noun
a worker who drives mules [syn: muleteer]
We just got back from our trip to the Grand Canyon with 4 of our friends. The highlight of the trip was experiencing the Grand Canyon on a 2 day Mule ride!
We started out with an hour long orientation/pep talk about how this trip would be VERY tough, painful, scorchingly hot, NOT for the faint-hearted, etc. and that there is NO WAY OUT except by hiking or a $4000 helicopter in an emergency!
Needless to say I was quite nervous and considered backing out right then and there! They were even offering 100% refunds because it would be worth it to them not to have to deal with ornery people that couldn't take the heat!
Nevertheless, I decided to stick with it and had confidence that I could endure the pain... and boy was it worth it!
The views were spectacular! Every 20 min or so we'd turn a corner and see another stunning perspective of the canyon!
There were 9 of us riding in our group led by Ranger Mike. He was a funny but strict wrangler, a little rough around the edges, always keeping us in line.
Mules are fairly self-sufficient- since they are herd animals, their natural tendency is to follow the mule in front of them. However there were times (depending on the mule!) when they'd get distracted and start munching on nearby shrubbery, or just get lazy and fall behind. For those times, we used our "mule motivator" (they're not allowed to call them whipping sticks!) and the reigns to get them back into line.
Pete and Charissa drove out from San Fran and bought us broad rimmed hats for the journey. The bright pink one was bought especially for Adam to wear, but somehow I got stuck with it :P
At least it's easy to spot me in these pictures!
About 45 minutes into the ride, I began experiencing the pain they warned us about! The knee pain (due to the constant jostling and shock absorbing, as well as tendon strain from our posture) was the worst, followed closely by the rear end discomfort!
Adam was smart and brought his bike shorts so he didn't complained TOO too much.
Between the rim and the bottom of the canyon, there is a mile elevation difference, along with a 20 degree temperature difference! As we descended, the sun rose and the temperature got up to 105 degrees.
In the picture below on the right, you can see our trail leading down to a small hut that contained outhouses. After about 2 hours of riding and drinking LOTS of water, it was such a relief to see it!! But to our dismay, we did not stop since there was no area for us to park our mules :(.
But we endured and finally reached Indian Gardens (green plateau area in the middle of the photo above). It was our half way point for the day and our only opportunity (a mere 20 minutes!) to rest our legs, refill water, eat lunch and use the "facilities" (aka holes in the ground with doors).
After lunch we set out for the second half of our descent. After a half hour of gentle, meandering trails, we came to Devil's Corkscrew- a VERY steep portion of the trail that had several switchbacks, twists, and turns.
Since these same trails are the ones hikers use, the mules are trained to stick to the outermost portion of the trail (i.e. the part closest to the edge!). This was pretty scary at times, especially since the mule's body and our legs would sometimes appear hanging off the edge because their legs are much closer to the center of their bodies! (But don't worry mom- they reassured us that mules know their limits well and would never step somewhere that was unsafe for them!)
Adam took this picture looking down the edge of Devil's Corkscrew:
My mule was Mister and he was a great mule, I'd even say the best in our group. He would rarely try to eat bushes, and he'd always stay within 3 feet of the mule in front. In fact, he was somewhat of an overachiever. At one point he took an opportunity to pass the mule and rider in front of us and I ended up right behind our ranger for the rest of the day!
Finally we made it down to the bottom of the canyon where the raging Colorado river ran through. Apparently it never gets above 45 degrees! brrrr.
A bridge was built across the Colorado river to get to the campgrounds, but the mules refuse to walk over it since they could see through the bottom to the water! So a second one was built (the black one in the distance) and we used it instead.
After riding 10.5 miles and 6 hours, we arrived at Phantom Ranch- the only lodge inside the Grand Canyon.
A freshwater creek ran right through the ranch.
It was so refreshing to cool down and relax in it all afternoon!
The six of us shared a 2-room air-conditioned cabin with a toilet and sink. It was amazing to see how such a nice lodge could exist down inside the canyon that is only accessible on foot, mule, or a 3-day boat ride. What a task to establish it and keep it running!
That evening all of us mule skinners enjoyed a tasty family style steak dinner.
This was pretty much the extent of the wildlife we saw down in the canyon as well as some bats, lizards, and a sickly deer wandering around the camp.
Then on Friday morning, we set out bright and early on the South Kaibab Trail back up to the South Rim.
This trail had even better views of the majestic canyon.
Our ranger took a group photo of us at this picturesque spot.
We all welcomed a little break too.
My good lookin' cowboy and his mule, Bubba...
We had to stop several times on the way back up the canyon so that the mules could catch their breath. But once again, we only got off to stretch our legs once in the 4 hour ride.
The views were truly breathtaking. As the day went on, I could see the same spots in so many different ways because of the change in lighting.
I don't know that I would do it again, but it was an amazing experience and I'm SO glad we did it!
If you are up for a challenge and some breathtakingly gorgeous views of God's magnificent creation, I would highly recommend it!
Check out: Mule Rides and request to ride Mister! He's the best.
