I knew I'd probably need to make my own pack saddles for my donkeys. You can find them for sale online if you dig around, but good ones are expensive and I figured it'd be fun to learn how to make a saddle anyway.

I started by looking for pictures of pack saddles and donkeys wearing them and went on to search for instructions on how to make a pack saddle for a donkey. I got lucky when I found both on this web page:

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~bnt/donkey_pack.htm

The author, Allan Threadgate, explained how he had done exactly what I was wanting to do and I took his advice and got the CD-ROM by Brian Beck that has instructions on how to make all kinds of gear for donkeys. Well, actually, I begged my wife and kids to get it for me for "Fathers Day" and they did ;)

Since my donkeys are "Miniatures" I knew I'd have to make a few adjustments along the way, but Brian's instruction are so well crafted that I felt confident I could vary from his designs and still end up with a decent product and he reassured me when I emailed him with questions that it wasn't too difficult to make a good pack saddle.

It took a few weeks worth of spare time and lots of scrounging around for materials, but I finally put together what I think is a decent pack saddle, with packs (Panniers), for less than $60.00.

I used a couple cheap backpacks I got at the "Dollar Store" for my "Panniers". They cost six bucks each and only required a little modification to attach them to the pack saddle. I'll have to get something that's a little larger to carry as much weight as I expect to, but for now these cheap little backpacks are working great.

Right now Lewis is carrying about 30 pounds total between the saddle and the gear loaded in the saddle packs (Panniers). I figure by Autumn 2007 he should be carrying close to 50-60 pounds total. Clark, should be carrying about the same 30 pounds that Lewis carries now by then too, so I shouldn't have to carry much at all.

Lewis, Clark, and I, have all done quite a bit of hiking together in the past year. Most of it has been in the hollow below our house. I haven't taken them out on any public trails yet. They're doing great on the trails in our back yard and I'm still learning and testing my gear each time we get out.

They're also amazing "Bushwhackers". They'll follow me almost anywhere I can go when we're off the trails. I've also learned quite a bit from them about choosing a track. Lewis and Clark will always take the easiest route when given a choice and I've learned that's it's usually better to let them decide the track they want to take.

Of course I started out by using a lead rope on each of them while we were out hiking. It can be a little frustrating though, trying to lead two donkeys that each have their own idea of what path they want to take, so I decided to let Clark's lead rope go and let him follow Lewis and I on his own. This worked great, so I let Lewis's lead rope go too, hoping that he'd follow me. This worked even better. They were never more than a few feet behind me. I suspect they stayed so close because they both knew I had a box of crackers in my pocket. I've found that Lewis and Clark will do almost anything for a cracker.

They're probably ready for an overnighter right now, but I still have a little ways to go with them before I'm ready for that. First we'll spend a few nights in the 15 acres of forest behind our house, then I'll probably take them out to Hercules Glades sometime next Fall and start at the eastern trail head by the Lookout Tower and Zigzag my way to Coy Bald on the trails that skirt the northern boundary of the wilderness.

Hiking out in the forest with donkeys feels so right and natural. Like I've always been doing it. I think in part it's because the donkeys love it as much as I do. They come right over to me when they see I have their halter and lead ropes in my hand and literally push their nose into the halter when I hold it out for them. When we find a good spot to relax and enjoy I take the packs off Lewis and he and Clark graze around while I have a snack and a cold India Pale Ale that they've so generously carried for me. When you think about it, it makes perfect sense that it feels so natural. It's something that donkeys and people have been doing for thousands of years together.

See you on the trails,

--
Bill Stephenson