Many options, many opportunities According to Morgan and Diemel, most guests are families and groups of friends who enjoy the outdoors and backpacking, fishing or hunting. Aspen Meadow offers one-hour, two-hour, half-day and full-day trail rides, as well as more extensive experiences. For “drop pack” adventures, packers load gear and accompany guests on horseback to a designated wilderness location, then return later to repack and accompany riders back to base. With all-inclusive trips, packers remain with guests, cook meals and provide all gear. A longtime backpacker, Hughes said family and friends eagerly anticipate the drop-pack trips, where the group travels to a spot and stays put. “You can pack in just about everything you want. I’m impressed with the mules and their ability to pack all that gear and stay surefooted on the trails. We’ve had really fun day hikes, climbing to the tops of different peaks in the area, discovering new creeks and pools,” Hughes said. “It’s here for us to enjoy, just the interaction between the water, the granite and the trees and the high altitude. I love it. It’s just another world and it’s right in our own backyard.”
Ready, set, go When a trip is set to begin, guests arrive early at the pack station. Staff and volunteers saddle the trail horses and weigh and load gear into saddlebags, which are c a r e f u l l y ba l a nc ed on t he mu l e s . To en su r e surefootedness and a comfortable ride, Diemel said horses and mules are trained and ridden by staff for many years before they are able to carry a guest. Horses are matched to each rider’s ability—from novice to seasoned equestrian. Each mule carries a maximum of 150 pounds and can travel 20 miles or more per day, Diemel said. And when the season is over, the horses and mules relax at a Tuolumne County ranch until the next season begins. Hughes’ granddaughter, Sophia Schuler, now lives in Kansas but said her first experience riding a horse was as a teenager during a family pack trip with Aspen Meadow. She’s been hooked ever since. “The people that run the pack station—we call them the cowboys because, I mean they’ve got spurs on their boots—they’re just so fun to talk to, and when you’re with them on horseback for four hours, it’s a great way to tell stories and enjoy the view,” she said. “The horses
The Schuler family, above, heads up the Gianelli Trail to Granite Lake. Morgan Stearns, right, bonds with horse Poncho.
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