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75 Posts
Wow Rex, we all know to keep a wary eye if we're following you around!!
My scariest encounter, well it didn't seem to be dangerous to me personally, but I was quite concerned for the ladies on their spooked horses.....September 2001, I crested a ridge and was met three dogs running ahead of three riders. The peaceful pack out to the trail head was over. Thirteen goats were following on my heals, the dogs went for the goats, one horse started bucking, they were yelling at their dogs, goats were scattering, two more spooked horses, more yelling, finally they got dismounted, got their dogs, everyones alive. During the turmoil, the goat on the bottom of the totem pole, the goat always the last in the pack string, the goat that has never seen a trail without goats ahead, THAT GOAT made it past me, saw the open trail, and went bawling and running up the trail to catch the goats that were not there. Four more goats felt confident in this new leader and followed as fast as they could. The quiet of the forest did not return until they could no longer be heard.
The riders were nice ladies, "never seen a goat before," but everyone was ok and we went our seperate ways. Along the way we found evidence that the runaway goats were still on the trail. A track in mud, little round droppings, a pannier, a saddle pad, and finally five goats laying on the trail, one with a spun saddle and a pannier tangled in his feet. Tongues out, panting hard, they ran until they couldn't any more. At least they ran toward the truck.
Other than that, uneventful is good. There has been a couple times where a branch on some dead fall has gotten under a collar and/or saddle straps. As the goat tried to free itself, it twisted and started choking themselves. It's good to have a knife handy to quickly free a goat from a problem, they can happen fast.
My scariest encounter, well it didn't seem to be dangerous to me personally, but I was quite concerned for the ladies on their spooked horses.....September 2001, I crested a ridge and was met three dogs running ahead of three riders. The peaceful pack out to the trail head was over. Thirteen goats were following on my heals, the dogs went for the goats, one horse started bucking, they were yelling at their dogs, goats were scattering, two more spooked horses, more yelling, finally they got dismounted, got their dogs, everyones alive. During the turmoil, the goat on the bottom of the totem pole, the goat always the last in the pack string, the goat that has never seen a trail without goats ahead, THAT GOAT made it past me, saw the open trail, and went bawling and running up the trail to catch the goats that were not there. Four more goats felt confident in this new leader and followed as fast as they could. The quiet of the forest did not return until they could no longer be heard.
The riders were nice ladies, "never seen a goat before," but everyone was ok and we went our seperate ways. Along the way we found evidence that the runaway goats were still on the trail. A track in mud, little round droppings, a pannier, a saddle pad, and finally five goats laying on the trail, one with a spun saddle and a pannier tangled in his feet. Tongues out, panting hard, they ran until they couldn't any more. At least they ran toward the truck.
Other than that, uneventful is good. There has been a couple times where a branch on some dead fall has gotten under a collar and/or saddle straps. As the goat tried to free itself, it twisted and started choking themselves. It's good to have a knife handy to quickly free a goat from a problem, they can happen fast.
