From her five-acre ranch in Sedona, Arizona, Marybeth Surrarrer operates Sedona Llama Treks, a unique enterprise that offers guided interpretive picnic hikes through spectacular red-rock mountains—leading a charming pack llama.
"No, you don't ride the llamas," Marybeth said with a perky smile. "They carry the supplies and you lead them. Instead of backpacking, you let the llama do the work."
Marybeth, whose unbounded energy and enthusiasm is contagious, says it all started about three years ago with a pert llama she and her partner, Terry Bullington, received as payment for a job they completed for friends who owned a llama ranch. It wasn't long before Marybeth's entrepreneurial spirit took over and, she realized that she could use her former restaurant and catering experience to create a unique business. After considerable research, the acquisition of six more llamas and an arrangement with the Forest Service, Sedona Llama Treks was born.
The half-day picnic hike begins when Marybeth meets her group at a designated landmark near the trailhead. You can't miss her—she's the one driving a 1-ton white pickup truck pulling a horse trailer. But the animals in the trailer aren't horses. "The boys," as Marybeth affectionately calls them, are seven playful male llamas: Beamer, Quattro, Reebok, Anjin, Barrick, Java and Tonka. One by one, with a little help from Marybeth, the boys pile out of the trailer. A little quick maneuvering from Marybeth and the llamas are tethered to a tree where they wait with dignified patience, ready for their backpacks loaded with supplies—food and plenty of water. This preparation gives Marybeth time for instructions and the trekkers a few minutes to get to know their assigned hiking partner before heading out on the 2-foot-wide, l 1/2-mile long trail.In the beginning, one of the toughest problems for Marybeth was finding a suitable trail. While the rugged and picturesque mountains of the Sedona area appeared to be perfect for the hikes, the available Forest Service trails were either too long, too short or through closed canyons. Since nothing was appropriate. Marybeth and Terry ended up cutting their own trail under the direction of the Forest Service. "The Forest Service helped lay it out and Terry did all the work," Marybeth reported.
The end result leads trekkers through a pageant of red and green Grand Canyon-like terrain, winding in a gradual slope upward toward Jump Off Rock and a flat-domed area where an exquisite gourmet lunch is served. During the lunch setup, Marybeth imparts her geological knowledge as well as some Indian history, legends an lore. The Sedona area, rife with Western history and also the site for numerous Western movies, holds the secrets of the ancient Anasazi and Hohokam Indian tribes that mysteriously disappeared from the well-preserved cliff dwellings. The vista from the top is panoramic, with visibility more than 100 miles in every direction. "The view is well worth the hike," Marybeth says factually and then jokes, "and hiking to the top of a mountain is a good way to workup an appetite for lunch." Lunch gives Marybeth a chance to show off her culinary expertise. She once owned a restaurant in Jackson Hole, Wyo., and also worked for a catering business for several year. Providing more than the crackers and cheese one trekker said he expected, Marybeth turns out a substantial spread.
Although the menu varies with the season, today's lunch consisted of homemade mushroom soup made from a roux with Marsala wine; mouth-watering, cinnamon Marsala fruit salad packed with strawberries, watermelon, red amber grapes, honeydew cantaloupe, pineapple and fresh-picked oranges; pasta salad loaded with crab, artichoke hearts, olives, red and green peppers and little baby corn; several types of Ararn sandwiches which are made with moistened lavash crackerbread, spread with three different fillings, rolled and cut into rounds. My favorite was the cream cheese salmon and onion filling. Today's dessert was an orange liqueur-flavored birthday cake for one of the trekkers. Sparkling fruit drinks, Perrier, homemade lemonade and apple juice are always plentiful to keep hydration levels up.
The group is usually limited to seven or eight people so everyone can lead a llama. However, larger groups are accommodated by sharing llamas. "Many husbands and wives share llamas," Marybeth said. "Leading a llama is one of the unique parts of the experience. Usually by the end of the hike, most people develop a rapport with their llamas—they're bonded." She laughs, "One lady was determined to buy a llama for a pet and another sends Barrick a Christmas gift every year."While many trekkers are vacationers looking for something just a little unusual to do, many are Arizonans who come for special occasions, to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, many bring out-of-town guests to see the area. "We are only a one and a half hour drive from Phoenix, and it's a great way to sightsee. You get more than just a view from the road—you are a participant," comments Marybeth. "One of those special occasions last year was a Christmas wedding and the llamas wore little red ties, bows and bells. We also do formal affairs with black ties and tails." She grinned impishly, "no pun intended. And we do brunch and barbeques."
The average llama weighs 350 pounds and will happily follow whoever pulls on its lead. Perhaps the easy manageability is one reason that women are drawn to llamas. In fact, according to one publication, over half of the llama-trekking business owners in the United States are women.
Marybeth agrees that it is a good business for women who want to be home. Usually, it's a second income and there are a number of profitable ways to operate it. Although Marybeth prefers to make her profits from the llama treks, which she can effectively operate seven months out of the year in Arizona, she also sells llama wool for up to $3 an ounce.
"People put in orders for the fleece even before the llamas are sheared," she said. One shearing typically produces about 3 pounds of fleece. Another interesting profit area is selling the manure for fertilizer to companies with catchy names like Lla Manure and Llama Doo. Llama manure makes an excellent fertilizer, Marybeth's partner, Terry, says, because it's virtually weed-free. "The llama's digestive process is so thorough that weed seed cannot live through it," he said.
Marybeth also manages to keep costs down by taking care of the medical needs of the boys herself. "I managed a veterinary practice for three years," she said, "so I take care of their shots, worming and other minor medical problems." As if being a geological interpreter, a tour guide, chef, vet, groomer and playmate isn't enough, Marybeth takes one or two of the boys hospital once a week for visitation. "It's only a minute before we're surrounded with wheelchairs," she said. "I didn't know how much the patients counted on our visits until I missed a day and received a panicked 'Where are you?' phone call. And the llamas seem to know that they need to be extra careful in the hospital. Java stands perfectly still for one of the blind patients who loves to touch and stroke him. It's a beautiful thing to watch."
It's also beautiful to watch Marybeth work with her boys. Tempering the skill of an animal trainer with the affection only a mother can give her young, Marybeth has truly managed to successfully combine her business with her pleasure. Write to her at Sedona Llama Treks, P.O. Box 10356, Sedona, AZ 86336.
