Chat
Hey guys its been a minute, I hope your all doing well. Just got back from my first true multi day goat trip. It was very very cool. A friend and I went to little Hyas Lake just above Cle Elum, WA. The hike is only about 4.5 miles and it dod not have much elevation gain, so it bade it perfect for the goats first real multi day trip packing a true 25% of there weight.
In preperation for this trip I had to take all 3 of my boys to Petco to get them weighed. Steve came in the smallest at 180# even, then Brian at 194#, and finally the big guy Garbie at 220#. I was really suprised at the weights I got. I new my guys where big but WOW!! I also did a accessment walk with them. We did 6.5 mile with 20 pounds each. They all did great, however they where exasted when we got back to the truck.
The 3 day hike went pritty good. I think 25% for my goats may have been a little heavy. They where defi tly ready to be in camp. Also I had to hook Garbie and Brian in line because of people and dogs. I just have the confidence in them to stick with me yet. They do really well when it just me and the 3 goats but add in other stimuli and it gets ify. My goats also learned how to do water crossings. We had done a little bit of water stuff but not aything like what we where doing up there. For example day one the guys thought it was a big deal to cross a 6 ft 3 inch deep stream, by the morning of day 3 we crossed the upper Cle Elum river like it was nothing!!! We did one water crossing where Garbies cooler panniers where floating so high they almost came off his saw bucks and Brian my shortes goat had his noise just above the water bouncing along. It was really cool to see the confidence develope. Camp life was fine. I had to low line Brian and Garbie most of the time in camp. I only hooked Steve at night. The bugs where pritty bad. I used OFF on the guys which really helped them out with the bugs, but man did they hate the spray.
We did not have any wild animal issues. We did have two off leash dogs come at us pritty quick. I hit one with my bow and either Brian or Garbie head bunted the second one that came at them. I yelled but the owner never came up. If those dogs had been anymore aggressive I may have put a warning shot in the ground.
Our biggest obsticle was large dead fall. Small stuff was fine, but 24 inch and large was terrible!! Sometime we could unload then and they could make it over but other times it was a bigger issue. Day two we broke our own trail for a mile and a half or so. It was really fun. The guys did really well of leash pick there own way through some pritty tight snaggy crap!
On day 3 the guys where very happy to finally get back to the truck. It was hot but they happily loaded up. All 3 laid down immediatly and I bairley saw horns the hole way home. All in all I think the trip was a success!! I am going to start a once a week run program for they guys.
In preperation for this trip I had to take all 3 of my boys to Petco to get them weighed. Steve came in the smallest at 180# even, then Brian at 194#, and finally the big guy Garbie at 220#. I was really suprised at the weights I got. I new my guys where big but WOW!! I also did a accessment walk with them. We did 6.5 mile with 20 pounds each. They all did great, however they where exasted when we got back to the truck.
The 3 day hike went pritty good. I think 25% for my goats may have been a little heavy. They where defi tly ready to be in camp. Also I had to hook Garbie and Brian in line because of people and dogs. I just have the confidence in them to stick with me yet. They do really well when it just me and the 3 goats but add in other stimuli and it gets ify. My goats also learned how to do water crossings. We had done a little bit of water stuff but not aything like what we where doing up there. For example day one the guys thought it was a big deal to cross a 6 ft 3 inch deep stream, by the morning of day 3 we crossed the upper Cle Elum river like it was nothing!!! We did one water crossing where Garbies cooler panniers where floating so high they almost came off his saw bucks and Brian my shortes goat had his noise just above the water bouncing along. It was really cool to see the confidence develope. Camp life was fine. I had to low line Brian and Garbie most of the time in camp. I only hooked Steve at night. The bugs where pritty bad. I used OFF on the guys which really helped them out with the bugs, but man did they hate the spray.
We did not have any wild animal issues. We did have two off leash dogs come at us pritty quick. I hit one with my bow and either Brian or Garbie head bunted the second one that came at them. I yelled but the owner never came up. If those dogs had been anymore aggressive I may have put a warning shot in the ground.
Our biggest obsticle was large dead fall. Small stuff was fine, but 24 inch and large was terrible!! Sometime we could unload then and they could make it over but other times it was a bigger issue. Day two we broke our own trail for a mile and a half or so. It was really fun. The guys did really well of leash pick there own way through some pritty tight snaggy crap!
On day 3 the guys where very happy to finally get back to the truck. It was hot but they happily loaded up. All 3 laid down immediatly and I bairley saw horns the hole way home. All in all I think the trip was a success!! I am going to start a once a week run program for they guys.