Llama Trek for Blind in Colorado
Weeklong Rockies Hike is Accessible Adventure for Visually Impaired
Sep 19, 2009
Trekk For Light is a summer program run by Colorado Ski for Light that teams blind and visually impaired hikers with sighted guides and uses llamas as pack animals for a week of hiking high in the Rawah Wilderness in the Colorado Rockies.
Trekk For Light combines backpacking, day hiking, and car camping. The program, which begins in Fort Collins, CO, starts with two days of training and preparation that include:
- An introduction to llamas
- Saddling and packing
- How to set up and strike a mountain camp
- Food preparation
- Skill development between hikers and guides.
The training period also enables participants to acclimatize at base camp, which has an altitude of 8500 feet. Over the next five days, hikers will pack their llamas and trek over 22 miles of rugged trails, river crossings, and ascend over an 11,300-foot mountain pass.
Trekk For Light Packing
Participants furnish their own:
- Hiking boots
- Backpacking sleeping bag (maximum stuffed size 10"x18" weighing no more than eight pounds)
- Daypack that can carry 10 pounds.
A list is provided to help participants pack clothing and personal items that will fit in one 8"x18" stuff sack, the maximum space allotment.
Trekk For Light Schedule
Participants arrive in Fort Collins on Friday evening, spend two nights in a local hotel, two nights in a campground at the base of the range, and four nights hiking and camping high up in the Rawah, a Ute word that means “wilderness,” which is part of the Roosevelt National Forest.
To limit environmental impact, Trekk for Light practices (and teaches) “leave no trace” camping and splits participants into separate four-team groups (a team is one hiker, one guide, one llama) to follow different trails. The groups rendezvous at least once during the week.
Wilderness regulations and the use of llamas prohibit guide dog accompaniment. If requested, kennel accommodations in Fort Collins can be arranged.
The Trekk is rigorous. Participants must be fit and prepared on the first day to hike eight miles, ascending from 8,000 to 10,500 feet on steep, rocky trails. Please review the general fitness level tests included with the Physical Fitness Commitment form. The Trekk’s remoteness to emergency medical care mandates each person be in top physical and mental health. Smokers are ineligible.
Trekk For Light is Unique Outdoor Adventure
The Trekk is a feast for the senses. Hikers breathe fresh mountain air, feel the freshness of an afternoon rain shower; smell the delicate scents of mountain wildflowers, hear the hypnotic hum of llamas and wake to the early morning call of the Western Tanager.
“Why go into the wilderness for a week without showers, electricity, or phones? For the sheer joy of testing one's physical limits, and of trusting one's guide and llama,” says Trekk veteran Annemarie Cooke. “It was also a blast to get audio descriptions of the scenery and to touch the nuances of nature, like a tree whose bark had been rubbed off by elk antlers.”
Trekk for Light Costs
The Trekk For Light programs costs is $450, which includes two nights double occupancy at an area hotel, arrival and farewell dinners, transportation to and from Rawah, camping food, equipment, llama rental, and fees. Travel to and from Fort Collins is not included. Limited scholarships are available for first-time participants.
The growing availability of trained llamas, which are environmentally-friendly and can carry heavy loads, make it possible for visually impaired persons to enjoy Trekk For Light’s extended wilderness experience.
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