**Kim Hastings and her five border collies pose near a massive rhododendron bush on her property. The dogs are, from left, Shane, Quito, Bill, Taiko and Grover.** (Kathleen O’Connor/Lincoln Chronicle)

By KATHLEEN O’CONNOR/Lincoln Chronicle

If asked to name two things that have defined her life Kim Hastings would immediately say “dogs” and “wilderness”.

She might add “sheep” when talking about her life in Waldport where she moved after retiring as a wildlife biologist eight years ago. Hastings currently owns five border collies and 29 sheep.

Hastings has spent 20 years training her collies for agility events, but just the last seven years training them to herd sheep — two pursuits that require entirely different techniques.

Hastings has had a strong bond with dogs since childhood. Starting at about age four, she was attached at the hip to her family’s American coonhound – so much so that her father often asked the dog “Where’s your girl?”

She grew up on the East Coast in the suburbs, far from the wilderness. Even so, from a very early age she knew she was destined to seek out wild solitary places.

In middle school, Hastings’ mother gave her a pamphlet about the American Youth Hostel Association. This small gift was life-defining. Hastings immediately began volunteering at the local office and took advantage of the wide range of outdoor trips that were offered. After high school she enrolled at Dartmouth College. The Appalachian Trail runs right through the campus and — true to her desire for solitude — Hastings spent her first night as a student camped on the trail, about a mile from her dorm.

On her own for the first time, Hastings realized she could seize the day each and every day and began to look for adventure. By the time she graduated she had backpacked most of the Appalachian Trail in New England and many of the trails in the White Mountains.

Life after college took Hastings to Oregon, Alaska and California, working in a wide variety of jobs – cannery quality control, computer scientist, wildlife biologist, news director, salmon fisherman, science data manager.

Along the way she always lived in small, compact spaces – tents, one-room cabins, and on fishing or sailing boats. When finally looking for a home on the Oregon coast, the house itself was secondary to finding room to train her dogs. Luckily she found property with an arena, and it happened to include a home that is far larger than any other she’s ever lived in.

Question: What is one of the most memorable wildlife experiences you have had?

Answer: One great memory is feeding the eels in New Zealand. I was on a backpacking trip, staying at a remote hostel. Two elderly sisters who had lived nearby had fed meat to the eels in the river each day, and even after they died the eels still showed up, hoping for food. The hostel managers let the guests feed them if they wanted to. “Why wouldn’t I?” I thought immediately. I was given a container of small chunks of hamburger and told to wade into the river up to my thighs. About 30 eels surrounded me instantly, each about three feet long, and each with its mouth pointing straight out of the water, wide open like giant baby birds. Their skin felt like satin against my legs, their bodies were like tubes filled with Jello. It was a remarkable, almost ethereal experience.

Q: Why have solo backpacking trips been such an important part of your life?

A: Each trip is an opportunity to enjoy nature and solitude. Since I’ve always been comfortable in my own company, solo travel suits me. There’s no need to compromise with anyone and I can change my plans on the spur of the moment.

On the trail I am continuously assessing the risks I am facing, and there are some I won’t take. One of the most common causes of death in the wilderness is river crossings, so I avoid planning a solo trip that requires one. New Zealand offers rigorous backpacking. “Wilderness” there means no guidebooks, no trails and no sharing the location of special places. The most challenging route I ever took there was called Dragon’s Teeth – a series of rock formations along a very steep ridge that I had to carefully pick my way around. I stayed put for two nights in my campsite afterward, recovering from the stress.

**Kim Hastings has 15 Soay ewes, and eight of them are pregnant. Because they are such lean, muscular sheep a ewe’s body barely enlarges in pregnancy.** (Kathleen O’Connor/Lincoln Chronicle)

Q: What kind of sheep do you own?

A: I have two kinds of sheep – Soays and Cheviots. My property has several pastures, and I needed help maintaining them. Rather than mowing, I brought in Soays. They eat almost everything – grass, blackberries, weeds of all kinds.

**Three-day-old Soay lambs each weigh 3-4 pounds and won’t reach their full size for about two years.** (Photo courtesy of Amanda Williams)

I chose purebred Soays because they are such an interesting, unusual breed — small, independent, sturdy, and easy to care for – they even shed their wool in the summer, so there’s no need for shearing. They are from the uninhabited islet of Soay off the coast of Scotland. They have lived there for about 4,000 years, and since the weather there is fierce, only the strongest survive. A small number of Soay sheep have been imported to other countries. In the late 1990s, five were brought to Oregon and were the beginning of a local effort to preserve this heritage breed, keeping its bloodline pure in this country.

I also have four Cheviot sheep which I use to train my dogs. They have the qualities needed for that work – they have a strong flocking instinct and they respond readily to pressure from a dog.

Kim Hastings uses her four Cheviot sheep for herd training, in this case asking Shane to hold them back while she opens a gate. Once Hastings gives the command, Shane will drive the sheep through the gate to a pasture where they’ll graze for the day. (Photo courtesy of Kim Hastings)

Q: Why did you start training your border collies to herd sheep?

A: Well, I had the sheep, I had the dogs and I had the pastures – it just seemed like the next logical step. I had been training dogs in agility for many years and assumed those skills would transfer to herding. I was so wrong – working with a dog to herd is the hardest thing I have ever done. Agility training is a sport for dogs, and they love participating. The dog is trained to race over and under and through a variety of obstacles on a timed course, watching the handler’s body cues constantly, which signal what to do next.

Sheepherding, on the other hand, is a job for the dog, not a sport. The goal is to work with the dog to move sheep where they need to go, training the dog to use the handler’s voice and whistle commands along with its own natural strong herding instincts. Both dog and handler focus on the sheep. The handler often sees things the dog can’t, and success depends on communicating that information clearly. It’s truly a team sport with another species, and the skills are far more difficult to master than agility skills.

**Kim Hastings uses multiple visual and verbal cues to tell her dog which way to go next in an agility event, raising her arm to tell Grover to drive forward ahead of her.** (Photo courtesy of Ryan Sullivan)

Q: You are the site manager for the AARP Tax-Aide program in Waldport, which offers free tax preparation each year. How did you become involved in that?

A: When I first moved to Lincoln County, I looked for a volunteer job that had a lot of people contact. Tax-Aide needed volunteers, so I decided to give it a try. I firmly believe in life-long learning, and tax law certainly delivers on that. It is the most rewarding volunteer position I’ve ever had. People are so relieved to get their taxes completed and often get refunds they didn’t expect.

Tell us a secret.

For a while after college, I frequently hopped trains, which I learned how to do by reading a book. The Feather River route from Oroville to Portola in California was my favorite – a jaw-dropping route with dozens of trestles and tunnels. I was riding a box car, so I had a great view out the open door.