A picture of one of our destinations this summer

This is a picture of swede lake, a lake that is part of the Dinkey Lakes wilderness. It's my favorite of all of the dinkey lakes, being surrounded by scenic cliffs, atop which is island lake, also a favorite. 

Aha! Evidence of our escapades at last!

I found this photo on Guarantee Real Estate's blog and decided top put it on this blog since it's a picture of OUR pack goats, after all. This was taken on the San Joaquin River Gorge trail, north of Millerton Lake about a year ago.    

Weight Training (Continued)

Here we see one of our little training walks in progress. Believe me, they were not this well-behaved-looking when we first started. Since there are usually only two of us on these outings, we separate into two groups: a human in front, with a trained goat following, and a semi or untrained goat being led by the first.

Weight Training

We use 1 gallon jugs weighing 7 1/2 pounds each, and so thirty pounds per goat. We simply hang them from the crossbucks on the pack. We used to put the bottles in gorcery bags. but the bags would often break. 

The kids are growing!

The Pack Saddle

A popular question asked about our herd is how the goats are able to carry our supplies. The answer: a pack saddle! The goat pack saddle has been used in Europe for centuries, often in the Swiss alps for carrying anything from blankets to produce for goatherds. We have two or three aluminum pack saddles, which are the more expensive kind and can cost more than a shiny penny. The easier to make and more economical pack saddle is made of wood, preferably oak. We have made several wooden pack saddles and they work just as well as the aluminum ones, although they won't last as long.     

Our herd has nearly tripled in size!

Over the past two and a half days three of our does had babies! Our lead goat, Adella had a whopping four kids! Fauna had three and Leida had two. They are all very healthy and strong and will probably be great pack goats!