Packer D.J. Fiske and co-worker. NPS photo.
On Memorial Day weekend, the 41st annual Mule Days Celebration was held in Bishop, California. This event, attended by thirty thousand people, serves as a rite of summer and kick-off event for the outfitter season in the High Sierra. As part of the celebration, contests are held in a variety of equestrian skills to determine the World Champion Pack Team along with individual honors.
Competing in – and winning – many of the events was the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks pack team, comprised of Nick Knutson and Dan Baker of Sequoia and D.J. Fiske and Robert Hall of Kings Canyon. As a team they took first place on the Pack Team Scramble and Team Packing Contest and qualified for the final pack-off event.
In individual contests the team members also excelled. The individual honor of World Champion Packer was won by Knutson, a third-generation High Sierra packer who has been with the NPS for over 15 years. Fiske earned second place, while Baker took fifth. The team also won awards in parade events. Greg Feltis, head of the park’s livestock program, was recognized for his contribution to the team’s success.
Superintendents of the large Sierra Nevada national parks – Karen Taylor-Goodrich of Sequoia-Kings and Don Neubacher of Yosemite – rode in the parade along with the chief rangers of these parks.
In advance of the event, Sequoia-Kings Canyon employees pitched in to show support and offset the cost of participating by sponsoring a Mule Days BBQ and dance that was both an effective fundraiser and a hoot for all. Kudos to the employees, spouses, and volunteers who made this such a successful event. Special acknowledgement goes to Greg Feltis for all his hard work and logistical help.
