Dallying with Llamas: they carry your gear, leaving you footlose and free to get workout while soaking up spectacular scenery - venture out

Shape, Oct, 2003 by Maryann Hammers

Hunker down at Casa de las Chimeneas, Taos, N.M. The rustic lodge, located a short drive from the trailhead, is a convenient place to spend the night before and after your llama trek adventure. Cost is from $165 per night, double occupancy. Call (877) 587-9833 or go to visit-taos.com for more information.

Maryann Hammers is a travel fitness and health writer based in Westlake Village, Calif.

4 more places to trek with llamas

1. Hurricane Creek Llama Treks, Enterprise, Ore.

Thrill to energizing creekside walks, rambles and hikes ranging from four to nine miles in the back country of Northeastern Oregon's Wallowa Mountains and Hells Canyon area. Cost ranges from $590-$895 per person for four to seven days and includes tents, camping gear, meals and sleeping pads, transportation to the trailhead and lodging the night before and after the trek at Indian Lodge Motel in Joseph. Bring your own sleeping bag. Call (541) 432-4455 or go to hcltrek.com for more information.

Hunker down at Indian Lodge Motel in Joseph, Ore. Cost is from $32 per night, double occupancy. Call (888) 286-5484 or go to eoni.com/~gingerdaggett/for more information.

2. English Mountain Llama Treks, Hot Springs, N.C.

These high-elevation treks, ranging from four to 10 miles per day, provide 360-degree views, pristine waterfalls and plenty of wildlife in the national forests of the Great Smoky Mountains near the Tennessee-North Carolina border. Cost is $65 per person for a day hike, including picnic lunch and homemade Hershey Bar pie--a local specialty made of rich chocolate, whipped cream and marshmallows; from $230 for an overnight trek; from $325 for multiday treks. All gear is provided, including sleeping bags, pillows and mattresses. Call (800) 653-9984 or go to hikinginthesmokies.com for more information.

Hunker down at Max Patc239 h Cabins in Max Patch, N.C. From $110 per night, for four people. Call (828) 627-2716 or go to geocities.com/maxpatchcabins/ for more information.

3. Broken Wheel Llama Ranch, Fort Jones, Calif.

Llama treks roam throughout remote mountain wilderness areas of Klamath National Forest near California's northern border. Cost is $130 per person per day. Tents, tarp, gourmet meals and camping gear are provided; bring your own sleeping bag. Call (530) 468-2559 or go to llamapacktrips.com for more information.

Hunker down at Bradleys' Alderbrook Manor Bed & Breakfast, a historic inn near Mount Shasta in Etna, Calif. Cost is from $12.50 per person for the hikers' hut to $70 double occupancy for the honeymoon suite. Call (530) 467-3917 or go to www.sisqtel.net/ ~joybrad/for more information.

4. Strider Adventures, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada

Choose from 3- to 12 1/2-mile nature walks and hikes through alpine meadows, forests and mountain ridges of the Rocky Mountains in north-central British Columbia. Cost is $34 (CAN) per person for a half-day trek plus $10 (CAN) for a picnic lunch or barbecue dinner. Multiday treks start at $358 (CAN) per person for two days. Price includes tents, sleeping pads, all food/snacks and kitchen supplies, binoculars, camping supplies and transportation to and from the trailhead. Bring your own sleeping bag or rent one for $43 (CAN). Call (800) 665-7752 or go to bcgroup.net/strider for more information.