Pacific Crest Trail

[GoldenTreePackGoats]

I have a goal to do the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada in 4ish years. I've come to realize through talking to previous thru-hikers and equestrians that Southern CA will be hard on the goats with no road side support so I may have them sit it out, I'm not completely crazy.
As for Oregon and Washington State, my goal is to do them in one season with my goats.
Since everything we do is training for this extended distance trip I'm starting this thread to contain adventures, conditioning, and updates for our future travels, goals, and to see the progress of our growth. 
Anyways here is their first 10 miles on the PCT at Olallie Meadows to celebrate their 1 year birthday. (We've been conditioning with 2-4 miles of hills once a week for 4 weeks.)  
Featured in these pictures are: Huck, Pluto, and Yukon. 
[img]IMG_20170621_114736 by Kataya Uren, on Flickr[/img]
[img]IMG_20170621_121330 by Kataya Uren, on Flickr[/img]
[img]IMG_20170621_125132 by Kataya Uren, on Flickr[/img]
[img]IMG_20170621_125252 by Kataya Uren, on Flickr[/img]
[img]IMG_20170621_130115 by Kataya Uren, on Flickr[/img]
[img]IMG_20170621_130137 by Kataya Uren, on Flickr[/img]
[img]IMG_20170621_134705 by Kataya Uren, on Flickr[/img]
[img]IMG_20170621_135036 by Kataya Uren, on Flickr[/img]
[img]IMG_20170621_154037 by Kataya Uren, on Flickr[/img]
[img]IMG_20170621_135122 by Kataya Uren, on Flickr[/img]

[Charlie Horse]

Another person with a goal! I love it. And thats a mighty goal indeed. You'll be like the needle2square guy but on hiking trails instead of highways.

When i was younger I wanted to ride my bicycle from SLC to Phoenix, but it never happened, alas.

[DownUnder Gal]

Awesome!

[GoldenTreePackGoats]

It's never to late Charlie Horse! I followed Needle2Square as soon as I heard about them, it was fun to watch the photos come in of a goat random places of the city.

[Nanno]

What an awesome goal! I love it when people chase their dreams. Best of luck to you, and keep us posted about the journey. In the end it's almost less about the goal than about the trip you took to get there.

[GoldenTreePackGoats]

Holy crap!
Friday morning we left to do our first overnight with Huck, Yukon, and Pluto but life had a different idea. In hindsight I look back and see Yukon having more attitude than normal as maybe not feeling good, but at the time it was so slight and pretty unrecognizable. So we set off to hike up Johnson Creek to Medra pass until Yukon had a respiratory event 3 miles in and collapsed. We still aren't sure what or why but we hiked back down and everything with everyone appeared to be normal besides the fact no one wanted to drink any water from the creek or collapsible bucket. I put them on a low line the grazed on the grass and were quiet through the night. First thing in the morning Yukon had his back to us, wasn't responsive, and had a temp of 105.8. We packed up and headed to the nearest vet (Ellensburg Veterinary Hospital) where he was given a liter of IV fluids, banamine, antibiotics. I was also told that he potentially has an underlying respiratory disease similar to COPD and may not make a pack goat. Shattering news.

We decided the responsible thing to do was head home but when we got home and unloaded everyone, Yukon and Huck had declined and we had to pick them up to get them moving. Once again we loaded them back up and headed to Pilchuck ER for some diagnostics and treatments. They were tubed with a couple liters of water with electrolytes and otherwise told to go home since their blood was relatively normal.

So we went home, and their temps spiked to the 106-107 range, and at this point one of my does started to show similar symptoms with a temp of 105.8.

After contacting a vet after hours she told me that temps this high and consistent are usually viral and that I should treat my entire herd with antibiotics to prevent a secondary infection but that I will have to let it run its course. We took one hour shifts all night and temped everyone, any one who was over 104 got cold hosed until they were below 103.4F. I was instructed by the vet that based on the information and symptoms they have, desperate times call for desperate measures and to give banamine IV every 6 hours as fever persists. And the last instruction was to pray.

The vet will be coming by today, and hopefully get a culture so we can see what we are dealing with but after a full 2 days, finishing up our 72 hours those infected aren't any better.

*** Information following this event can be found on a thread in the health section posted in the link below, it further discusses diagnostic testing, treatments, and other goat people's experiences and thoughts.
http://www.packgoatcentral.com/forums/sh...p?tid=2245

Rest in Paradise Yukon, my forever number 1. Our adventures together were too few, but we will carry your spirit into the journey ahead. 
[img]IMG_20170320_005546_690 by Kataya Uren, on Flickr[/img]
[img]original_d7f80608-a5e6-47f5-86c4-c7f6c34cf1bb_IMG_20170603_164943 by Kataya Uren, on Flickr[/img]
[img]IMG_20170709_123656 by Kataya Uren, on Flickr[/img]

[GoldenTreePackGoats]

With everyone back to being healthy, or almost, the fire has been reignited for our goat packing. I'm more hesitant to bring the goats that became sick out yet, mainly because I don't want to stress them out and compromise their immune system. So Huck and Pluto have been getting regular moments of ground manner training around the yard. Then there's Kingsley, who has been getting the mail for me. We put his kid pack on, head to the mailbox (1/4 mile), I put the mail in the panniers, and we walk the neighborhood for short distances. King is turning out to be a nice goat, 85lbs at 7 months, and 'mostly' sweet. 

We were planning our next backpacking trip, which will be goatless but Kingsley gave us his thoughts. 
[img]IMG_20170811_194456 by Kataya Uren, on Flickr[/img]
[img]IMG_20170811_194529 by Kataya Uren, on Flickr[/img]
[img]IMG_20170811_191925 by Kataya Uren, on Flickr[/img]

[Nanno]

Is Kingsley new? I don't remember him!

[GoldenTreePackGoats]

He's been with us since March, we got him at 5 weeks and bottle raised him for a couple months. He's kept in the buck pen with Rafiki, so taking him out with the other boys has always been more difficult. He is a really feisty and really has to be defeated before he will settle, so truck rides aren't an option until I feel comfortable tying him. The one goat that he did well with was Yukon.

Soon after quarantine is over I will be putting all the wethers and bucks in my new pasture to get adjusted to each other, with my fingers crossed that Rafiki learns to run! I would like to have the option of taking the whole group out so they need to find their place in the pecking order.

[GoldenTreePackGoats]

We got our pasture potatoes out of the yard and on the neighborhood trails! There is tons of potential for off leash dogs so we kept the leads on but overall a nice stroll to a rope swing. [img]IMG_20170923_132003 by Kataya Uren, on Flickr[/img] 
[img]IMG_20170923_133219 by Kataya Uren, on Flickr[/img]