So I picked up Melissa and we talked goats and caught up while we drove to Mom’s house. I’d only seen her a few times since high school but she and Renee were going to join us to hike the Tahoe Rim Trail with the goat-eo gang.
We saddled up Bosco. I put Jon Snow and Sharkey on leads and Melissa took those two and they tangled her up over and over trying to walk down the street until Fran got there and took Jon Snow. Sharkey kept jumping up super high so his head was as tall as Melissa’s. She’d tell him NO and give him a squirt with the squirt bottle but he didn’t seem to care much and kept doing it anyway. Pretty soon he looked like he just got out of the shower.
When we got to the Fence to BLM Land, we tried to get everyone to go over the low beam by putting a goat foot on top of the beam and encouraging them to hop over it. Bosco, too smart for his own good, refused time and time again and finally just went around and through a big hole in the fence. Sharkey followed him, but Jon Snow actually did what we asked. We gave him lots of pets and animal crackers and he was super proud of himself.
We took them all off lead and they mostly followed along nicely after a bit. We hiked up steep hillsides and past desert peach bushes filled with emerging caterpillars while Fran battled a vicious leg cramp over and over.
I’ll catch up! She hollered. Don’t wait for me!
But of course we waited because we weren’t in a big old hurry and we weren’t going to leave an injured fellow behind.
From the top of the hill, the views were incredible. We stopped for snack time and then marched along the ridge and started down the other side.
Me, Bosco, Sharkey, Jon Snow, Melissa, and Fran. In that order.
A Runner passed by Fran, Melissa, Jon Snow, and Sharkey. She ran up on me and yelled, Excuse Me! I moved aside as she flew by. Bosco bolted into action and almost ran me over trying to chase her. Then here came Sharkey and Jon Snow barreling after in a cloud of dust.
STOP!!! STOP!!!
She stopped a ways ahead. I ran up to Bosco, took his lead, and took Jon Snow by the collar.
Oh, did I take your whole herd? She asked.
Yeah you did.
Can I go now?
I think so.
She took off, and so did all the goats, chasing her down the trail.
STOP!!! STOP!!!
Sorry to ruin your time, but you’re going to have to walk for a bit or you’re going to end up taking three-goats-home! I said. So she did. And she finally started running again but the goats were okay and we carried on our way.
At the end, Bosco decided he was super clever and pushed me aside, running ahead and through the same hole in the Fence to wait for us. Unacceptable behavior. I abruptly changed direction so he’d think we left without him. We walked for a ways until I could see him but he couldn’t see us anymore and then we waited. He waited. We waited. He waited too. Finally he caved and baa-ed really loud as he ran down the wrong trail looking for us. I ran to meet him and he baa-ed so loud when he saw me, I started laughing out loud.
He ran to my side and wasn’t much of a pain the ass all the way home.