![]() Most of the buckets going up weigh 75lbs a piece. Most of it is already packed into the green tubs, making our job easy to load up the mules. Loading upĪt the trailhead, the chalet staff drop off everything they need brought up the mountain. ![]() The britchin around their butt keeps the saddle from sliding forward while going down hill. Mules wear a breast collar which keeps the saddle from sliding back while going up hill. We use Decker pack saddles which have two metal bars on the tree that loads are secured to. Each time we ask them to load up, they have no idea how long the journey will be or where they are headed. It’s pretty cool that these intelligent prey animals can trust us enough to lock them in a metal box and take them zooming down the highway or bumping down a dirt road. The mules then have to step into the trailer and go for a drive to the trailhead. ![]() I walked around with nails sticking out the bottom of my boot all day. One time while I was trying to catch a mule, a piece of my boot heel came off in the mud. Once caught, they are rewarded with a scoop of grain. To read more about what it’s like dealing with wildfires, check out this post I wrote Hello, Fire Season.Ī packing day begins before the sun is up, catching mules and horses. Sperry should return to business as usual in summer 2020. Although there were no overnight guests, we still kept busy with packing up supplies and food for the construction crews and chalet staff. The Sprague Creek wildfire of 2017 badly damaged Sperry Chalet. The chalets are over 100 years old! Its pretty cool to be a part of this history. They can also just stop by on a day hike to enjoy the views and marvel at the stone architecture. Hikers can stay overnight in the rooms and enjoy the cooking at these chalets. We pack out trash, dirty linen, and other stuff. My employer has a contract with these chalets to pack in food, propane, clean linens, and other supplies. Granite Park and Sperry Chalet are accessible only by foot, horse/mule, or helicopter. I’ll sometimes pack in supplies for trail maintenance or gear for people, but the main job for the mules is to supply the backcountry chalets in Glacier National park. In the 2019 season I got to do more packing than ever! I got to know our mules better, learned some new hitches, and felt pretty badass lifting all those heavy loads. Over the past decade, I’ve packed a bit in various aspects of my employment with Swan Mountain Outfitters.
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