LEADVILLE, Colo. — Maybe Shrek was onto something with his quest partner.
A couple in Leadville has started leading an Airbnb Experience called Pack Burro Picnic where visitors can ascend a 12,000-foot mountain with an 850-pound donkey named Ellroy.
Ellroy and his owner, David Carner, are actually professionals. They've won multiple "pack burro races" in Colorado, so carrying some picnic equipment just 2 miles is fairly easy for them.
"People love it. They love hanging out with Ellroy, they love the food at the top and they love the views," Carner said.
Carner and his partner Leslie Altman's Airbnb Experience not only offers a beautiful hike that features forest views, wildflowers and summiting Chalk Mountain, but it's also an ode to Colorado's rich mining history.
"Pack burro picnics are a unique way to experience the Colorado backcountry. The pack burros have been used in Colorado for a couple hundred years to assist travelers, usually prospectors," Carner said.
"It's part of the mining history of Colorado," Altman added. "The donkey was a big, big part of miner history."
Learn more about the "Pack Burro Picnic" and reserve time on their Airbnb Experience page.
