"Take a load off your back!" That's what Tom Taylor preaches to his 40-something hiking partners. An avid recreationist and baby boomer drawn to the great outdoors by a desire to get away from it all, Taylor says he adopted Hualapai, a wild burro, for companionship and recreational use. "I take her on most camping and hiking trips, so I can enjoy the outdoors without being bogged down carrying a lot of heavy equipment," said Taylor.

Today's baby boomers, not ready to give up backpacking, are beginning to use burros, or donkeys as they are often called, as an alternative to hauling equipment on their own backs. And families, daring to take along babies and young children, are gladly embracing the concept of using pack animals. Some boomers are even using llamas, goats, and domestic horses, though Taylor points out that these animals are considerably more expensive than the cost of adopting a wild burro from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

"Gone are the aches, pains, and cracking knees from a generation moving through middle age," says Taylor. "When you have your own baggage handler, you can pack more for longer trips, and you can even bring along your favorite lip-smackin' meals instead of the same tired cereal bars and beef jerky." He notes that a mature burro can be packed with a load equivalent to 20 percent of the animal's body weight.

Probably the most popular portrait of the West has always been that of a cowboy, riding off into the sunset on horseback. But images of the West almost certainly include those of miners and other settlers, tugging, pulling and otherwise comically demonstrating their frustration as they try to get their "beasts of burden" moving. "While there may be some truth to this stereotypical image [of burros], these gentle creatures are really quite intelligent and are used today for riding, driving, as guard burros, and as companions for other animals and people ," says Roy Lewis, BLM wild horse and burro adoption program manager. And burros have a natural attraction to humans, according to Lewis. "When treated with patience, kindness and understanding, they learn to trust and obey, allowing you to train them for many different uses."

A burro's surefootedness, tenacity, and hardiness make the furry creature an excellent trail mate, Taylor points out. And they are easier on the environment than other animals. "Burros don't tear up the terrain as full-sized horses or larger animals can, nor do they require as much feed, so they are less damaging on the woodland flora," Taylor says.

"My intent, when I adopted Hualapai 10 years ago, was to train her to be used as a pack burro, so I could lighten my load and get back to enjoying hiking or camping in the wilderness," Taylor recalls. Hualapai's hiking credits include hundreds of miles of Arizona trails, including those in the Superstition, Usery and Santa Catalina Mountains. "She's even hiked the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon," exclaims Taylor.

Hualapai, a female burro -- or jenny -- participates regularly in local community events. Taylor, a Mesa resident, employs her for environmental education and public outreach events at schools, outdoor clubs, Earth Day events, National Public Lands Day activities, and BLM adoptions. In fact, Taylor plans to adopt another animal soon.

Nearly 3,000 wild burros, in an amazing array of sizes, colors, and characteristics, make their home on four million acres of public lands across Arizona, giving the desert state its reputation as the burro capital of the Nation. In 1971, Congress passed legislation to protect, manage, and control wild horses and burros that wander freely on the public rangelands. The Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act declared these animals to be "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West."

BLM is the agency responsible for the protection and care of both wild burros and wild horses. Periodically, the BLM removes some of these animals from the public lands and places them with qualified adopters through an adoption program. "Overpopulated herds are hard on the environment. Occasionally, herds require thinning out, not only to keep the animal populations well-balanced, but to ensure healthy rangelands," explains John Christensen, BLM Kingman Field Office Manager. "The law allows the BLM to offer animals removed from the range to the public for private care."

The cost to adopt a wild burro or horse through the BLM starts at $125; the adoption process occurs by competitive bidding. In comparison, expect to pay at least $1,000 for a llama or domestic-bred mule or horse. While the initial cost of adopting a burro or horse is less than the price of a good backpack, specialists caution adopters to consider other factors. "The animal needs adequate shelter, feed, veterinary care, companionship, and a trailer for hauling," says Lewis.

For more information on this story, please contact Dorothea Boothe of BLM's Phoenix Field Office at (602) 417-9219. For more information about the BLM's Wild Horse and Burro Program, please call 1-800-417-9647, or visit the following BLM websites:

Bureau of Land Management National Wild Horse & Burro Program (under "What We Do")

http://www.blm.gov/whb

BLM Arizona Wild Horse & Burro Program (under "What We Do")

http://www.az.blm.gov/whb.htm

BLM Internet Adoptions

http://www.adoptahorse.blm.gov

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