Walking Lightly Farm - Cripple Creek, Colorado

In early 2009, I stumbled upon the website of Walking Lightly Farm and High Spice Alpacas. It is an alpaca farm located in the middle of nowhere, Colorado, owned and run entirely by a single female lawyer named Suzanne. She also owns quite a few livestock guardian dogs and her website contains lots of great information about unusual breeds, such as the Caucasian Ovcharka, the Central Asian Shepherd and the Great Pyranees - which are all monstrously HUGE breeds!

I instantly loved this woman's attitude:

A lawyer by profession, a conservationist by passion, a volunteer pet rescuer and puppy foster home, I have always believed in walking lightly on the Earth as its other creatures do. I recycle everything, avoid GMO foods, give the dogs homeopathic remedies, take in strays, hate crowds and cities, love and respect honor, truth, and courage even when it's out of fashion.

I wrote her a brief email and told her how much I enjoyed her philosophies and her website. It so happened that I would visiting her area of rural Colorado soon, and she invited me to visit her farm. Here is a photo showing the beautiful, remote area she lives in.

 What a delightful day we had! Suzanne's hearty smile welcomed me like an old friend and her gargantuan dogs, as well as the adorable alpacas, were excited to meet me:  

 

Suzanne explained to me how alpaca hair is gathered and processed for sale, and introduced me to her whole curious crew!

Here's a video clip of Suzanne feeding the alpacas. Check out her gentle manner & their CUTE noises!

Suzanne and I have stayed in touch over the past few years by email and holiday cards.  I am so glad I got the chance to meet Suzanne and all her lovely animals! If you are passing through Cripple Creek, Colorado, I highly recommend you pay a visit to this wonderful woman's farm.