Trailhead Supply Blog / Trailhead Supply

Seems like not a day goes by that you don’t turn on your computer and there is at least one if not more folks pictured having a cup of coffee.  My Facebook feed is full of them, all my friends, or want to be friends wanting to share that first cup of the day with me.  I was talking with one of Trailhead Supply’s customers about this and I said I like it!!! 

Not necessarily all these unknown random pics of folks drinking coffee, but the idea of it all.  See back before there were Starbucks, or any Coffee Bar / Espresso Stands for that matter, I had coffee almost every morning with my Grandfather. The thing was he was 2000 miles away. It didn’t matter where I was traveling around the country for work or if I wanted to sleep in on a Sunday morning the phone rang at 6am. “Are you up?” was the greeting I heard  7 days a week on the phone.  Back before cell phones and I was on the road or sitting in some airport waiting for a flight I would call him from some old pay phone.  I can’t even begin to imagine how many cups of coffee I’ve drank in phone booths talking to him. My day started out the same everyday…. knowing he was ok and that was enough for me to have a good day.

As a bonus I also learned all the happenings in the entire family and everything happening in Moorpark, CA. For those of you that might care Moorpark spelled backwards is kraproom.  Those days are long gone. Now, I drink coffee looking at pics of folks I really don’t know and reading texts from my kids.  So, enjoy what you have, make the most of it…..we all know it won’t last forever.  So, have another cup………….

Miss ya Reg………….

I’m often asked how did you go from the corporate guy to the packing guy?  Why did you leave a successful company, big paychecks, corporate planes, and high blood pressure pills to the lonely solitary life of a packer?  I tell everyone it’s the lifestyle not the paycheck that’s for sure.  But I truthfully could never put my finger on the straw that broke the camel’s back; that caused me to walk out the door and never look back. 

There comes a time, a point, sometime in all of our lives, where money means nothing, and passion for what you do is everything….It’s hard to explain till you’re there or after you’re there to realize the change.  I found the camel breaking straw last night.  Took me six years but when I saw it, I knew it.  There it was lying in the bottom of a box in my shop at home. 

Trailhead Supply took a huge step forward this month and we bought the pack saddle tree making equipment from a long time and well known, very respected pack saddle builder.  I now have a 20’ stock trail stuffed with machinery and need to find a place to set up our new operation.  My shop at home was volunteered, but like most of our shops and garages, they are full of stuff none of us use or need, mines no difference.  So, the task to clean out the shop has started.  As I sort, toss, and move everything in the designated area, I found a sealed box.

I cut open the box to find stuff  from my desk that got dumped into this carton just before I slammed my office door shut for the last time.  There in the bottom of this box, was an email to me, from my partner, framed behind glass.  The email stated that I had bid a job for X-thousands of dollars, we had done the job and had billed correctly for the job but we were $4.37 short from hitting the company’s profit  % goal.  It went on to say how disappointed he was that I couldn’t find $4.37 somewhere.  He even gave me suggestions to use in the future like short a contractor etc. to get the additional monies to hit those % goals.  Nowhere in that email did he say that I ran the most profitable district, the largest grossing district in the company.  There was never a mention of how many millions of dollars I put into the company’s bank account, just I was $4.37 short of my % goal. 

So, for $4.37 I left a company that I started. A company, that put my kids through college.  A company that I thought I could easily retire from, to pack and follow my dreams……Dreams do cost money just not percentages.



Every great organization has key behind the scenes support staff. At Trailhead Supply we have those key players as well, meet Chuck and Bud. Chuck and Bud are not only, close friends, to all of us but we consider these two family, in every way. This pair of guys seem to always be a step ahead of you. By the time you go to ask them for help its normally already been taken care of.

The knowledge these two have is invaluable, both have packed for years. Bud is a retired math teacher who spent his summers packing and guiding fishing trips into the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Chuck a third generation Montanan that has grown up with a love for the back country.  These two are a vital part of our research and development team as well.  It normally starts around the campfire when someone says you know…I never understood why no one has ever made??  Or it would make more since if we did?? 

So, back to the Trailhead Supply shop to build or make changes.  Then these two field test their ideas until it becomes part of the Trailhead Supply outdoor product line.  They are crucial to our tradeshow team. Loading trailers, staffing booths, and are always available to answer whatever question that is thrown their way.

 I was proud to share the Big Screen with these guys in National Geographic’s series Dead End Express. I don’t think I have ever worked so hard, and laughed so much as the producers tried to make three old packers into TV stars.

I hope you have been reading these weekly blogs and getting to know all of us here at Trailhead Supply a little better.  So, now if you drive by and don’t see my big blue truck parked out front you can rest assured that whoever is manning the store will be a knowledgeable person with the same love and passion of the back country and packing as I have so stop and come on in.  Remember the coffee is always on.

Andy

• My Loves: God, Family, and Friends
• Interests: Reading, Crafts, Hiking, and Traveling 
• Known for: My love of ironing and finding a good bargain. 

Hi!  Judy Breland here.  I am the wife of Andy Breland.  We have been married 33 years.  People often ask me how I have put up with him for so long.  The answer is easy:  faith!  Our faith in God has taken us on many exciting adventures in life. 

I grew up in Woodinville, Washington with my Dad, Mom and brother JK.  We lived in a neighborhood with green belts and lots of woods all around.  I loved being outside exploring the woods, swinging on rope swings, riding bikes and playing all kinds of games.  We also went on an annual Mother’s Day hike.  I still really like to hike, but having horses haul all your stuff is becoming my favorite way to get into some amazingly beautiful spots in the back country.   

Andy and I were blessed with two wonderful daughters.  Both of our girls enjoy the outdoors but Melina prefers day hikes and sleeping in her own bed.  We have lived in Montana for 20 years and have enjoyed living in a smaller town atmosphere and country lifestyle.  Trailhead Supply has been a chance for us to share with many old friends and new friends our love for the great big beautiful wilderness we live by. 

Unlike Andy who packs 500 plus miles in a year, I haven’t even rode a horse that many miles in all the years we have owned them.  Not that I don’t like riding,  it is more of the fact that someone has to stay home and take care of the “B” team and run the store.  Last June I went on my first official pack trip. I rode our horse, Sis, and pulled my horse, Gus. We packed gravel for trail repair. It was a fun and successful trip. I look forward to many more trips and maybe even hitting the 500 mile mark someday. 

As far as Trailhead Supply goes I am mainly a behind the scenes supporter.  You occasionally see me working at the store or a trade show, but usually I am working at one of my other two jobs. Thank you so much for supporting our family and our business!

Happy Trails,

Judy