Recently, I took my first pack trip with Maxine. It wasn't your typical pack trip, with strings of horses and mules meandering down the trail. This was really just a backpacking trip with Maxine in tow. Just so you know, I have little prior horse-packing experience. For the last three years I have intently listened to various speakers and watched many demonstrations during the Horse Packing and Wilderness Skills Clinic in Klamath Falls, Oregon. I also went on a day-long pack trip with my trainer's barn a couple of years ago. That does not make me an expert, I know, so I treated this trip as a learning experience, nothing more.
Fortunately, I have Maxine, a mule who used to pack in the wilderness of Montana. This gave me confidence that while I might make mistakes along the way, we'd all come out happy and healthy. And that we did... mostly.
The first day started out great. We packed up the pickup and headed down to Creswell to hitch the trailer and load Maxine. My parents were along, and they were very helpful as I went through the motions of getting the trailer ready for transport. (I triple check EVERYTHING so that I know nothing is left undone.) Once Max was loaded, we were on the road.
The drive went well and we arrived at the Sky Lakes trail head around noon. Maxine was eager to stretch her legs, so I lead her over to a small meadow. True to form, she dropped to the ground and began to roll in the tall grass. As she stood up, and the lead rope shifted in my hands, and I felt a small prick in my finger. I looked down to see that lead rope, Maxine, and everything below my knees was covered in burrs. What fun! Fortunately, the shoes I had on were not those that I'd be wearing on the hike.
Slightly annoyed but undaunted, I dragged Max back to the trailer and began packing her for the first time ever. At the last clinic in Klamath Falls, I purchased an over the saddle pack specifically for this trip and I'd spent the previous weekend packing the bags on a saddle stand in my living room, so I'd be ready for the task. Unfortunately, Maxine wasn't so ready. She stood by the trailer, pawing and jigging about. She was simply too excited to stand for packing!
And so, out came the hobbles. I'd never put them on Maxine before, but knowing that (1) she'd been part of a pack string and (2) she quietly adapts to anything, I decided to cautiously give them a try. The first minute or so was somewhat amusing as she tried to foil the new contraption around here legs, but after a couple of stumbles she realized that the hobbles had won and stood calm and obedient as we finished packing her bags.
Aside: One of the friends in our group later said, "Those hobbles just look so demeaning and humiliating." To which I replied, "Yup. That's why they work so well!"
Then we were on our way! I was so excited to get on the trail. There were eight in our party: Me and Travis (my husband), Mom and Dad, Randy and Donna, Brian, and Ken (an long-time friend with horse packing experience). I was glad to have Ken on the trip because I knew he'd be able to step in and help if something out-of-the-ordinary were to happen.
As we started up the trail I slowly began to realize three potential issues: the trail was all uphill, we were hiking at over 5,000 feet elevation (I live at 500 feet), and Maxine really wanted to walk faster than this out-of-shape gal can hike in the given environment. Therefore, the first day turned into a bit of a battle of wills -- Maxine trying to overtake me while I try to keep her in her place on the trail.
I did my best to keep my patience as Maxine challenged me to no end. You see, the problem with Max is not that she's a bad mule -- she's a smart mule. Too smart. In other words, she quickly figures out what you want her to do and then devises ways to circumvent what's expected of her without being "bad." She's like the kid in class who's always bending the rules without ever breaking them.
Still, I forged on and kept my wits about me. Though I'm sure my mother got tired of hearing, "Wup, wup" every ten seconds. That's Maxine's "slow down, please" cue. (followed by a whip tap when not obeyed, of course). The best part was when she'd kick the back of my heels. For this little indiscretion, she was required to immediately back up five steps. By the end of the hike this turned into the "kick heel, back up before she even turns around to cue me" game. Like I said -- smart.
Fortunately, our hike was only three miles that day, so we were in camp by 3:30 p.m. Knowing that Maxine definitely needed a little more of a workout than she'd received inching along behind me, I decided to take a little ride while my husband set up camp.
Being the only one with a horse in a group, I obviously had to ride on my own, but we've done that in the past, so I wasn't worried about it. The great thing about the Sky Lakes area is that there are many loop trails that are little more that a mile, so I knew that I would never be more than 1/2 mile away from camp. After showing the group what trail we planned to take, we set off down the trail with an emergency whistle, a copy of the map, and a curfew. (Come looking for us if we're not back by 5:00 p.m.)
As soon as we hit the trail, the mood changed. Maxine was relieved to be walking her own speed and shuffled speedily down the trail. When we came upon sections of the trail that were free of rocks and debris, we'd break into a posting trot and I'd watch the scenery fly by. I sang songs (too keep the cougars at bay, of course), while Max eagerly carried me down the trail between lakes and meadows. We were fast friends again and before we knew it we were back at camp.
And the camp was great. We set up across the trail from Isherwood Lake. The site opened into a meadow that was surrounded by dense forest, rock cliffs, and a smaller lake. I was very comfortable letting Maxine free graze in the meadow (grazing is permitted after August 1). Every now and again I'd look out to see her enjoying a roll in the grass, followed by a healthy snack.
That evening, I brought her over to the highline and got her set up for the night. Dinner included soaked hay, alfalfa, and beet pulp pellets, as well as her evening grain bag. She ate heartily and then relaxed, ever so often adding her opinion to the fireside chat. Everyone was amused by her cheeky comments.
As night fell, we retired to our tents to get some shut eye. I'll admit, this was one of the moments I was least looking forward too. I simply didn't know how Maxine would take to the highline overnight. She's been safely tied to trailers for long periods at horse shows, she's spent some time in a tie bay with other mules, and I once tied her to a hitching post overnight at a trail head as I slept in a nearby tent. Frankly, I was more worried about her waking up our fellow campers than about what she might do to herself. Fortunately, the afternoon ride had paid off and after bit of pawing and rolling, she was quiet for the night.
Photo: Me and Maxine at the trail head just before heading up the trail. Her blanket made a great pack cover. We didn't lose a single item.
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