From Pack Llamas to Healing Grounds: Wyoming Ranch Becomes Retreat for Vets and First Responders

The original story by Kate Meadows for Cowboy State Daily.

Just days before Christmas, Al Ellis handed over something far more meaningful than a holiday gift. The 84-year-old Navy veteran donated his 207-acre llama ranch in Sublette County to become a sanctuary for veterans and first responders — a place built on peace, purpose and, yes, llamas.

“We want other people to enjoy this space,” Ellis said from the living room of his log home near Boulder. “People who deserve it. People we owe something to.”

Ellis had long imagined his ranch becoming a refuge someday. Now that vision is becoming reality after he transferred the deed to the Boulder Crest Foundation, a national nonprofit focused on helping veterans and first responders recover from trauma and rediscover purpose.

Ellis describes his life as a series of “butterfly moments” — chance events that arrived at just the right time and nudged him down unexpected paths.

He grew up in San Francisco, learned to fish as a kid, joined the Navy at 17 and served on a salvage ship during the quiet years between the Korean and Vietnam wars. One day, after his ship ran aground on a reef thousands of miles from Australia, Ellis watched Navy divers blast their way free.

That moment hooked him.

It led to competitive spearfishing, then commercial abalone diving, then sea urchins, then owning seafood restaurants along the California coast. Eventually, by age 40, Ellis was ready for a new chapter — and Wyoming called.

After moving to western Wyoming with his wife, Sondra, Ellis discovered pack llamas through an outdoor magazine article. One visit to see them in person was all it took.

“I was hooked in five minutes,” he said.

Ellis dove headfirst into breeding and training pack llamas, spending years guiding backcountry trips across Wyoming’s mountain ranges. His herd grew, his reputation spread, and thousands of people experienced the wilderness alongside his animals.

“Some of them had never even seen a night sky before,” Ellis said.

Eventually, the operation outgrew their Snake River property. In 1998, the Ellises bought a rundown cattle ranch near Boulder and rebuilt it from the ground up. By 2012, they were caring for about 200 llamas.

That ranch — the same one Ellis now donated — became the heart of his life’s work.

The idea of turning the ranch into a sanctuary sharpened in 2025, shortly before Sondra died after a long illness. Another butterfly moment came when Ellis saw Marine veteran and TV host Joey Jones talking about service and sacrifice.

Ellis sent Jones an email, not expecting much.

Jones read it — and connected Ellis with Ken Falke, a retired Navy bomb technician and co-founder of the Boulder Crest Foundation.

The connection clicked instantly.

“I was a diver. He was a diver. We were both Navy,” Falke said. “It was one of those moments.”

Now, Ellis’ ranch will become Boulder Crest’s fourth location nationwide — and its first in Wyoming.

Boulder Crest plans to use the property for its Warrior PATHH program, which helps veterans and first responders turn struggle into strength after trauma. In Wyoming, the approach will look a little different.

The foundation plans to focus on rural and female veterans — groups often underserved — and address Wyoming’s sobering reality: the state has the highest veteran suicide rate per capita in the nation.

And the llamas? They’re staying.

Ellis believes they’ll be a powerful part of the healing process, especially for families.

“Watching baby llamas play is contagious,” he said. “You can’t not smile.”

The transition hasn’t been seamless. To operate as Boulder Crest envisions, the ranch needed a special conditional use permit to function as a guest ranch. That approval narrowly passed the Sublette County Planning and Zoning Commission in December after pushback from some neighbors.

Concerns ranged from fears the property could grow into a resort-like operation to worries about hosting trauma-affected guests without on-site mental health professionals.

Others strongly supported the plan, citing Boulder Crest’s track record and the long-term benefits for veterans and first responders.

Ellis takes it all in stride.

“I’m not religious,” he said, “but everything lined up. Boulder Crest could accept it, and I could give it. It’s unbelievable.”

From the sea floor to the mountain trails, from pack llamas to a place of healing, Ellis’ life has come full circle — and his ranch is ready to serve a new mission.