# "Lone Star Hoofenanny": A NAPgA Rendezvous for Texas!



## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

*Attention packgoat enthusiasts! *
The North American Packgoat Association is hosting a small rendezvous in Davy Crockett National Forest April 5-7. We have a growing number of packgoat enthusiasts in the southern states, and it's about time we had a shindig! We will be staying at Piney Creek Campground near Kennard, TX. Activities will be planned for Saturday, April 6th, so if you can only come for the day, that is the time to be there.

Saturday Schedule: 
9:00 - "Intro to Packgoats Meet & Greet"
11:00 - Picnic lunch hike + possible trail maintenance/cleanup
3:00 - Various classes including saddle fit, hoof trimming, trail training tips

If you would like to participate or have any questions, please get in touch with me through the private messaging system here, or click the link to the flyer for my phone # and email address. Please do not show up without giving me the heads-up. We need to let the district ranger know how many to expect, particularly for those planning to camp overnight.

Goats traveling to the event from within the state of Texas do not need health certificates. However, they DO need either a scrapies ID tag OR tattoos with registration papers. Goats traveling from outside of Texas need a veterinarian's health certificate in addition to the scrapies ID or tattoos/registration papers. Contact me if you need more info.

Texas State Parks are currently not open to packgoats. If you would like to see this change, please invite your nearby State Park rangers! Saturday morning there will be a "meet and greet" session geared toward introducing park officials to packgoats. I know you Texans would love to see more places available for goatpacking in your state, and this is how it starts! Get the word out, folks! Here's a flyer you can print and hand out to any interested parties:

https://www.napga.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/HoofenannyPDF.pdf


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## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

Just want to bump this for any Texas folk around here. We'd love for you to join us! Please let me know if you plan to attend.


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## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

Bumpity-bump-bump-bump! 

I'm headed for Texas tomorrow and hopefully I'll see some of you at the Davy Crockett National Forest on the weekend of April 6th!


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## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

I don't know how many folks here are even planning to , but we've made a slight change to our location. Due to thunderstorms in the area on Saturday, we will be moving to a camping area with a pavilion. We're going to be at Ratcliff Lake camping area right off Hwy 7 near Ratcliff, TX. It's very easy to find and has all the facilities (including electrical hookups, running water, and showers in the bathroom!). We will be all the way down at the very end of the lake from the entrance. We have the group camping spot reserved for Friday and Saturday nights for $30/night. It will accommodate up to four families, which should be plenty for our little gathering. We'll divvy up the cost depending on how many are staying. For those coming down only for Saturday (no overnight), there is a $5/vehicle day use fee. Please pay it on your way in at the self-pay station so you can get a tag to put in your windshield. 

The rain may put a damper on our lunch hike, but we'll play by ear and hopefully we'll be able to get out and do a bit of tromping. Those of us who are there on Friday will be able to participate in a small work project right next to our campsite. It will involve cleaning up brush and weeds around the foundations of the old sawmill so people can explore the old ruins safely. 

Maybe we'll see you there!


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

I truly wish that I could get there to meet you, phil, sputnik, finn and any others you have with you! Just not in the cards.
I hope you have a great time meeting Texans in that area. Have a blast. I will be with you in spirit.


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## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

Oh, come on! Finn and Sputnik are out there sobbing in their trailer because you wouldn't bother to drive a measly 5 hours to see them even though they traveled for two days to see you! Where's the appreciation??


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## BorderKelpie (Mar 27, 2016)

Oh my gosh! This sounds like so much fun! I wish I could go because I have so many questions and want to learn how to do the packing thing.

I hope you all have a fantastic time. I also hope the weather holds for you. Stay safe and tell us all the details as soon as you can.

(sooooo stinking jealous!)


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

Damfino said:


> Oh, come on! Finn and Sputnik are out there sobbing in their trailer because you wouldn't bother to drive a measly 5 hours to see them even though they traveled for two days to see you! Where's the appreciation??


Just give them a treat to ease their feelings a bit. I would just go for it if I was younger. Not singing the blues, but 30 year old pickup has never been more than 70 miles from home and may freak out being in Texas.


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

Did you get washed out? It was my dads 87th bday so I couldn't make it. 
The storms here were horrible. I hope y'all faired better.


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## Damfino (Dec 29, 2013)

We got rain but we didn't get washed out. Actually the rain mostly held off until Saturday night well after bedtime and continued through Sunday morning. The nice thing was that the USFS was extremely accommodating. They were so excited to see us out there with our goats, and they moved us from the very primitive horse camp to a much nicer facility with a large pavilion with lights and a paved floor so we could keep going even if it rained. The campsite also had bathrooms with hot water and showers, so we didn't even have to grit our teeth and crawl into our tents with cold, muddy bodies at the end of the day. It was quite palatial! We only had one short rainstorm on Saturday at lunchtime. We weren't able to hike because of the threat of lightning and rainstorms, but I helped with a lot of hoof trimming, saddle fitting, and training issues under the pavilion. We also hitched up Sputnik to his cart and had everyone take turns driving him around the large, paved circle around our campsite.

The cool thing was that the USFS rangers put flyers around the campground so the public could come watch. Unfortunately, no state park representatives came that morning, but two couples from the campground came to learn about packgoats. That was pretty cool. They'd never heard of packgoats before. The rest of the campers fled the rainstorms that morning. The campground had 12 cancellations Saturday due to weather threats. 

All in all I was a bit disappointed with the turnout but I was pleased with the things we accomplished with the folks and the goats we had. I'm sure if the weather had been better we would have had more people. All I can say is... wimps! (Just kidding!)


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## MadCatX (Jan 16, 2018)

Awww dang - well I am glad you guys and geughts had fun


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