There are all kinds of baptism in this world. Some people argue that it is best by immersion, some by sprinkling. Some people get it by fire. Brother Mike and his tall Walking mule Maggie got it today in the cold winter waters of the East Fork of the Virgin; and it was nearly a full immersion. Tweren't very ceremonious, and Tweren't done by any Godly authority, but Brother Mike prayed over his molly Maggie as she went down into the water. He invoked all the proper Biblical Latin one would expect, including most of the profanity available in the modern mule-skinner's lexicon.
We got in the river at Mount Carmel Junction yesterday and rode into the heart of the canyon beyond the ATV boundaries where few people go and spent the night huddled in our sleeping bags around the fire as Jack Frost laid his white blanket on the world. Zion's thrones kept their watch as Jim Wallick, Brother Mike and I enjoyed her heavenly light show. Slowly, the Big Dipper rose over head, forming a temporary halo around her steepled heights. Molly's re-assuring cowbell clanked gently as mules stirred in the dark, and we retreated deeper into our bags from the cold--leaving just enough lip exposed to breath the sharp air. Morning took her sweet time coming.
It was Mule-camp with all the benefits, including bacon in a cast iron skillet for breakfast, and exploration on natures finest four-legged conveyance. Secret slot canyons, a bald eagle, and enough lion tracks to over-load the olfactory of any hound, graced our day. Like a scene from O' Brother, Where Art Thou, we all went down to the river and witnessed Mike's molly Maggie get her sins and transgressions washed away.
7 comments:
Dang you tell the story and i feel like I was there. I wish i would have been. Glad everyone is ok and the photos are magnificent. Was the mule real cold when she climbed out?
Funny. That mule seemed more concerned about Brother Mike after they climbed out of the river. The pic of him dumping the virgin out of his boots shows it in her face.
I don't know...do they ever get cold? We kept riding til she dried off, and Mike had fresh socks back at camp;
Way way way way too dangerous for me. Glad I can live it through your writing. Nice job.
Wow!! Paul, you really do live a fun filled, exciting, adventurous, and "never a dull moment" kind of life don't you! That really looked like a lot of fun, even if it was cold. You are the best writer. I felt myself shiver as you described how chilly it was, and I laughed out loud as you humorously described the events as they unfolded. I loved ALL the pictures!
Its all camera angles... we shoot the photos to make it look less Dangerous than it really is :)
There is a nice jack not far from where I live. He is good-sized and a black one. I have been thinking about breeding my foxtrotter mare to him for quite a while. She is well gaited what do you think the chances would be for me to get a gaited mule? Are mules really that different to train than a horse?
I have an award for you on my blog!!
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