all follow in a line and the mules carry our stuff behind us. It’s so easy.” Her grandfather agrees. “The guys at Aspen Meadow, they’re the best,” Hughes said. “It’s fun to just watch them do their cowboy thing.” Schuler’s father, Costas Schuler, a graphic designer/web developer from Forestville, described his first pack trip last year as “one of the best trips I’ve taken in my life.” “We brought all kinds of stuff with us,” he said. “Hikers would come by and say, ‘How’d you get a cooler out here?’ They didn’t have anything, and we’ve got boats and pots and pans—everything.” Traveling with family, including his four children ages 10 to 23, Costas Schuler said he didn’t miss the internet.
“It was beautiful,” he said, adding that it was special to enjoy nature, including a night swim in the lake. “Swimming through dragonf lies being hatched on top of the water and then watching them take off into the air—it was really a magical moment.” Pack trips provide the opportunity for people— young and older alike—to access wilderness locations that would otherwise be unavailable to them. “There’s no country in the world that has public lands like we do in California,” Diemel said. “People like being in the back country and getting away from it all. It’s incredible how much fun you can have.”
Christine Souza csouza@californiabountiful.com
MORE ONLINE Want to experience—virtually—what it’s like to go on the trail with Aspen Meadow Pack Station? Check out the video at www.californiabountiful.com.
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR LONG-EARED TRAIL COMPANIONS
The mule, which is the offspring of a donkey and a horse, leads the pack when it comes to pack animals. Mules are surefooted, larger than an average horse, and can carry the weight of a pack or passenger for long distances. Mules are strong for their size and have an average lifespan of 30 to 50 years. They look similar to horses, but have longer ears, smoother muscles and more endurance. The mule inherits its athletic ability from the horse and its intelligence from the donkey. Its coat is mostly gray, brown, red or black. These equines first arrived in the U.S. in 1785, as a gift to George Washington from King Charles III of Spain. They helped shape the American landscape and played a critical role in agriculture until they were replaced by engine- powered machines. The term “mule” can be used for any hybrid of the two equine species. For example, crossing a male horse (stallion) and a female donkey (jenny) produces a hinny, and breeding a female horse (mare) with a male donkey (jack) also results in a mule. A mule cannot reproduce. Mules have a natural attraction to humans, and when treated with patience, kindness and understanding, learn to trust and obey. In addition to intelligence, mules are known to be patient and able to detect and avoid dangerous situations, which makes them excellent back-country trail companions.
Aspen Meadow Pack Station mules eat hay before carrying up to 150 pounds of gear each for a trail ride.
Source: www.luckythreeranch.com
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July/August 2020
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