My Retired Forest Service Mule Went Viral: Here’s Her Story

...When the United States Forest Service first formed in 1905, the majority of its employees were four-legged. Thousands of horses and mules were drafted into service, where they were used for trail-building, pack supply operations, wildfire assistance, and more. Over 115 years, not much has changed for horses and mules in the Forest Service. They continue to pack necessities and aid in trail-building and maintenance around the country. In fact, if you’ve ever hiked, cross-country skied, mountain biked, or backpacked in our National Forests and Wilderness Areas, you’re likely on trails built and maintained by virtue of these animals. Mules in particular are near-perfect pack animals for the long term. A cross between a horse and a donkey, mules exemplify what scientists call “hybrid vigor.” Mules tend to be healthier and stronger than their equine brethren, and they often outlive most horses by nearly a decade. And keeping both horses and mules in shape over a lifetime — as with humans — can substantially prolong their productive years. As a result, healthy mules can be ridden and packed into their mid-30s, and they occasionally live into their early 40s. In 2019, the world’s oldest living mule died at a whopping 56 years of age. Jessi’s Life of Public Service in the High Uintas of Utah Jessi was likely 7 or 8 when she was purchased from a local outfitter by the USFS in 1999. In 2001, federal packer Ken Reed ended up with her in his string after a coworker wasn’t getting along with her. Her name — then Jello (an unfortunately insulting name for a hoofed animal) — was quickly changed to Jessi. Jessi proved her worth from then on. Over the years, Jessi packed both on her own and as part of tandem teams carrying strange loads. She’s packed everything from saws to explosives due to her reliable and steady nature. Reed, Jessi, and their other four-legged partners packed folks out of areas under the threat of wildfires, brought supplies to hard-working trail crews, and brought in lumber for bridges and trail reinforcement. “In Jessi’s 21 years of service here on the Ashley National Forest, she has packed approximately 18,000 pounds. She’s been shod over 70 times and that translates to wearing out over 300 mule shoes in the High Uintas and several trips to the San Juans,” Reed said. “She has always been my ‘go-to’ mule for packing clinics, transporting crosscut saws, explosives, and sensitive equipment.” Ever a mule, Reed told me that Jessi is known to untie herself and her friends if left to her own devices. She has her own particular sense of humor about things, and her distinct personality made her a fair and trusted teacher of younger mules in the string...MORE