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Name’s “Porter” which we often just shorten to “P”.

The white hair stripe on his neck is from a U.S. Bureau of Land Management freeze-brand.
Former Gov’t Burro #5005:

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He was born...

Morning coffee and grazing duty under an unnamed mountain peak:

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^ Unnamed peak is ~8000ft ASL. Tempting to climb that. Looks like a good scramble and I imagine an incredible view...

Funny you mention that L.W. “All Gold Canyon”, a Jack London short story, a favorite of mine, and I love the film version in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.
Our camp had the feel of that film setting...

Headed for the hills again

On a trail we’ve not yet been …

-- J P
“Pack Burro Blues”


Another little pack trip.

I have a ’95 Ford Ranger XLT (V6, 4WD, manual 5) that I haven’t used much in a couple years. Sounds like it’s a good time to sell. I really liked driving that truck … except the reverse gearing...

Same here. Have tried a couple times in the past two weeks. No response.

Dunno, don't want to chance it.




Whaa?


ETA: We had a burro gelding that had vestigial teats. They didn't just pop up in a day though.

Geeze Garret, that sounds like a miserable job. But here’s a thing, and a thanks to you, prompted by your comment about Cowboy Baxter’s dill umbels …

On my little ¼ mile foray in search of...

Dill umbels. Both are in the carrot family, as is parsley, parsnips, celery, and a bunch of other tasty plants. The family also includes some highly poisonous plants even nastier than wild parsnip...

Took the critters out for a few miles of exercise.

All in step:

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Burro radar.

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Yeah, those are folding stoves. A buddy of mine has one.

On river trips where we’ve got iced coolers, I sometimes make frozen ‘omelets-in-a-bag’ to use in the first few days. Whip up eggs and add whatever fixin’s you like, vacuum bag in single servings and...

How about we work on this instead:



Quote from the OP, my bolding.
Thanks TomF.

Yes, I pack some steam rolled oats. And he got an apple with his dinner, and his breakfast, that were intended for our lunch. I also was able go out before dark and hand pick a small armload of bunch...

About a couple miles in, a creek crossing stopped us. The hewn single-log, people-bridge was good, but there was a snarl of down logs in the stock ford area. We scouted around for other crossing...

This past weekend we headed up a trail on a day-hike to a high mountain lake.

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Burro in the boulders and bear grass (the white blossoms):

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Heh. Yeah, I had a full size backpack but there wasn’t much in it, just some essentials that I’d want to have should we become separated.

When I was making up the pannier loads – burro gear in...

Seems to be less so with dudes. Kids though! Children and donkeys got something going on.

Fire away with any comments/questions about the rig, or whatever, we’re on the e-trail here.

Indeed, it is for us. Not without trials and tribulations getting there though, and no doubt more down the road. That's life though, eh?

Is this something you've dreamed of doing?

Does a...

Well thank you Skip. LMAO!

Funny, I was just trying to think of a way to describe the 'chick magnetism' that we, or rather, he, the burro, often encounters on the trails.

It was getting late in the day and we were getting tired, so we took what we could for a camp site. Not a lot of options in that area. The site was less than ideal with all the standing dead timber...

Scent of a shadow.

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This canyon burned in 2000 – a big wildfire year in this area. With granite walls rising over 1000ft, the canyon is popular with rock climbers. The Forest Service has...

But he carries his own, and then some.

Packed up and ready to go.

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Recently, the burro, the dog, Herself, and I, (weird to be down to one dog now) headed out for a little overnight...

I’ve been checking on a Red-tailed Hawk nest over the past couple months. The two fledglings flew the nest yesterday or early today. I can hear them out in the woods not far from the nest but when I...

Winged things

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Received an update on one of the pups.

From this – the black one in the middle:

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To this, today -- seven months old now:

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Donkey milk for infant human orphans.

Wild things for dinner.

I noticed a nice flush of oyster shrooms on a standing dead cottonwood tree at my place, so I picked a few.
I smokey/grilled the oyster shrooms with a sort of ‘Asian’...

I've grown shiitake kits purchased from Cascadia Mushrooms.

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I wanted to start some Wine Caps this year. I see that Cascadia is sold out of them.

There are a couple dead cottonwood...

He's a real nowhere man ...

Wildflower pics from a walkabout today.

The Arrowleaf balsamroot sunflowers are withering, but good to see snow holding in the high country.

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Bitterroot blossoms are making a good...

I’m seeing the ‘problem’ as a paradox of time, with both arguments being correct.

Looked at as a singular event/game sample, the odds at the second choice – to switch, or not – are 50-50....

Thanks for the reminder. Good luck getting your hay put up.

Bale accumulator/grapples are wonderful things.

L.W., how much per ton are small squares of grass hay going for out there in The Land of Milk and Honey? Looks like it's going to be at least $300/T...

That's a lot of garlic. You baching it?

I love tzatziki.

It's Lupin season here too in the Northern Rockies.

Pic from yesterday on a walkabout:

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Cool and wet spring weather here this year, with some good late-season snows in the mountains....

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I agree. There's something primeval about their calls. They are believed to be the oldest living bird species.

Sandhill Crane:

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They are large birds, approximately 3-4ft. tall, 6ft. wingspan. The adults have gray plumage with white cheek patches and a red crown of unfeathered skin....

I snapped this shot of a male Western Bluebird just a few days ago while out on a walk.

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We have Mountain Bluebirds as well.

Herself picked up a Gerstner chest a few years ago. She uses it for some of her sewing stuff. It's not nearly as nice as that one though. Score.

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That's a great shot. Fergus, the domesticated dog.

Is that a Blacktail fawn?

Colin, did you see the other video on that channel: Single Wall and Crown Knot – Finishing a Back Splice? As he mentions, the same can be done with an eye splice -- putting the stopper at the end of...

Maybe like this one in 3-strand? YouTube link: Double Wall and Crown Knot Finishing an Eye Splice

Interesting splice, never seen it before. What's the application?

I have a cutting board that I made from a scrap of sugar pine over thirty years ago. It started out as 8/4 but is closer to 4/4 now from resurfacing it occasionally. No finish.

Jim, what’s your plan for the bottom seal?

If/when I get around to building exterior doors for my place I’m thinking of using automatic door bottom (ADB) seals and flush thresholds. Nice to be...

Rick, I don’t know who manufactured the vise. Taiwanese I believe. Similar/same vises are sold by a number of retailers. Search “universal vise”. The one I have was purchased from StewMac. It's a...

I made a Boy’s axe handle (straight) from an offcut of an old hewn hickory barn beam.

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It’s not ideal grain for an axe handle but it was nice to work with.

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From the information sheet I got with my first Shingrix shot:

"This vaccine [RZV, Shingrix] is also recommended for people who have already gotten another type of shingles vaccine, the live virus...

Thanks for the reminder. I just scheduled an appointment for my second vaccine.