LEADVILLE, Colorado – The U.S. Forest Service’s Leadville Ranger District is recruiting some furry friends to help maintain its public trails.

The team is joined by llamas who help carry the heavy equipment up and down the steep mountain trails.

“The llamas are really helpful pack animals that help us get further and faster into the wilderness,” said wilderness manager Kate DeMorest. “Like this guy here, Junior, who can probably carry about 60 pounds. That means a lot to us. When you look at some of the tools we have here, that’s a significant weight.”

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The Leadville Ranger District could use some help. The three-person team maintains over 200 miles of trails, and their peak work season lasts only a few months.

Before coming to Leadville County two years ago, DeMorest worked with llamas in another county. Knowing how helpful they can be, she quickly put together a budget proposal for the animals.

“They’re really not that expensive to care for and feed,” DeMorest said. “They’re very easy to care for and easy to handle. So there are a lot of selling points.”

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Llamas, native to the mountains of South America, do well in Colorado’s mountains and trails. They are large enough to carry heavy packs, but small enough to navigate the tight turns and narrow paths that many of the trails have. They are also safe around native Colorado animals, such as bighorn sheep. Other pack animals do not have this trait.

“Pet animals can transmit diseases into the wild,” DeMorest said. “Llamas have such great variation among their species that they are not at risk of transmitting such diseases.”

The llamas are also a recruiting tool. Wilderness Ranger Sarah Staron joined the team this year after hearing how helpful they can be.

“That was definitely a selling point,” Staron said. “The difference between having to carry a 40-50 pound backpack on patrol at night is life-changing.”

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The llamas work in teams of two on the trails, with males working with males and females working with females to avoid any conflict between the llamas.

Each animal also has its own distinct personality. The pair of animals working at the Native Lake trailhead were Junior and Wyatt.

“I feel like Junior is like a teenager. He’s just like a normal teenager,” Staron said. “He likes to work, he likes to run, but he always wants to be with his friends.”

“He’s a little stubborn, but that’s OK,” DeMorest said of Wyatt. “When we get llamas, we usually get two together. The guys like to be together. They’re pack animals. They like company. And even though they seem a little stubborn with each other, they don’t like to lose sight of each other.”

They do most of their work in late spring. After the snow melts, fallen trees and logs are a common sight on the paths. The sure-footed animals can move excellently on the wet, muddy ground, even when they are carrying the entire weight.

“It’s fun to work with these animals,” said DeMorest. “And it’s really fun to teach others how to work with them.”