New from New England

[Actonthegoat]

I Just bought a couple of goats in MA for packing too! Would love to get chatting to some other New Englanders about packing.

[NHGoater]

Hey my girls and I just joined. We are over in Gilmanton. Give us a shout sometime

[GoatDude]

Out in Western MA myself. The boys aren't quite ready to hit the trail with others yet, but I'm working on it!

[Actonthegoat]

We have taken our two alpines on local trails in MA half a dozen times now and it's going well so far. Too young to load yet (6 months) but they seem to be enjoying the hikes. Going to bring them a little further in the next month. Thinking up to 8 or 10 miles in some of the state parks. Scouting online for some of the more rocky trails. They would love Monadnock but unfortunately pack animals are not permitted there. Mt Tom might be good. Would love to hear any other suggestions too.

[fibafingers]

I just joined and am excited to be working with a yearling Saanen wether. It is tough as he only was taken from his real mom when she recently kidded. I know I have a lot of work getting him to follow me. Right now we are working on standing on a short line in the barn while I do something. He is energetic for sure and I don't want to deny him time with the herd outside as we have been so cooped up with a long winter but when it's time to take a walk he needs the company of our two year old doe Maple who follows me everywhere.

My goal is to take both of them on a long day hike late this summer. Now we have to walk on the road side and cars spook them. fortunately the drivers slow down. the snow on the woods roads is too soft and deep now and plus the streams are everywhere. In a few weeks we will be walking thru water and I hope they join me on the other side. might be the hardest lesson of all as right now they jump over all puddles and avoid ice.

I would appreciate any tips for those of us in the New England region. I myself plan to hike the AT section in MA in early May and I expect to see lots of black bears. I wonder if small bears spook tethered goats----yet I wonder if I would want to tether a "newbie" overnight…I doubt I would sleep for worry.

[Nanno]

Welcome, and good luck with your upcoming packgoat adventures! You'll have a great time with your little guys this year as you train them to get used to traffic and water and other "spookums". Usually if you act like something is no big deal, they'll eventually follow your example, especially as they mature and come to see you as herd leader.

Bears will definitely spook goats, tethered or not! But in my opinion it's best to have them tethered. You don't want them bolting off into the blue, never to be seen again. As long as you are in camp with them, you'll be able to drive any curious bears away. Some people put bells on their goats or on the high line so that if the goats spook, the bells will make a ruckus to wake you.

[Saph]

Fibafingers, just an FYI--goats are not permitted on the AT:https://www.appalachiantrail.org/hiking/...ns-permits
Wishing you happy trails with your Saanen!--Saph

[Taffy]

If they are really wild sitting in a chair in a small pen and reading a book out loud is a good way to let a goat watch you without feeling threatened. That may help with trust issues. Also, treats work miracles. I use peanuts in the shell. Others use animal cracker cookies, cheese crackers, etc.

[fibafingers]

Fibafingers, just an FYI--goats are not permitted on the AT:https://www.appalachiantrail.org/hiking/...ns-permits
Wishing you happy trails with your Saanen!--Saph

Thanks for the heads up on that ---- I will go it alone on the AT this spring, however my goal with training our 1 y. o. wether is to take him on a "Maine Huts" trail near Flagstaff Lake this fall. I have called to ask and was told the same rules applied to dogs will go for goats. It will be our "dry run" a two hour drive from home. I have much ahead of me and may decide he's not ready…. believe it or not his 2 y.o. doe sister loves me so much more and I may have to use her to get him to follow. When it's just me and him, there is lots of stops as he wonders WTF are we doing this for…until I shake the little bit of oats in the container….yet he's happy to jump into the pick-up.
Annie

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We have taken our two alpines on local trails in MA half a dozen times now and it's going well so far. Too young to load yet (6 months) but they seem to be enjoying the hikes. Going to bring them a little further in the next month. Thinking up to 8 or 10 miles in some of the state parks. Scouting online for some of the more rocky trails. They would love Monadnock but unfortunately pack animals are not permitted there. Mt Tom might be good. Would love to hear any other suggestions too.

Now that your alpines are older are you planning a day trip or overnighter? I would love to hear how it goes as we live in Maine and are still quite snowed out of the woods and then it will be wet----I must teach our kids not to fear water! I am working with a year old wether who hates water and I don't know yet if it will work out when he might have to wade across a stream---he's quite a jumper. I too am looking for rocky trails not too far from home. Western Maine has some after a few miles in the woods. How far will you travel to pack with your boys?

[Actonthegoat]

Now that your alpines are older are you planning a day trip or overnighter? I would love to hear how it goes as we live in Maine and are still quite snowed out of the woods and then it will be wet----I must teach our kids not to fear water! I am working with a year old wether who hates water and I don't know yet if it will work out when he might have to wade across a stream---he's quite a jumper. I too am looking for rocky trails not too far from home. Western Maine has some after a few miles in the woods. How far will you travel to pack with your boys?

- Hoping to do a couple of overnighters this summer. Always open to suggestions within a two hour drive from boston. I've found a couple of good rocky trails in the NH lakes area and Mt Tom in MA looks promising. just need to figure the camping logistics. Hike length - i think they could comfortably do 5 miles for each of two days. Probably more, but i don't want to push them too hard yet. Would like to get them carrying an empty pack soon enough too.