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It's 3:30 in the morning, and I'm sitting at my kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee. My wife's flight home from Boston was delayed, and she didn't get home until the early morning hours. I woke up around 2:30, picked up my phone to see where she was, and discovered she was on her way home from the Denver airport. By then, I was wide awake. I've been getting up early lately at 4:30am to head down to the shop after I’ve snuggled with my dog and had my coffee. I figured my alarm was going to go off...

One of the comments I hear pretty regularly from customers buying Beverage Burro equipment always makes me smile: “It’s time for this donkey to start earning his keep.” I've heard pretty much the same thing from customers with mini Highland cows. Let's face it. Most of us didn't buy these animals because they made good financial sense. We bought them because we enjoy having them around. We feed them, trim their feet, take care of them and probably spend more money on them than we'd care to add up. Then somebody discovers the beverage burro. Suddenly that little donkey standing...

Moments like that remind me how fragile life really is. We make plans, check weather forecasts, and do everything we can to manage the risks, but ultimately our lives are in God's hands.

When world champion mule packer Trent Peterson offered to test my new ComfortStride Pack Saddle, I was excited and a little nervous. After his trip, he texted, "That pack saddle far exceeded my expectations!!" But then he added, "I'll give you a call tomorrow." That phone call led to a story I never could have imagined and a real-world test that no engineer would ever intentionally create.

A routine creek crossing during a 2019 family pack trip in Colorado's West Elk Wilderness turned into the most terrifying experience I've ever faced in the backcountry. In a matter of seconds, one wrong step left my trusted pack donkey, Darlin, fighting for her life in a raging mountain stream. This is the story of that day, the courage of my family, and the incredible heart of one remarkable donkey.