back in the land of technology

so, we made it... and had a wonderful time. we both have many words, thoughts, and images to share from the trip... and currently no time. expect more in a week or so!

we're off!

Here we are, this one last blog post away from wandering off into the wilderness of northern california with seven goats in tow. How did we get here? Why?

Of course this path has been in the works for us both for a long time, but what brought it into focus was an encounter with my friend Dakota. She was seeking fellow wanderers, trying to start a 'tribe' to engage in seasonal pastoralism with goats. The conversation got me thinking. At the same time, Lela was given a book title by a different friend, 'goatwalking' by Jim Corbett. Jim spent years wandering in the Sonoran desert, surviving on the milk of his goats, and developing a very interesting spirituality around what he calls 'errantry' and the nomadic lifestyle.

So we talked about it, both of us excited by this idea – goats make you free. So we talked and talked and planned and read, and soon enough we're here in northern California about to test the reality of our stomachs against ideas.

We've been so busy preparing and getting to know our goats that we haven't had time to expound on the ideas before we go, but being in the woods with goats hopefully involves having a lot of time on our hands, so we're planning to write more fully about the trip while we're actually on it, and fill out the blog when we return.

But, in short, the idea is that goats are highly efficient and adaptable browsers, capable of turning even woody twigs into milk and meat. So we can travel with goats nearly anywhere, as long as there is food for them, and they in turn will provide food for us, mostly as milk. So we're taking a trip for a month, with light packs, a limited supply of backup food (in case of an unthinkable loss of the goats, or, it doesn't work out) and seven goats. Two will be giving us milk, typically 3000 calories a day or more. One is a castrated male, trained to carry packs, and he will be carrying a few supplies for us. The other four are the kids (a side effect of milk) whom we are currently training to pack as well.

So we're off to find out what it's like to wander aimlessly with a belly full of milk...

see you in a month!

inaugural post

testing!