Llama Trekking with Bodacious
by ashleyrathje
We need another volunteer,” asked George Caldwell, the proud owner of the llamas.
“I will.”
“This is Bodacious, you can call him Bo. Just make sure he doesn’t sniff the other llama’s butts.
Oh boy, did I just get the crazy butt-sniffing llama? Within minutes he pranced through the parking lot pulling me into the group, and sticking his face in front of fellow classmates, exposing his god-awful breath. I wondered how much longer it would be before he spit in my face. “Don’t be scared of him,” one of Geo’s assistants stated after demanding Bo to stand. “Ok, I won’t”, I hesitantly responded. Truthfully I pictured myself being dragged down the muddy trail attempting to gain control over Bo. However, Geo shortly thereafter explained the temperament of each llama; a sense of calm immediately flew over me. He descried each one of his llamas like a mother would their child. He knew what the llamas liked to eat, what they didn’t like to eat, who did and did not like to lead, who was friendly, and who was moody. He knew everything down to how the llama was feeling based upon the position of their ears. It seemed as though the llamas were part of the family, which was supported by the fact that they were transported in vans as opposed to animal trailers.
It was an extremely cold morning at Redwood Park. I was anxious to begin the hike; hoping moving around would warm me up. I tried to take notes while Geo spoke to us, but my fingers felt immobile as the icy wind crippled my entire body. I decided mental notes would be sufficient for the moment. As we began our walk I became more comfortable with Bo. I pet him sporadically and took pictures with him every chance I got. It’s not everyday that you get to hike with a llama. Bodacious walked up and down the hill with ease and grace, carrying only a few light items in his sack. Geo explained that llamas were great for backpacking. They can carry large loads, which is extremely helpful and important on long hikes. Geo often traveled to Peru in order to reintroduce llamas into their culture. “Peruvians are crazy”, he explained. “They don’t go around mountains; they go over and through them.” That along with the extremely low temperatures he described made our hike seem like child’s play.
When we arrived at Girl’s camp we found a nice patch of sun, which the entire class gravitated towards. Geo explained to us everything we wanted to know about llamas, and allowed us an opportunity to ask questions.
He explained, “My favorite thing about having llamas is well…you know when your on an old country road and you see some deer and everyone stops and say ahhh… you can do that right in your pasture. You can’t see the llamas without feeling good. That’s my favorite thing, being able to go out and touch them.”
While students were finishing up their sandwiches, Bo decided to take me for a ride through the trees, which was not the last on our hike. He pranced straight into the them. Not wanting to let go of the rope I went right along with him. I laughed as he pulled me around and rubbed his neck against the jagged branches. Bodacious quickly noticed the slight tugs on his rope and walked back over to the sunny patch with me. He stood content next to me with his neck up high looking quite dapper, and pristine. I couldn’t help but smile.
Oh the places I'll go 
I enjoyed your descriptions of llamas’ temperaments, but what was Bo’s like? He seems like a bit of goof, running off to scratch his back against the trees!
Great humor and dialogue! You really did a great job of describing what the llama’s personality was and your connection with him. Is Bo kissing your head in the last picture?
Yes! We shared a moment.