Pack Mules - Realistic data

[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

I seek the following:

1) What sort of distances per day are know to be covered? I have no experience, but some of you do. Can you share with me the reasonable expectations in the Sups from you real life experience?

2) Would a 'pack service' be willing to haul in your stuff, lets say 4 miles then come back for it in say a week?

I think ~ a week would make a fine stay and if water and tent and all that could be packed in it could be quite safe and comfortable, then we could range around from the 'base camp' without the big hike in every day or the ultra primitive camping.

3) $?

Thank you all !

 

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[wrmickel1]

Concept

Yes, The OK CORRAL is such a service you will find them on line @ www.okcorrals.com Hope that gets you closer to your quest!

Wrmickel1

 

[roadrunner]

First, if a person was walking there mule, walking besides it because it was loaded down and no room for a rider.
Then the mule or Burro would only travel as fast and as long as the human walking it.

Does not matter what the animal could do on its own.
Second, a normal person walking through the supes,there time would be what ever there terrain was.
In other words, it could 2-3 days to get some where depending on the route taken, and climate and weather conditions.
No hard or stuck rules.
And the persons gait or steps.
For instance, me and somero went out just for a few miles, up a wash,easy travel, and some up a couple mountains, and back.
We where at least 4-5 hours.
And this was an easy trek.

 

[393stroker]

Here is the best site for hiking info. Hiking trail index since 1996!

 

[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

What is weight limit per good mule?

And thanks!!

 

[Oroblanco]

What is weight limit per good mule?

And thanks!!

A couple hundred pounds is a fair LIMIT, if you are traveling over very rough country this should be considerably less, more like 120 pounds, or if you plan to cover a very long distance in a day, lighten the load on the mules. You can always have your packer bring more mules, and it is WAY easier on you than packing everything on your back.

Ten or twelve miles in a day is a reasonable expectation, to include the time that is spent saddling up, packing and then un-packing, etc. Talk to OK Corral for more details as it is quite possible to go farther (cavalry often marched 40 miles or even more in a day, leading pack mules) but they may wish to be able to get back out in the same day, or charge an extra fee etc plus the Superstitions are very rugged country so no speed records are going to get broken.

Going S-L-O-W is a big advantage anyway - it gives you more time to really look things over well, as opposed to streaking across the country too fast and perhaps going right past the lost mine you are hunting!

Good luck and good hunting to you amigo I hope you find the treasures that you seek.
Oroblanco

 

[Shunkaha]

Use goats instead. If you aren't used to working with mules you will seriously regret it.

 

[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

I wasn't planning on working with them, I was thinking the "mule guy" would come in and take them out, then bring them back.

Oro, 150 pounds is a lot of water

One mule should do it!

 

[Oroblanco]

Use goats instead. If you aren't used to working with mules you will seriously regret it.

Working with mules is not that difficult to get accustomed to, and goats are not nearly as good at protecting themselves from predators like mountain lions which are present in fair numbers in the Superstitions. A goat cannot carry nearly the same load as even a small mule, which is another factor. It might take several goats to carry the same amount of gear, food etc than one mule could carry. Just something to consider, heck I was even looking into camels as an option for a while as they are even stronger than mules and famous for their ability to survive on little water. However mules can be obtained at a reasonable price, even hiring a packer to do the wrangling and packing for you, without having to risk getting kicked or bitten by a nasty mule.
Mule saves the day when mountain lion charges for dogs - Imgur

Don't get me wrong, I have had goats myself, and they can be used as pack animals or draft animals, but in an emergency like a broken ankle, you could ride the mule out to get medical assistance, which you could not do with a goat.

I also use dogs for pack animals, we have two Huskies whom love to go packing and/or pulling a travois. Some people are using llamas as pack animals too, though the weight limits are of course less than a mule or horse, some love llamas as packers.

Good luck and good hunting amigos, I hope you find the treasures that you seek.
Oroblanco

 

[Cubfan64]

Roy - I'm not sure your link/photos of the mule and mountain lion are the same ones I've seen in other places, but if they are someone once told me that those are a hoax. The mule was supposedly being used during a mountain lion hunt and had the dead lion draped over it carrying it back but didn't like it one bit and eventually shook it loose and kicked and stomped it.

 

[cactusjumper]

Hi Roy,

The Feldman's don't use mules. Always used horses.



2004 Trip



1958 Trip

Most of my trips were with a backpack with Juno carrying his own pack:



Take care,

Joe

 

[cactusjumper]

Yup I agree all ya need is a good horse treat itwell and it will get ya where you want to go.

Horse,

On the other hand, there is nothing better to ride in the Superstitions than a 1/4 horse/mule.......Nothing!

Joe Ribaudo

 

[Oroblanco]

Cubfan wrote

Roy - I'm not sure your link/photos of the mule and mountain lion are the same ones I've seen in other places, but if they are someone once told me that those are a hoax. The mule was supposedly being used during a mountain lion hunt and had the dead lion draped over it carrying it back but didn't like it one bit and eventually shook it loose and kicked and stomped it.

My apologies for not specifying details about the photos, it was intended to show how mules can help in protecting themselves and you; there are a number of cases of mules fighting off mountain lions, they can be very protective as are their close relatives donkeys; this is why many ranchers put a donkey (or less commonly due to cost, a mule) in with their livestock as they will generally run off or kill any coyotes, wolves, lions etc very effectively. A friend of ours had his mule fight off an aggressive Shiras bull moose in the Tetons a few years ago - there was good reason why so many old-time prospectors chose to use mules and/or burros.


Cactusjumper wrote

Hi Roy,


The Feldman's don't use mules. Always used horses.

I don't believe I claimed that the Feldmans use mules, just that they are a local packing service; sorry if my not getting specific about that was "fuzzy". ConceptualizedNetherlandr was asking about a hired packer and they came to mind, I know there is another packing service now but I could not recall their names.


Cactusjumper also wrote

1958 Trip


Most of my trips were with a backpack with Juno carrying his own pack:

That certainly looks like a mule being used in your 1958 photo. We have owned three mules for a year or so, which were intended to take to AZ but our home burned and we were forced to sell them to raise cash (had no fire insurance) and ended up going back to horses afterwards, so have always used horses myself rather than mules, but I did work with them in training and found the three we had to be very tractable and sure footed, however the Endless Mountains are nothing like the Superstitions so is hard to judge on that point. Personally I like horses and don't see as many advantages to mules as some propose - however Beth and I have been leaning toward getting burros for the future as they are smaller so could fit three in our two-horse trailer comfortably, and still carry more than we can on our backs.


ConceptualizedNetherlandr - if you do hire a packing service, I am assuming you will be choosing a 'base camp' in which case you will likely have picked a location with a good spring nearby, and in that case carrying a lot of extra water won't be necessary. There are a fair number of springs in the mountains and tanks in some of the canyons which could have water in them, I recommend getting some of the OLD versions of the USGS topo maps which have the springs well marked on them (and trails) which the NEW versions of the same maps have been erased.


Sorry for any misleading/confusing statements made to everyone.


Good luck and good hunting to you all I hope you find the treasures that you seek.
Oroblanco

 

[hooch]

You can fit waaay more beer on a mule than a goat or horse Derrr

 

[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

Does anyone deliver pizza and beer out the supes?

 

[Oroblanco]

Does anyone deliver pizza and beer out the supes?

Well if you happen to time it so that I could oblige, I might be willing to deliver those items for you, of course for a small FEE! NO guarantees on the pizza being hot, nor the beer cold however!

If you bring along a Dutch oven or a reflector oven, you might bake a pizza yourself in camp. I tried it as an experiment a year or so ago and the result was delightful, even had a hint of mesquite smoke flavor. However a Dutch oven is a heavy item to pack.

 

[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

Some help you are now! I can bring beer on the mule train that gets warm all by my lonesome

So what I really need is a helicopter service. Is landing 'where ever' allowed?

 

[Oroblanco]

LOL Good one amigo!

I do not know the answer on the use of helicopters within the Wilderness Area, however they are expensive; I would recommend checking with the Forest Service on that.

 

[cactusjumper]

The answer is NO!

Joe Ribaudo

 

[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

OK, then instead of 'Where ever" - is there anyplace?