By Sean, The Outside Way
LIVING OUTSIDE FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS
Holly molly!!, where is my camera? Was all I could think of when I stepped out of the trailer this morning and saw moving in almost slow motion, a sturdy weathered man, and his 3 mules meandering past our steps. Being a camp host, we see all sorts of different people pass through, mostly on foot or bicycle, but never fully loaded pack mules. By the time I was able to grab my camera he was no where to be seen. OMG! He must be some sort of magician I thought, then upon closer inspection I realized he was just hanging out by a tree about 50 yards out. I still can’t get over how a guy with 3 fully packed mules manages to move around so stealthy, it was quite incredible to watch him and his animals move from tree to tree so leisurely that you could barley notice their presence. They hung out just long enough for his mules to munch down some grass and drink some water, then they were gone as mysteriously as they had appeared.
All I could think all morning was, who is this guy? What adventure is he on? Luckily printed on the side of one of his cargo cases was his website explaining his mission: “We exercise the freedom to live outside and move freely in all directions, north, south, east and west, one step at a time all day every day as our ancestors have done along with the Grizzly Bear, Wolf, Elk, Deer, Lion, Salmon – long time companions that humans have lived with on earth for thousands of years. His real name is John Sears, but he prefers the name Mule. At the age of 65, he’s been living a semi nomadic life for the past 29 years, and full time outdoor living with his mules for 10.” (3mules.com) His traveling family consists of: Little Girl (the white mule) has been with him for 23 years, Lady (the brown mule) 30 years, and Who-dee-doo since February 23, 2015.
He travels up and down California delivering his “Declaration of Emergency,” to city halls across the state. According to his website this is why?
“The Natural World that resides on this earth with all its inhabitants is being destroyed by a spreading, sprawling Megatropolis (man-made world) that shows no bounds and cares not for the consequences of its behavior. The Natural World that human beings must have to be and remain human is vanishing rapidly. The Human Race is truly in a state of emergency. We must curtail and redirect the energy of this Megatropolis going wild over the face of earth into a direction of seeking balance with earth and its Natural World not its destruction.” (3mules.com)
“The above being said a most first necessary step, an interstate trail system in this country going in all four directions (north, south, east and west) linking all states to all other states passed and funded by Congress with the same energy and effort that was applied to the building of the interstate freeway system.” (3mules.com)
I feel fortunate to have come across a man who is on such an honorable mission even though we never even spoke. I highly recommend visiting Mule’s website and learning more about his lifestyle and mission because what he is fighting for really does affect us all.
~Sean
