Crotchety…

Today I was placed into an elite group…I was referred to as crotchety, (an old packer) Well if their Webster dictionary defines crotchety as “Been bucked off, stepped on, rolled a saddle, lost a horse in the middle of the night, but found him, built or repaired tack out of bailing twine, pulled a pack string all night in the driving rain to be on time to start in the morning, figured stuff out all by yourself, would rather ride by myself than a head to tail ride with lots of people, loves sitting by a campfire alone, has a more meaningful conversation with a mule than most folks you know.”…Well I guess I’m crotchety!!! It’s the little things that drives me nuts, like putting manty ropes away. I teach pack classes, from small groups at our store Trailhead Supply and to large groups with standing room only at sportsman expos. At some point during my demonstration I always show everyone how “I” put away my ropes. Then after I’m done and trying to pick up, to clear the stage for the next presenter people always offer to help…I say thanks but I got it. They insist, So I show them one more time how to put the ropes away. I even explain to them again the reason I want the ropes put away like this. And they still mess it up!!! Oh my God… I am crotchety!!! Take my son in law… Well before he was my son in law he tagged along on a trip. At the end of the trip he asked how I would like the pack saddles put away. That’s a great start, he asked!! So, I showed him, he went off and pulled saddles. Wow that was great, the kid may have found a keeper I thought, till I saddled the next time. He untied the latigos on the offside, opposite from me, so as I saddled the next time I had to walk around each and every horse to saddle it. He now does it right!!! My way… All old packers have been called more adjectives than just crotchety, but there is a reason they do what they do. Every time they pull a rope, fold a manty, or cuss a good mule there was a real-life lesson learned in the past that has brought them to the trail they are on today. If you want to learn, ask them. They will be happy to teach you, just remember all real packers are always right…

See you on the trail. Andy