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The Lowly Donkey
I was in the back-country on an archery elk hunt. (It seems like a lot of my stories start out this way.) My burros were in their portable corral when a couple of horse riders rode by my camp. I had left a few minutes before and was about 1/2 mile away headed out for my afternoon hunt. I could see them down the valley and could hear them talking but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. Then I heard the laughter, so loud that it echoed down the valley. It was obvious, they were laughing at my...
Jerusalem Donkey
The fact that the little donkey has been bearing humanity’s burdens for thousands of years is well documented. This Christmas season I am reminded of this humble animal’s impact on the holidays and religion. The bible says that Mary rode a donkey into Bethlehem before giving birth to the baby Jesus. We see this today in most Nativity scenes where a donkey is standing or bedded close by the manger keeping watch over the new family. Then, on Palm Sunday Jesus rode into Jerusalem for the last time on a donkey. The religious significance of the donkey is expressed...
International Sportsmen’s Expo – Denver, CO
Packing out a 5×5 elkAbout a year ago I designed a set of panniers for my burros. I used the knowledge I’d gained after five years of designing and building rugged bags and packs while running Mountain Ridge Gear. I incorporated military functionality and modularity into a pannier that was designed to offer an increased benefit to someone leading their animal from the ground. Over the past year I have refined my designs and tested it extensively in the backcountry of Colorado. I created a small, day-hiking pannier and a larger hunting pannier.From January 16th – 19th I will have...
It’s a great day to be a Scout!
There is something about the interaction between young kids and burros that is enjoyable to watch. Maybe it’s because burros are smaller than horses and not as imposing or maybe it’s because of their calm, gentle demeanor but kids seem to connect well with burros. This past weekend I was able to see this first hand on my son’s Boy Scout camp out. I brought along one of my burros (Sabina) to be used on a day hike into the Lost Creek Wilderness. After breakfast Saturday morning the boys gathered around Sabina as I gave them a quick history lesson...
How much weight can those burros carry?
For the past 20+ years I have been an enthusiast of ultra-lightweight (UL) packs and gear. I have logged hundreds of miles on the trail with a pack on my back. Admittedly, I am a little fanatical about weight. I keep detailed spread sheets of the items I pack with the weights in pounds and ounces and write the weight on my gear to help me decide if what I’m bringing along is really worth the weight. Being an UL back-packer equates to being a minimalist. The goal for someone like me has been to find items with multiple uses...
