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Ten Lessons Horsepacking Taught Me Zane Roush - WILDERNESS RANGER INTERN - Lincoln ranger district - 2020

All summer I wondered what I was going to write about for my final project. Would I talk about backcountry weed management? No, that sounded too much like a school project. Would I do a photo journal? No, it turns out it was too difficult to take pictures while we worked. On my final hitch, Jackson Holte, the Lincoln Ranger District Wilderness Ranger, and I were sitting around camp shooting the breeze. We got onto the topic of horsemanship (as we often did) and he said something that stuck out to me.

"Horsepacking makes you a better person"

I started thinking about it, and I realized that, yes, there are plenty of life lessons to learn from working with horses and mules day in and day out. Some of these lessons were literal, and some of them more metaphorical, but they were lessons nonetheless. Compiling some of these lessons felt like a perfect project for me. It was a terrific summary of my learning experience (considering I had never even ridden a horse until the evening before our first hitch), and a way to share my firsthand glimpse into a fading art. So I present to you 10 lessons that horsepacking taught me.

lesson One: Do Things Right the First Time

There are lots of moving pieces in packing, both literally and figuratively. In order for things to go smoothly, things must be planned and done right. Haphazardly packing manty boxes, saddling mules, or setting loads is a recipe for disaster, and can ruin a day of easy riding. By taking the extra time to balance loads properly and saddle the mules correctly, you save yourself immeasurable time and effort later on. In almost every instance life it's better to do things right the first time. Cleaning your apartment? building a coffee table? Probably better done right the first time.

Jackson making last-minute adjustments at the trailhead.

Lesson Two: Balance

Balance is an essential part of horsepacking, and life too. When packing, the two loads each mule carries must be evenly balanced to prevent mid-trail disasters like a rolled saddle. Similarly, there must be balance in life as well. There must be balance between time spent with friends and time spent with family, between sweets and salads, and between work and play. Having a healthy sense of balance keeps you happy and from rolling your (figurative) saddle.

Hyram the mule carrying a well balanced load

Lesson Three: Patience is a Virtue

Sometimes things don't go perfectly smooth. It's a fact of life. There is no exception to this rule in the backcountry. Loading the string will take longer than expected. You'll run into difficulties with the equipment. You'll find that one of the mules' loads are unbalanced and will need fixing every half an hour of the ten mile ride. During these situations it is important to have patience, just as it is dealing with frustrating coworkers or potty-training a puppy.

The string (not so) patiently waiting to get on trail.

Lesson Four: Get Smart Before You Get Angry

Jackson pondering the best way to keep the mules in line

This lesson is the second part of our lesson about Patience. When patience fails you have two options. You can get smart or you can get angry. Before you start shouting four-letter words and throwing hats, take some time to get smart and approach the situation differently. One day we had grand plans of getting on trail by 8 o'clock and cruising into camp early that night. Unfortunately, the stock were not in the mood to be caught and evaded all our attempts to corral them. Our tempers were rising and after two hours we still had two horses that didn't want to cooperate. Instead of participating in their wild goose chase, we tied a dozen halter ropes into a chain to block off a section of the pasture and spook them into the corral, wrapping up our dilemma in five minutes. Taking a moment to cool off and approach problems with a different strategy only makes life easier and will save you a tantrum.

Lesson Five: Sometimes Stubborn is Good

This is a lesson I learned from the mules themselves. Mules and horses are very skittish animals; their primary response to danger is flight. If something goes wrong while you're packing it can become a rodeo very quickly. Horses will panic and thrash until they have escaped the threat, potentially putting themselves in even more danger. On the other hand, mules might have an initial panic, but will calm down and wait for help. This "stubbornness" helps them to keep a level head through challenging situations. Being able to be stubborn is something that we should all learn to do. Thrashing and panicking only makes the problem worse. Taking time to cool off, analyze and try again is the best way to go; the mules know this lesson well.

Martha (pictured wearing the blue halter) is a younger mule who is notoriously nervous. anytime something went wrong, she had a level head minutes later.

Lesson Six: Take the Time to Know to People

This is Tick. He was the horse I most frequently worked with this summer. He is the lead horse in in our herd. He is lazy and tough to ride, but important to the herd dynamic in the backcountry because the mules will follow his lead. I disliked dealing with some of his antics, but I was glad to have him around. Why do I bring this up? Getting to know who you're working with is a valuable thing to do, and it has plenty of benefits. You work better as a team, you have a deeper understanding of who people are, and ultimately you form much closer relationships. This simple act has benefits that last.

Tick looking THRILLED to go to work.

Lesson Seven: Trust

My single season's worth of experience taught me horsemanship is built off of mutual trust. I was nervous at first, being around such big animals. I had to trust that the horses and mules would keep me safe, and they had to trust that I knew what I was doing. A break in this trust meant a relationship that wouldn't function or accomplish anything. As the summer went on I learned to trust these impressive animals more and more, losing any apprehensions I had when I started. The ability to trust others and be trustworthy yourself is sometimes difficult, but has value beyond what words can describe.

Horses' ears follow their eyes. Here, Tick is staring right at me, waiting for instructions.

Lesson Eight: Take Care of Others Before Yourself

Grazing at Mary Faith's after a day's work

Chances are, if you're hot, sweaty, and grumpy, the mules are too. These animals are incredibly hard working, each carrying close to 200 pounds of gear for hours on end. They are an incredibly valuable resource, and must be treated as such. After one particularly long day we rolled into camp close to 10 o'clock, and all I could think about was eating dinner. But the mules needed unloaded and unsaddling, the corral needed to go up, and the horses put out to graze. Regardless of how poorly you feel, you must take care of the animals first. Learning to care for those around you is essential to life. It doesn't always have to be as intense as caring for pack animals; It could simply be asking someone how their day was and taking the time to listen.

Lesson Nine: Sometimes you Just Have to Cowboy Up

Lets be honest, working in wilderness isn't always sunny strolls along scenic trails. Some days are tough. Maybe you've been crosscutting in the rain and you're soaked to the bone. Maybe you've ridden all day only to find that your camp is uninhabitable and you have to turn around at 8 o'clock at night. These are the times when you have to get back in the saddle and have a good attitude. Being upset or complaining isn't going to fix the situation, and it surely isn't going to make it any better. Life is similar sometimes, and whether its your dreaded math homework or a tough conversation with your boss, you just have to cowboy up and get it done.

This photo was taken in one of the biggest rainstorms of the season. Nothing like a little character building!

Lesson Ten: Enjoy the Ride

"We better take a picture for your parents"

Enough said... Enjoy the ride!

More Photos

Trail Sign at Chaps Gap, Tick the horse, Frosty Beardtongue, #LoveTheBob, Red Mountain From Upper Landers Trail, More Beardtounge, Jackson leading the string, Webb Lake Cabin at sunset, The wilderness boundary sign I grew to know very well, The biggest tree of the summer

Special Thanks

This was a truly incredible summer with some opportunities I will remember forever. There are many people I owe thanks to for organizing, teaching, and getting me involved in an awesome program. First off, Jackson Holte for teaching me his profession and putting up with incessant questions about horses, weeds, and the Forest Service. Next, Tim and the rest of the Trail Crew for teaching me about cross cuts, axes, and digging proper tread. Next, Josh and Forest from the Lincoln Ranger district for allowing interns into their department. Finally, to everyone at the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation for making this opportunity possible and all of the work they do with interns, volunteers, and funding conservation of our public lands. Thanks again!

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