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By Meredith Gorfein
Rappahannock News Writer
“When you meet a llama, don’t reach out to him; they’re shy — but they are curious. Instead, put your hands behind your back and let him come up and sniff.” So said Gwen Hays, owner with her husband, Clyde Humphrey, of West Wind Farm in Castleton.
With hands behind my back, “Tuna Pfish” approached and tentatively gave my nose several sniffs. It seemed okay to him.
The llamas who introduced themselves that day were trained, comfortable around strangers, clean, well-groomed and incredibly soft. And explained Ms. Hays, who is not too terribly tall, the llamas are the perfect height for hugging.
Gwen Hays and Clyde Humphrey came to the llama business and Rappahannock via the tools that had been part of their former lives. Both are retired electrical engineers. She was the first female to graduate with a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, and she was the program manager in her industrial electronics company who got radars built. He was a physicist and analyst.
When they decided to retire from one life they used the “spreadsheet mentality” to guide them in planning their next. Choosing to be with and raise llamas was the easy “soul” part. All the rest of it was somewhat more difficult and time-consuming.
By the time they discovered llamas through a 1994
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