear we didn't need, and to return  my new iPhone that went on the blink after only 2 weeks. Unexpected was a return to Baker Lake TH to pick up AK who was feeling poorly from altitude sickness and then guiding Karen in trying to navigate backcountry roads around Smiley Creek  to find Sarah when the road was closed.  Pete is amazing and wonderful. He is only helping with one other resupply before he leaves, then what? I hope our upcoming mountain ranges won't be as eventful.
​

7. RELATIONSHIPS ON HARD TRAILS

It is one thing to take an arduous wilderness trip with someone at age 50 when the relationship is fresh and you're still in love. Our 2 1/2 year in Alaska sojourn proved that.  But now 20 years later, with all the wear and tear of routine and habit, I find that the relationship easily fragments into impatience, not listening,  and into frustration, which is exaggerated by excessive fatigue from days of hiking that are too long, too hot, and too hard.  The biggest challenge is  knowing that the next day will be even harder as my aging body begins to break down.

Usually I have no problem with uncertainty but now that I hurt, I find myself being angry with Bob for choosing this long trail. He talks about how tired HE is, but he picked the route and our schedule. Like get a life....maybe add some more days to our schedule so we can go slower. 

Unfortunately,  and yet fortunately,  we  are not traveling on known trails. If we were,  we'd be able to better  gauge the  length of time hiking each day.  But Bob's ambitious route through Central  Idaho's vast roadless and wilderness areas makes it impossible to know whether six miles will take 3  hours or 8 hours. 

On our first rest day on Day 6, when I had time to catch my breath and lick my wounds, I realize that instead of being angry at Bob and the difficulty of our trip,   that Bob and I need to take care of each other and help each other in order to get through each day, each week, each mile. It is going to be relentlessly hard despite the length of miles on any given day.

​When I shared my epiphany with him this morning, Bob  smiled and was visibly relieved  and I am reminded even more why our relationship is so strong and why we will make it through each hard day on the trail.

Posted by Sarah

1. LLAMAS WITH HEAT STROKE

July 5th Richardson summit send off is with family and friends in extraordinary heat. Our pace is slow, gets slower as the temperature rise,  getting hotter and hotter despite our altitude gain en route to the top of Camp Creek in the southern Smokey Range  Two of our llamas, McShane and Milton overheated after only 90 minutes, forcing us to stop for 3 hours in the only shady spot next to water. Their human companions (Bob, Dennis Duenas and I) were not faring much better. Llama suffering, human suffering and it's only day one with 80 days more of our 500 miles through 6 mountain ranges.

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2. WATER, FINALLY

After two days on the ridges, we hit the trees, water and riparian area on Curran Creek.  It's still hot, but there's water.

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​3. THE BIG BOYS

Six beautiful male llamas from Wilderness Ridge Llama Outfitters and their trainer Dennis Duenas from Bozeman accompany us from Richardson Summit. Dennis is taking all six across Castle Creek.

McShane was my pal for seven days going across the Pioneers Mountains last summer in tough terrain, mostly off trail. Not the cheerful sort, he, however, never missed a footstep when I was slipping and sliding down scree.  Hot weather is not his thing, however, so he gets to go home at Baker Creek as well. He also is in demand as a stud! Guess where he will have more fun!


7. APPLE

He is the Apple of my eye. This big boy is mine! I have been leading him for two days and I adore him. He is calm, patient with my going slow and picks his steps carefully. He continues on with me to the Sawtooths!


​8. JOHNNY

Johnny is a "hot llama", a term used similar to horses that have gumption and go. He is strong, reliable, and sweet!  He also has courage. He is perfect for Bob.


9. TIMBER

Timber is trail wise and experienced. He is adaptable, strong, and doesn't seem to mind the heat. He will be with us to the Sawtooths.


​10. DENNIS DUENAS

​From Bozeman, Montana, Dennis is the consummate backcountry guide and llama packer.  He is coming with us with 6 llamas to see if Bob and I can be trusted to take 2 llamas for 81 days. It is one thing to rent llamas for a week, like last summer. The physical stress on the llamas required to pack for a month is another story. We are already seeing it over our first 5 days. We are switching out 3 of the six at Baker Creek. 

He takes all six across challenging stream crossings and is teaching us so much! Wish he wasn't leaving after 10 days! We in turn share our knowledge of our home country mountains, the recent fires, the burn vegetation, and the trails.


11.  BOB AND SARAH

​After five days, Bob and I are doing well. The slow pace and frequent rests with the llamas suit us. The heat not so much. We're happy to be getting to alpine country.

Only one broken trekking pole but my boots are still wearing well after being broken in on a 60 day hike across the Himalayas in 2008.

Posted by Bob

It’s the day of our departure. Calm, beautiful, the weather forecast is for hot and clear days the first week on the trail. We’ve buttoned-up the trail packs and closed details on the home front for the next three months. Feel, inside, that we’re shedding the village skin and noise. Are eager to embrace our ‘walk about’ and Nature Time. Mingled with this feeling of release are the wilderness challenges we face and the unexpected. Always an engaging alchemy.  For example, we hope this first blast of summer heat will finally melt the snowpack in the high peaks and diminish the creeks raging in their canyons before we get to those trail sections. If not, what route will we take? While Sarah and I have a history on the trail and have learned to flow around our individual quirks, new companions are joining us on this trail, both two and four legged. How will those relationships mature in the heat and joy of a day?  
 
One aspect of this wilderness journey is new for us. A fundraiser. Logging ‘Wild Miles for Wild Gift’. We’re sharing our trail story and encouraging those who follow us to pledge an amount per mile of our 500-mile journey that will benefit the better world work of Wild Gift’s leaders. Please visit the Wild Gift website to make a pledge and appreciate the impact the leaders are having in building human communities that are peaceful, inclusive and whose economic development is in balance with the gifts and resources of the natural world. 

Pete Land was among the first class of Wild Gift leaders. Today, 15 years later, he shares his impression of our departure on this Home Country Walk About:

The temperature had already climbed into the 80s at 9:00am as Bob and Sarah arrived at their trailhead near Camp Creek, 10 miles west of Hailey.  Shade was nowhere to be found.  Still, the mood was light and celebratory, as it always is when Bob and Sarah are embarking on a wilderness adventure and leaving behind the hectic scramble of emails and phone calls that consume them in the days leading up to departure.

Joining the party for the first day on the trail were Bob's daughter (and Ketchum's mayor) Nina, along with her husband Andreas.  Also, three representatives from Wilderness Ridge Trail Llamas: Beau, the owner; Dennis, a guide; and Tyler, a photographer/videographer.  Their friendly demeanor compensated for the persistent scowls worn by their six pack llamas.  While the llamas are hardly affectionate creatures, I was impressed by their stoicism.  In the face of blistering heat, fully loaded panniers, and a busy crowd of human and canine spectators, those llamas didn't look the least bit concerned.

Just after 10:00am, the party hit the trail.  Sarah eagerly led the way, her llama Johnny in tow.  Bob and llama Milton were just behind her.  They exuded giddy optimism as they set off for 500 miles of hard work.  It was as contagious as ever, as I found myself yearning to join them.

Over the next three months, I will be serving as a conduit for Bob and Sarah to post to this blog.  They will periodically share their location via GPS, which I will add to the interactive map so you can follow their progress.  Every week or so, Bob and Sarah will transfer photos and stories to friends doing resupplies, which I will then compile and post to the blog.  If you're subscribed, you will receive new posts automatically in your email inbox.  Feel free to contact me (pete@tamarackmedia.com) if you have any questions.

Pete Land 
Ketchum, ID
7/5/2017