Llamas, The Wind River Range, and the Titcom Basin.

It was a short drive from Pinedale to the trailhead where we met our llamas.

The panniers were weighed to keep the loads balanced. (A llama weighs a couple hundred pounds and can carry 50 or 60 pounds. We had 9 llamas for our group of 9.)

Then it was off into the wilderness. A 5 day trip, walking 4 to 8 miles a day. The llamas carried group gear (food, tents, etc) plus 10 pounds of personal gear for each of us. So we had the luxury of walking with only day packs.

The weather was ideal (only 1 night with a few sprinkles). And the wildflowers were an unexpected bonus.

Our morning routine included brushing the llamas to eliminate hair ad debris knots under their saddles (the result of rolling in the grass and dirt while staked out at night).

Day 3 was the highlight. A walk (without llamas) to a massive glacial cirque, the Ticomb Basin.

This short video clip may give you a better feel of the place. It is being added to my list of  "Top 10 beautiful places I have visited."

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMmGQffBeZYiEdS3HqmoZOQeqmfJzkNQN7dprLhWUfJiFyY8WLEGqE3_25jpxd6jA/photo/AF1QipOVDRU2neWgyGNEfWfnS_dXbQVH1S7WAZteGcti?key=Y3hzS293bGFwX2IyMGRBUnk1VjR2Uk9QWGF5Sk1B

The last few days were anti climactic as we headed back to the van. Kathy did manage a swim at our last camp.

We led the same llama each day. They each have their own personalities, and we had 5 days to bond.  I am going to miss mine, Wally.  

Here is Kathy with her llama, Sarge. 

If you'd like a few more pictures of the Wind River Range, here is a link:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/QRxP5TQReSiz5oP39

The llama trek was a great ending to a trip to our amazing 2 1/2 week, decadal birthday road trip.

North to meet the Llamas.

As we left Ouray, we made a stop to walk into the Box Canyon. About 3 miles outside of town, it is a narrow canyon created by a shift in a local fault. The uplift left ancient metamorphic rock on one side of the canyon, and sedimentary rock on the other. And the river took advantage of the rift.

There is enough water flowing in the canyon that it could power the entire city (a dam was never built), and being on a fault, ground water seeps down to the hot magma and returns in a series of hot springs. The hot springs water from the canyon itself is piped into hot springs spas that make Ouray a popular tourist spot today.

The canyon is one of 2 places that the endangered black swift  (200 nesting pairs) can be found.  They nest behind waterfalls, and we were lucky enough to actually see a nest on the canyon wall with a hatchling (squint and you can make it out). The other location? Behind a waterfall we also saw on our boat trip in the Black Canyon.

On our way north we once again drove through some amazing country. Barren and arid. Starkly beautiful. Here is a view of Flaming Gorge National Monument. The reservoir is the result of damming of the Green River (just like Lake Powell further downstream), and just watching the scenery made the time in the car fly by.

After a stop at Dinosaur National Monument, it was onward to Pinedale where we were to meet our group...and the Llamas.

In my final trip blog you will join us on the second highlight of our trip - llama packing into the Titcomb Basin in the Wind River Range.