Kate and Little Leaf set out across the USA

Intrepid hiker from Northwest and her goat start two-year journey in Lewes

Kate Cloud and her goat, Little Leaf, are resting in Lewes before setting out on a cross-country hiking trek that could take up to two years. RON MACARTHUR PHOTOS

Ron MacArthur

March 29, 2022

Deb Hansen did not expect company on March 28, and she certainly did not expect a goat to be staying at her Coleman Avenue home in Lewes.

But as fate would have it, she ran across Kate Cloud and her goat Little Leaf standing in front of the Lewes Rite Aid in the freezing cold. It was the first day of Cloud’s walk across America, starting in Lewes and ending in Oregon.

Cloud rented a car and drove from her home in North Bend, Wash., to Lewes in four days, arriving at the Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal. “I was trying to get my bearings and set up the route when I met Deb,” she said.

“It was freezing, so I invited her to spend the night at my house,” Hansen said.

Cloud set out on her journey headed south at 6 a.m., March 29.

Experienced hiker

Cloud is not a newcomer to long-distance hiking. In 2018, she completed the 2,184 miles of the Appalachian Trail and in 2019, she completed the 2,654 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. She had planned to hike the Continental Divide Trail to complete the coveted hiking triple crown award, but COVID-19 spoiled her plans.

And a baby goat she named Little Leaf also came into her life. Their story borders on miraculous.

While renting a place from a goat farmer in January 2020, Cloud grew fond of one young kid. She was devastated when the farmer told her the goat was sick and not going to live.

“I took her and tried to save her. The vet told me she had a 10 percent chance of survival,” Cloud said. “She had to be bottle fed every hour, and at one point she died and I gave her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to bring her back.”

A lifesaving bond had been formed, and the two have been inseparable for nearly three years.

Cloud said Little Leaf has captured the hearts of many people across the country.

Little Leaf is a well-traveled goat, already visiting more than 30 states before she was 2 years old. The intrepid travelers, pulling a customized gypsy wagon for lodging, have gone sailing, and traveled to Mardi Gras in New Orleans and Bike Week in Sturgis, S.D. Little Leaf has her own Instagram account, and a video game featuring her is set to be released in June.

Trek will cover 6,800 miles

Cloud maps out her route each day, trying to plan around spending nights at campgrounds. “But I really leave it to fate 90 percent of the time,” she said.

She also has a network of trail angels who follow her exploits on YouTube and support her from time to time. She's getting a ride across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel from one of her trail angels on her trek south.

Cloud will eventually head northward to Kansas City, as she wants to retrace the Oregon Trail and then the Lewis & Clark Trail to the Oregon coast. She said that part of the adventure should take place next summer.

Cloud said she plans to hike 10 to 15 miles per day but will let Little Leaf set the pace. Not sticking entirely to the American Discovery Trail, she plans to head south along the coast in the first leg of her trek. She estimates the entire walk will total more than 6,800 miles.

She has outfitted her goat to face other animals, including dogs and coyotes, and the weather, utilizing specially designed outfits complete with a Kevlar spiked vest and neck collar to protect her.

Watch her on YouTube

Although she said she doesn't like the term, Cloud's life is on social media and she is an influencer with a loyal following.

Cloud, who has more than 15,000 followers on her YouTube channel, plans to document her trip daily, and the artist will also paint a watercolor impression of each day. She plans to publish books of her artwork and photography when she and her goat complete their journey. Her YouTube posts will go live during the second week of her journey.

She has outfitted Little Leaf with her own goat GoPro to get her perspective of the walk.

“We aren’t on any schedule,” Cloud said, noting that stops to enjoy the scenery are frequent. She expects the walk to take up to two years. “And we might stop and spend the winter somewhere warm,” she added.

She has a GoFundMe page set up to raise money for animal rescue, and to help defray costs and publish two books of their journey: gofundme.com/f/Goat-Across-America.

Cloud is an accomplished artist and photographer who has painted murals throughout the United States, and her artwork is in private collections across the country. She sells her work at littlebitsandbigdeals.com.

To follow their journey, go to Kate Cloud on YouTube and kate_cloud_feathers on Instagram.

Little Leaf was nursed to health as a young kid by Kate after a farmer told her the goat would die.

Kate lives out of her pack most of the time, as she has spent most of the last four years hiking and traveling.

Kate outfits her goat with a spiked Kevlar vest to protect her from animals, particularly dogs, they may encounter along their journey.

Kate and Little Leaf make a trip in Deb Hansen’s backyard to allow the goat to take care of business.

Little Leaf eats a snack of paper. Contrary to popular belief, goats do not eat everything, and certainly not tin cans, Kate says. “But they do like the label glue on the cans,” she said.

Little Leaf is dressed and standing by the door ready to go.

A lot of Kate’s artwork is nature based with vivid colors.

Kate is an accomplished artist who does work in a wide array of subject matter, from portraits to landscapes.

Deb Hansen welcomes Kate and Little Leaf into her Coleman Avenue home. The goat’s favorite treat is raisins.