BOISE, Idaho — Ripple Ranch near Lucky Peak Reservoir features a goat farm where Marc Warnke raises goats to become pack goats.
"They are superior to almost any other pack animal because of their agility and the fact that they don’t have to be led," said Warnke. "They just follow us."
Marc travels around 500 miles a year in the backcountry of Idaho sleeping under the stars about 70 times. Marc is aided by his goats who carry his gear for hunting, exploring the Sawtooths, and helping get his friends and family into the outdoors.
"Running pack goats was my goal because I wanted to get the people I love in the backcountry keeping people well fed, comfortable, and sitting in a chair," said Warnke. "Using these animals to pack these loads in was the goal and I did it, I’ve been doing it for 12 years now."
Marc tells us goats have the disposition of a golden retriever, but they make excellent pack animals because they feed themselves by eating plants, they find water when they need it and all Marc has to do is keep them safe from predators.
"Goats are wicked and they are a next-level being to coexist with as an animal," said Warnke. "They express things like depression and loneliness, they are very complex. This is a very highly brilliant intuitive animal."
Marc has a website called packgoats.com. On this website, he has everything from video tutorials, goat guides, and a blog to help people raise goats. His methods have been used worldwide.
"The part about becoming kind of a global authority on raising goats wasn’t my intention," said Warnke. "It was to help people start out with pack goats and so we just started building resources to help people raise goats and it kind of caught fire."
We visited the ranch and saw Marc and his staff feeding baby goats, some of them were just five years old. There were a pair of goats that were going to give birth in the coming days and it was a fun experience because the goats were so friendly and curious.
People can visit Ripple Ranch and try some goat milk. It has a 15-person sauna, a 15-person cold plunge, horseback riding and an Air B&B folks can stay if they want to spend the night.
"It’s a beautiful place to come stay and just see sustainable ranching," said Warnke. "We are 21 minutes from downtown Boise, we are just right here and it’s really a beautiful thing to share that and send people out with a little more love in their hearts."
