It's that time of year again, and the annual Bishop, California, Mule Days begins on Wednesday, May 23, 2012.
http://www.muledays.org/After all the screaming and hollering about mules, the HSHA, NPS, etc., it seemed the right time to issue an invitation to a unique educational opportunity. The annual Mule Days is basically a celebration of the mulus, a hybrid critter bred from the mating of the donkey and the horse.
This is an action-packed, All-American extended weekend of competitions and shows involving mules and packers, music, dances, and of course, plenty of Western style food. Saturday will see the world's longest non-motorized parade, displaying complete mule pack trains, solo ridden mules, including entries from commerical pack outfits, the NPS, and the INF. Participants come from all over North America, and the human population of Bishop will swell to over 30,000 for a few days.
This year sees a special reason to celebrate, as our Congress has allowed commercial mule packing to continue in SEKI.
So...hikers and climbers...this is a chance to learn about that most useful animal in the backcountry, and discover the long history of its use in the Sierras, and the hard work packers do for your benefit. And...you'll have a lot more fun than you would slogging up the Whitney trail with the masses over Memorial Day weekend.
