From this point forward expedition updates will no longer be posted in the Sutler’s Journal.  Photos, videos, and journal pages, will be posted in the Expedition Log at roughly two week intervals.  Please check back at that time–I hope to relate tales of triumph and success over these first two uncertain weeks on the trail!  Thank you for your interest, your support, and your well-wishes.  See you in November!

At present I feel neither excitement, nor a particular sense of trepidation at the coming journey, but rather a sense of inevitability which likely is the product of so many hours spent in preparation and contemplation.  The expedition, at this point, being merely the logical extension of my labors heretofore.  I hope to be able to muster such equanimity in the face of hardships to come!

I will take the coastal route north, stopping for a day in Half Moon Bay, where I will drop another month’s worth of supplies for my Central Californian section.  From there I will continue up the coast to Oregon, hopefully to arrive in Corvallis no later than Friday.  Further journal entries will resume at that time, as I make my final preparations in Oregon.

She will await me at my aunt’s farm outside of Corvallis, whereat she might eat her fill of fresh green grass, thus adding some flesh and energy stores for the long journey ahead.

I feel a growing sense of excitement and anticipation knowing that a portion of my equipage is already on its way to the jumping off point.  The remainder I am in the process of organizing–the second floor of my apartment is now primarily a staging area where one might find all manner of unusual or archaic items strewn about.  To facilitate ease of transport for my support people, it is my aim to have each segment’s resupply neatly boxed up in a discrete unit.

Yesterday I fashioned some thick fleece insoles for my moccasins from a large sheep pelt which I purchased from a garage sale at a very agreeable price.  I’m not sure if the extra support will be necessary but it will be nice to have them on hand.  I also used the fleece to make a cushioned shoulder strap for my haversack.  A different garage sale yielded a tanned deer hide which I plan on keeping handy for such repairs as are needed from time to time.  It could also serve for two center-seam moccasins.

There is but little left to be purchased for the expedition.  The bulk of my efforts henceforth shall be directed at organizing and preparing the goods for transport, and the settling of various affairs in California to allow for a five month absence.  I am feeling quite happy!

Tasks remaining to be completed include: fashioning a leather sling for my waterskin, sharpening my knives and tomahawk, acquiring the necessary equestrian medical supplies, purchasing a grazing hobble, activating my satellite phone, and making a large quantity of char cloth.  I would also like to trim a bit off of my fleece pelt and use said trimmings to fashion insoles for my moccasins, and shoulder pads for my haversack and water skin.  For reasons of expediency I’ve decided to leave the majority of these tasks for completion upon arrival in Oregon.

I hope to have all my affairs in California concluded in time to allow for a departure of June 10.  I’ve decided to make my way to Oregon along the coastal route, which will afford me several days of pastoral scenery and fresh air, as opposed to hot inland valleys and two substantial passes to climb.  I’ll stop in the bay area to leave four weeks worth of rations and supplies with my Central California support person.  I feel that 4 days will be ample time to make the drive.

Once in Oregon I can be on the trail as soon as the rest of my pemmican is made.  It seems feasible to depart by June 21.  Even allowing a cushion of several days this still puts me ahead of my initial plan to leave July 1.

Though not yet June, my mind already contemplates the impending arrival of winter snows in the Sierra.  In an average year I should have until October to make it out of the mountains; will this year be average?  Will I again curse myself for spending one extra day in Oregon to visit family, when the October snow stymies me a mere one day’s walk from Onyx?

The looming end of the provisioning and outfitting of the expedition has given me much cause of late to reflect on the year past.  I take great satisfaction at picturing myself in March 2008:  contemplating the feasibility of such an expedition, making extensive notes on what I would need to learn, purchase, create, etc…  What seemed then a distant and lofty aspiration is now very immediate and real.

The events of my life have more meaning for me when viewed in context.  The sense of accomplishment felt at completing a lengthy and difficult task is deepened when viewed as the fulfillment of a commitment to oneself.  I can take twice as much pleasure out of it by picturing Bronze of March 2008 peering into the future with satisfaction at a fine progress made.  Likewise, I frequently turn my gaze forward to the future, imagining myself halfway down the trail, writing in my journal by campfire, reaching for the distant memories of toil and study in preparation at home.

I took a riding lesson today from a local trainer named Dennis.  He was complimentary of Bootsie’s responsiveness and generally confirmed her as a well-trained and finished mule.  I know nothing about riding, so I am pleased to have successfully started and stopped her, turned in small circles both directions, and done laps at a jog.  At one point while jogging she began bucking, giving a good 2 or 3 kicks, and I was able to stay on and command her to stop.  I would consider that a great success as well.

The day prior I saddled her and walked the mile and a half to the park and back, using the sensitive and focused lead rope techniques taught to me by Dee on Thursday.  Boots was right there at my rear the whole way, scarcely more noticeable than a helium balloon.

Between the instructions I received of late–from Dee, Ray Drasher, and Dennis–my confidence in the successful handling my mule though rough and foreign terrain is at an all time high.  It is a welcome change of countenance from so many weeks of uncertainty.

Thus decided, I will hereafter devote a greater portion of my time to activities which she finds pleasurable and soothing–grooming, feeding, bodywork–in hopes that she might begin to look upon me with greater favor.  I have been led to believe that mules can develop very strong bonds with their owners, demonstrating loyalty and affection in the manner of a dog.  Such a bond will perhaps serve me far greater than any amount of skill in horsemanship, knot tying, or pack loading.

I am of the opinion that if she can make it through the first two weeks, we will likely succeed in the expedition.  I believe they will be be the most difficult and fraught with uncertainty.  In fact, I have accordingly reduced my expectations for this period to such modest goals that success is almost assured.  For my first day I hope to make one mile.  For Day 2: two miles.  Day 3: three miles, and so on.  At this rate I should cover 21 miles in a week, an amount which could be done in a day by a seasoned back country explorer.  Such will be my equivalent of a “test run”–a chance to determine the relative merits and follies of my methods within proximity of home base.

Continuing on at the same acceleration of pace I will travel 55-60 miles during the next week, bringing me almost up to speed with my anticipated rate.  Still within a comfortable day’s journey from home, I will have the opportunity to discard or add items to my load as I see fit.  From here I will set off at a healthy pace of 13 mi/day, to be resupplied approximately every two weeks.

Lacking easy access to something approximating a bison bladder, or my own goatskin to utilize, I opted to fashion my skins from the bota bags commonly found at any sporting goods store.  Here are some photos of the process.

I began by threading some thick hemp twine through the loops around the perimeter to use as a cord.  Then I traced the bag’s outline on a grocery bag.  I had to measure the circumference of the bag when full in order to know how much extra room to leave on the sides of the outline.  Using the paper template, I cut up the rabbit pelts purchased at Sutter’s Fort, and stitched them together to form a outer lining to the waterskin.  The two ends of the hemp were joined with a fisherman’s hitch and the waterskin was complete.  I may whittle down a wine cork to act as a stopper as I find the plastic cap to the bota bag unattractive.

While easily explained in text, the task proved quite laborious in deed–principally due to the dense fur of the rabbit pelts.  I cannot cheerfully recommend the use of rabbit for the sewing projects of a novice (like me) for I found it exceedingly difficult to pull the thread without dragging along through the hole a large clump of dense fur.  It became necessary to trim the fur around the edges of the pelt to as short a length possible in order to avoid this.  On my second waterskin I prepared the pelts with such a trimmed edge, and it greatly reduced the amount of effort and time required.

• Hudson Bay/Whitney wool point blanket, red, 72″x48″.  8″ L-shaped slice on the interior, partially sewn shut.  To be used as horse blanket, converted into a poncho, or cut into strips for breechclout.
• Wool fabric, black plaid, 2 yard strip.  Likely to be used as breechclout.
• Wool poncho, red and tan, fringed.  A little small but a good price.
• Cotton crepe, unbleached, 1 yard strip.  Good for bandages, sacks.
• 4 Extra flints and 1 steel striker.
• 2 Glover’s needles, 1 hooked leather needle.
• 10 beeswax candles.
• Small clippers.
• Small deerskin poke sack w/ draw string.
• Small tarred leather powder flask.
• Small folding knife with leather sheath and cord; to be hung about the neck.
• Oilcloth satchel; to contain journals and other items deemed sensitive to moisture.
• 4 rabbit pelts.
• Extra sinew
• Small awl
• Small steel shovel head, on which is affixed a tapered steel tube, in which one could inset a strong branch for a handle.
• Iron picket pin, for grazing of stock.  May also be used as a handle for the above shovel head.

All in all a very satisfactory showing.  I found the faire sadly lacking in the remaining clothing I seek–a woolen flannel pullover and linen pullover.  I had also hoped to find an oilskin tarp.  However I also saw things I had not even considered, such as the shovel head, and purchased a few things as backup due to the favorable price, such as the woolens.

Wandering inside the historic walls of the fort, browsing wares, was a exceedingly pleasurable experience.  The docents were preparing a sizable repast of fajitas, and the smell of them on the skillet over an open fire gave the air a savory flavor.

For the long drive I downloaded to my ipod the unabridged journals of Lewis and Clark.  I found this passed the 6 hours rapidly, in fact I was hesitant to end my journey, such was my level of engagement with the narrative.  It’s really helping to inspire me, and build my excitement level.

I’ve found, over the course of about the last month, that the repetitive nature of many of my preparations had begun to take on a toilsome air.  Bake hardtack, grind pemmican, load and unload Bootsie.  The vast majority of my free-time devoted to running various errands,  and the remainder spent pondering what I’m forgetting, what might go wrong.  Sometimes it all feels like so many chores.  It’s important to remind myself that all these actions are in service to the greater adventure to come, and indeed someday I will look back on these chores with nostalgia and perhaps satisfaction.  I try and envision Merriweather Lewis running all over St. Louis trying to make last minute arrangements and secure all loose ends.  I will henceforth view my duties with the same anticipation and glee with which I read of his.

I took this opportunity away from home to subsist on pemmican alone; thereby also saving myself the expense of 3 meals a day eaten out.  The taste of the stuff is agreeable enough, but I could only consume it in small bites as the texture and greasiness are unpleasant.  It’s hard to imagine being able to force down a volume sufficient to sustain my health, but I suppose the necessity will be driven by my hunger.  I could perceive no ill-effects on my system, internal and otherwise, though by the end of the weekend I was feeling mildly queasy and craving some kind of fresh fruit or vegetable.

Things that give encouragement:

• Bootsie handles the pack saddle without complaint.  I can rig it on her and hang both panniers in a very short time and I feel confident with my use of the diamond hitch.
• It seems the panniers have ample volume to carry all of my gear.  Based on my calculations I wont be carrying an absurd amount of weight either.  I built a plywood frame consisting of a bottom and one side and they seem to prevent the panniers from sagging and losing shape.
• I can keep a pretty steady 2.5mph pace with Bootsie on level ground.  I expect this to improve as she becomes used to what will become her daily duty.  I feel like she is bonding to me; trusting me more to lead her and keep her safe.
• I have most of my major items purchased or made.  This weekend I will attend the Mountain Man Traders Faire at Fort Sutter where I hope to buy the bulk of my remaining necessities.  I’m really looking forward to shopping insed the walls of the historic fort, browsing wears under a canvas tent, and qureying some of the seasoned mountain men for advice
• I have only 4 more batches of hardtack to bake.  I’ve got the pemmican process down to about 1 hour per week’s supply, meaning I need about 18 hours in the kitchen to complete my rations.  I’ve decided to finish production in Oregon where I can devote 2 solid days to making the rest.  It will be fresher that way too.
• I’ve got solid expertise to help me in the form of Bob the Mountain Man and Louie the Mule Man, not to mention the countless other folks who’ve generously offered their assistance and support.  Ken from Western Feed in Yucaipa might even be able to trailer Bootsie up to Oregon for me!

On paper I’m feeling confident.  It’s all the intangibles of the trail that give me doubts about my success.  What if Bootsie goes lame, falls ill, falls off a ravine!?  What if my saddle breaks, or the moccasins don’t hold up, or the pemmican plays havoc with my insides?  Many of these factors could be out of my control, and thus worrying about them will serve little use.  I’ve chosen this endeavor and am committed to see it through, come what may.  Yet, that doesn’t prevent me from continually questioning if I’ve thought things through enough, prepared enough.  I constantly make mental evaluations of my plans, my state of readiness.  I currently exist on the bizarre margin between hyper-vigilance and happy submission to the fates of the trail.

First I melted down about 6 lbs of beef tallow in a slow cooker.  I read somewhere that this is preferable to on the stove top as the temperature is much lower, yet sufficient to liquefy.  This took almost an hour, which was just enough time to shred 4 lbs of jerky in the blender and crush 7 cups of peanuts.  I mixed the jerky and nuts , along with 7 cups of raisins, in a  5 gal. plastic tub from the hardware store.  Once the fat was melted, I dumped it in the bucket and slowly stirred the mixture until it began to set up.  At this point it was soft enough to pour but firm enough not to immediately leak out of my container.

For the container I decided on this:  I took two brown paper grocery bags, one inside of the other, and lined the inside with two layers of standard wax paper.  I poured the warm pemmican into the bag, keeping a pyrex baking dish underneath in case something went wrong.  As soon as it was poured I transferred the bag and pyrex to the freezer.  This would help it set quicker and hopefully prevent any leakage of liquid grease.

My thinking is the wax paper will retain most of the oils from the pemmican, and what does get through will be absorbed by the 2 layers of paper bag.  With the top of the bag folded down and it all wrapped up with twine I’ll have a nice tidy little parcel that can be carried in a cloth sack.  One in each of my panniers should last me two weeks.

This method will require that I measure out a days worth of pemmican each morning and carve it off of my parcel.  Other than that I think this is the most hassle-free way to go.  It’s cheap, it keeps all my goods in one place for easy bear-bagging, it’s compact.

The pemmican is sitting in my den right now, out of the freezer for 6 hours and not seeping through too bad at all.  The only thing I would possibly change is using an aluminum baking dish underneath rather than pyrex, as the glass insulated the bottom off the batch from the freezer.