This is the thirty-fourth of a weekly blog series that will focus on leadership in the outdoors and how to get the most from the least. Even though the title is called, “Thoughts of a Modern-Day Mountain Man”, it will hopefully cover topics that are useful to everyone.
Chapter 34: Hire a good pack animal.
“In the course of each trip a guide must play
many parts athletic instructor, pack animal,
photographer, counsellor, physician, and clown.
He must explain miles of geography, talk botany,
quote poetry, and above all, give intelligent
answers to unintelligible questions. He must
arbitrate rows, and often be as tyrannical as the
hoosier schoolmaster. He really must play a big
game, and do so if possible without the climbers
knowing it. The chief duties are to so direct
and control the people with him that they will
most thoroughly enjoy the trip. The better a
guide understands human nature the more suc-
cessful he will be.” - Enos A. Mills, 1924 The Rocky Mountain National Park
In the mountain man’s time of yesteryear the amount of equipment and supplies a trapping and trading party could travel with was limited by how much they were willing to personally carry and how much they could strap on to their pack animals. The same is true in modern times except that our pack conveyances have become larger and mechanized.
This modern-day mountain man greatly enjoys well designed and crafted pieces of outdoor equipment. To me, there is nothing better than to have the perfect piece of gear to accomplish a task at-hand. Just like in the mountain man’s time of yesteryear I choose what equipment I personally carry and rarely take along a piece of outdoor gear unless it will serve a specific purpose or two. The best gear in the world will not do a person any good if they do not have it with them when it is needed. For this reason, our carry and transport systems become very important. No matter how good a particular piece of gear or equipment is, if we cannot comfortably transport or carry it during the entirety of the journey it simply becomes a burden and a liability.
When Mrs. Modern-day Mountain Woman and I first moved to the mountains, we didn’t require a very large pack animal, as all of our worldly personal belongings fit easily into our small car. Nowadays, with our three children and our accumulation of items throughout the years our pack animal now needs to be a very large moving truck to move our possessions to our next adventure. The pack animal we now require is much larger, but serves the same purpose nonetheless, to get us and our equipment to a new trapping and trading location as comfortably and efficiently as possible.
The requirements for a man-sized carry system while traversing the outdoor world is very personal and based upon functional needs. John Muir was famous for traveling deep into the Sierra Mountains over very rough terrain carrying little more than the clothes on his back and a sack with bread and his reading and writing supplies. Throughout the years I have encountered many backcountry travelers that appeared to have large moving trucks on their backs, and they looked as miserable as that sounds. I prefer to travel and guide with the anticipated amount of equipment to competently lead with very little extra for comfort’s sake.
Actual pack animals are still used today with great results and enthusiasm. In some designated areas no mechanized travel or implements are permitted. In these areas, little has changed from the mountain man’s methods of yesteryear, the group and expedition is limited to what a train of pack animals can carry. I have only been on a few trips that required the use of pack animals, instead I prefer to act as a pack mule of sorts myself.
Serving the purpose of a pack animal was my primary role during my first trip to the Rocky Mountains. I was tasked with carrying all of the extra food, fuel, water and supplies for the group I was traveling with. I loved every minute of it! This experience helped me to realize the importance of a properly fitting and well made backpack and was also instrumental in helping me to develop a comfortable and reliable pack-loading method that I have used ever since. During this first trip, my pack length was too short and my hip belt poorly fitted, creating serious issues while trying to carry seventy-plus pounds long distances over very rugged terrain. Loading the pack properly really helped to alleviate some of the issues I was experiencing with the load being on my shoulders instead of on my hip bones where the heavy load belonged. I had hiked and traveled extensively over very rough ground prior to this trip, but had never done so while carrying that much weight. Carrying heavy weight on your back is simply unavoidable while guiding. Having a properly fitted and loaded pack will make a great deal of positive difference when you are called upon to be a pack animal. After returning from this first trip I knew firsthand what didn’t work, so I was able to find and acquire a proper pack that not only fit well, but carried even heavier loads with little to no discomfort. Oftentimes we learn more from our failures than our successes. To be able to do your job as an outdoor leader professionally and competently carrying extra gear and heavy equipment is an essential service you will provide for the people you are leading. This will be a non-stop learning process with constant gear and carrying system refinements.
Climbing gear, scientific measuring and recording devices, and other essential equipment that might be carried and utilized during a career as an outdoor professional not only tends to be awkward shaped and sized, but also heavy. Having a great pack or carrying system, including actual pack animals, can not only make a world of difference in comfort, but for the success of the expedition as well. Prior to the arrival of the horse on the North American continent, the native people used dogs to carry and transport heavy loads over great distances. They would employ long poles attached to the dogs' back, crisscrossed and bound in the middle like a large X, then their belongings would be fastened onto these poles. This system was known as a travois. I have not personally used a dog to pull a sled such as this, but have regularly pulled a pulk sled loaded with winter gear and supplies, which is essentially the same idea, except I was the beast of burden. Being able to move heavy loads very quickly and well secured over rough, physically demanding terrain is very important for the success and safety of the group traveling in the backcountry. This is achieved much easier and more efficiently with a well designed and proper carrying system. This is timeless, it has never changed and will never change.
When traveling alone with few possible encounters with other people, this modern-day mountain man tends to travel more Muir-like, traveling lightly with the barest of essentials. Traveling in such a manner is not possible when leading others or being part of a larger party. There will be essential gear and supplies that must accompany any modern-day group heading into backcountry areas, and the outdoor leader will undoubtedly be called upon to carry more than his or her share of the load.
In the past twenty years or so there has been a very concerted effort to make outdoor gear lighter, utilizing high tech materials and engineering, and for people of all ability levels to travel as light and fast as possible. It is important to remember that this ultralight mindset and gear carrying system is for a very specialized purpose, activity and customer. These principles and methods will rarely apply to guiding a group in the backcountry. In my experience, the ultra-light backpacks and gear do not stand the test of time when used in a group or corporate setting. People that attend outdoor programs or activities tend to be very rough on equipment, especially when the gear is loaned or borrowed and doesn’t belong to them. In this case, gear that is durable should be purchased and utilized, even if that means the gear is heavier and may not have the cool gee-whiz factor.
In conclusion, having a durable and reliable carry system is paramount to success and enjoyment while traveling and leading in God’s great outdoor creation. In the days of yesteryear these carry systems often included a horse, mule, dogs or even an animal pulled wooden wagon, and while transport systems such as these are still in use today, the modern-day mountain man should be willing and able to become a pack animal for the good of the group. As an outdoor leader and guide, it is a reasonable expectation that he or she will be called upon to serve as the proverbial beast of burden for the group they are leading. We should accept this challenge with great enthusiasm, knowing that our slight discomfort and struggle will allow others to learn more, travel farther, and enjoy their experience in the backcountry much more. Load up and head out. Adventure awaits.
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