Stubborn Like A Mule!

Frank and Chalula.  They had a thing going on!

No, I know what you are thinking...  This blog is NOT about Pete.  It is actually about an amazing adventure that Julie and I recently went on.  Upon retirement, two of our very good friends gave us the gift of mule rides to the bottom of the Grand Canyon with a nights stay at the historic Phantom Ranch and and then of course a ride out.  The gift was originally intended for me and my oldest grandson, Jack.  Unfortunately Jack did not make the height requirements this year so Julie graciously stepped in to accompany me.

First you need to know a little about mules.  I will not bore you with all that I learned over the course of the two days, but some of the facts are quite interesting.  Mules are the combination of a male donkey and a female horse.

First meeting with the mules.  Also one of our wranglers.

Check out those ears!

Male Donkey + Female Horse = Mule

Please do not confuse the mule with a hinny...  That is the combination of a female donkey and male horse.  The hinny does not have all the good traits of a mule and is therefore not as popular.  The mule is about the size of a horse and makes it perfect for hauling cargo and people.  For our ride, the weight limit per individual was 200 pounds.  I was sweating bullets over the burger I had for lunch as they put me on the scale out in public.  They do not make exceptions to the 200 pound rule.  Luckily I made it!  By quite a lot actually.  Mules have these big ears that are part of their cooling system.  We saw this first hand as we came out of the canyon.  Moisture (sweat) started to form on their ears and neck.  The eyes of a mule also are positioned differently than a horse which allows them to see behind themselves.  When we stopped, people would want to pass on the trail but were scared of getting kicked.  The two wranglers that escorted us on our ride assured people that the mules would not startle and therefore not kick.  Having ridden behind another mule for two days, it was not kicking that would worry me.  When they go to the bathroom, you do not want to be caught in the shower that takes place.  One more thing about mules, these mules were semi-autonomous in their steering.  What does that mean?  You really did not have to do a lot of directing.  They pretty much knew the routine and followed it well.  As a matter of fact, when they were walking along the edge with hundreds of feet drop off, it was best not to mess with them.  After all, they do not want to fall!  There were however times when we need to take control  My mule, let's call him Frank...because that is his name.  When Frank spotted anything green within reach, he would go for it.  They explicitly told us not to let them eat or we would be there all day watching them eat as that is what mules do 24/7 when they are not hauling tourists.  I would have to pull Frank away from anything edible which was no small task.  Julie's mule was Chalula.  Now that one was stubborn.  The mule, not Julie!  She would go where she wanted when she wanted.  This was a match made in heaven as Julie was up to the challenge of bossing this beast around for the entire trip.  It was fun to watch someone else getting it...  😊

In order to make the mules do what you want them to do, you sometimes need to use a motivator.  Most of us would call it a whip, but because we had some millennial snowflakes on the ride, we referred to them as bio-feedback devices so as not to harm their delicate senses.  The millennials, not the mules!  Julie became quite proficient with her bio-feedback device as Chalula was prone to falling behind the pack.  It is important to stay together for communication and safety.  What was funny was when Julie would "motivate" her mule, mine would jump to.  I almost never had to whip him.  When I did, I ended up hitting myself about 50 percent of the time.  I think I heard Frank snicker, or was that nicker when this occurred.

Julie and Chalula

Dave and Frank

There were ten riders and two wranglers.  The ride down went without a hitch. (another mule reference, see if you can figure it out)  It was raining when we left so they provided Mule Rider rain jackets.  Mine was pretty well used, but did its job.  The rain was nice as it kept things cool  The clouds did not provide good views of the canyon.  Since we have seen the canyon on several occasions this was not a concern.  We stopped mid-ride after a couple of hours and had lunch at Indian Garden.  This is a lush oasis in an otherwise arid landscape.  The packed lunch was the thickest sliced turkey and cheese sandwich ever!  Also chips, a cookie, carrots and and apple.  I could not eat everything so I shared half of the apple with Frank.  What a mess!  When he was done there was a big pile of slobber with some apple.  Oh well!  After a quick lunch and potty break it was up on the mules and off again.  Next stop Phantom Ranch.  I will not go into the history of Phantom Ranch but if you are interested, here is a link.  I will tell you that the mule ride tradition to Phantom Ranch has been going on for over 100 years!  365 days per year.
https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/photosmultimedia/grand-canyon-in-depth-03.htm

Once we arrived at the Ranch, everyone was anxious to dismount.  My behind was slightly sore, but my knees were really sore from the ride.  After a short walk it got better.  We stayed in a small cabin that had 4 bunks AND a bathroom!!!  Oh, and air conditioning!  Dinner that evening was in the Ranch restaurant with the rest of our group.  We had steak, baked potato, salad, greed beans, corn bread and wine!  All brought down by the daily mule train that hauls in everything the ranch needs to operate and hauls out all the waste.  We encountered one of these mule trains on our way out.  They were on the Kaibab Trail that ties into the Bright Angle Trail which we were on.  We could see them coming down the cliffs and the wranglers coordinated by radio to make sure we did not pass each other of the trail.  Oh, did I mention the shower?  The ranch had showers for our use.  They were not fancy, but they were just what we needed at the end of the day before going to bed.

Home Sweet Home

Mule Deer were everywhere at the Ranch! We enjoyed them with our tea as we sat on the veranda.

The following morning we had a wonderful breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage and pancakes before mounting up for the ride out.  Fortunately for me they did not weigh us in after breakfast or I may have been walking.  The food was that good!  On the way out we passed lots of hikers.  Some with backpacks, some with day packs and others with nothing more that shorts, tee shirt and flip flops.  One thing they all had in common was the need to take pictures of the mules and riders.  The pictures were endless.  I think I may have had more pictures taken of me and Frank on The Bright Angel Trail than Hillary had on the campaign trail!  We had to stop many times on the way out to give the mules a breather.  Each time the mules would automatically turn and face the canyon, all in a row.  All except Chalula that is....

The line up.

Dave and Julie on the right.

The mule ride and staying overnight at the famous Phantom Ranch was the experience of a lifetime.  We had a great time and made many new friends along the way.

Thank you Brian and Helen for this wonderful gift!