The Weight of Our World

September 7, 2009 at 12:51 pm (CLS, On the Trail, Preparations)
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The numbers game:

200-250 gallons of water for the herd per day(static)= not carried
200 pounds of feed per day(static)= carried
2 pounds of food per person per day (static) = 18 pounds total per day= carried
25 pounds personal gear on horses (static)= carried
guesstimated average weight of  rider 140 pounds (dynamic) = carried
4 liters of water per person(dynamic)= 8.8 pounds = carried

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Guesstimated carrying ability:

Mules:

150 max capacity for mules (static weight)= carried
On our three day shakedown there were 3 mules, one with no top load.

Horses:

Dynamic(weight that moves) weight is easier to carry.  However, our horses won’t carry more than 25 pounds of personal gear (static).

Humans:

1/3 of their body weight. Average weight of 140 pounds = about 46 pounds.

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This breaks down as:

Mules:

Guesstimated average carried weight of mules:

150 pounds carried.

Guesstimated average support weight of mule:

147 pounds of water per day to support a horse/mule.

17 pounds of feed per day to support a horse/mule.

Horses:

Guesstimated average carried weight of horse:

165 pounds carried.

Guesstimated average support weight of horse:

147 pounds of water per day to support a horse/mule.

17 pounds of feed per day to support a horse/mule.

Humans:

Guesstimated average carried weight of human:

Mounted= 8.8 pounds.

Walking= up to 46 pounds

Guesstimated average support weight of human:

36 pounds per day.

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Final Numbers:

1,968 pounds support per day for horses/mules

396 pounds support per day for humans.

2,364 pounds support per day for the expedition minimum.

Max carrying ability 675 (3 mules X 150 + 9 horses X 25)

Human water weight is carried by humans. This list doesn’t include the weight of kitchen or group gear….Horse water won’t be carried, but is part of the support weight. Wow.

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Changes

September 6, 2009 at 1:43 pm (Natasha, Preparations)
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During Dr. Anderson’s visit (the veterinarian who graciously walked us through a tutorial on ailments and injuries, then showed us all how to check pulses, gut sounds, and hydration on a real horse, then checked and drew blood from every one of our horses and mules…) we discovered that two of our draft-cross horses, Eleni’s Corona, and my Pumpkin, are approximately 6-7 months pregnant. It would not be in the mares’ best interest for them to participate in the expedition, so thankfully we found out before we left, and before shakedown. Since Corona and Pumpkin will be enjoying pasture-rest, Chauncey and Black Oak will be joining us instead. Sudden, serious changes seem to be part of this whole experience, and it’s been interesting to see that we can all be flexible and willing to apply our original goals and questions to new circumstances.

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Preparation Continues

September 6, 2009 at 8:15 am (CLS, Horses, Pictures, Preparations)
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Beginnings or Endings?

September 5, 2009 at 9:07 pm (Chris, Preparations)
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After traveling up the west coast—from San Francisco up to Canada and back—performing theatre, dance and acrobatic stilts, it was a bit of a switch jumping in to the Arizona Trail. I’ve recently discovered that transitions take a little longer for me to process than I, or the dominant culture I live in expects. As Sha insightfully shared, “beginnings are also endings, and perhaps that is why they are often frightening or difficult.” This I have found to be true. The threads of past experiences and connections often leave with more sorrow than I imagine. Like a turtle poking its head out of a shell, it can take me time to open my heart to a new group of people. But when I do, there’s no stopping it! I’m beginning to get tingles of excitement about what’s possible. There’s really too much to be grateful for, and I think tingles are a good sign.

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shaped by water…

September 5, 2009 at 11:55 am (Departure, Paul, Preparations, Shake Down)
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Earlier this week Dr Tom Fleishner came to visit and reported that this has been the driest summer in Arizona since 1900. You can see the signs of this in the dry hole s by the windmills, the absence of mesquite beans, and fewer tuna on the prickly pears.

At the end of each day on our shakedown expedition I would lay down w/ tired muscles under threatening skies as  storms spun off a hurricane in the gulf of mexico.  Moisture passing off in every direction around us, but barely a sprinkle coming our way.

Of all te things that will shape this expedition across Arizona, the absence of water in an already parched landscape pushes us to depend on more resources; to depend on our logisiticians, the use of fossil fuels, and seeing the truck more than we wpould like. Saying yes to this journey is not a casual action- the challengesand costs are sobering. We comit ourselves to a process, a journey, not necessarily the destination.  What possibilities will we create?

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Jig-Saw

September 5, 2009 at 11:29 am (Departure, Horses, Nikki, Preparations, Shake Down)
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The shake-down was just a hint at what is to come. The good, the bad,…. the mules…. We will all experience the rewards and costs of  extended group back-country travel. The pieces that always appeared to be simply singular pieces are now beginning to make sense when placed next to the other pieces that work towards the whole. The disconnect, the scatter, the endless details are finally finding their space within the chaos. The connection of thoughts, ideas, words, and tangible matter is beginning to take form – the goal being that this journey will finally become its own entity. Without all the pieces, it remains fractured. With this coming-together of pieces, communication improves, visions solidify, and questions find their answers. We trust that soon the pieces will all fit together into the big picture. We trust in this while knowing that the picture will experience change frequently and the pieces will require shuffling. From watching a man shoulder-deep inside a horse checking for pregnancy to sharing a meal with our human and equine group members on a moonlit night… these pieces fall in line. They all have a place in this space to contribute to our experience. These pieces hold meaning individually but even more so when they fit together and connect… much like our expedition members. We are individually strong and unique. We recognize, honor, and respect that. When connected and serving as one, we are an entity of our own.  We will not loose our individuality, but take pride in who we are as individuals knowing that our contribution will strengthen the group and complete the puzzle to create the whole.

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Mindfulness

August 31, 2009 at 6:32 pm (CLS, Natasha, Preparations)
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“It’s one of the cheapest ways to change your consciousness, and it’s legal.”
Tom Fleischner, Professor of Environmental Studies at Prescott College, holds a tiny magnifying glass on a piece of cord. We are invited to observe the intricacies of a Helianthus, a wild sunflower. Through the lens the patterns of the disk flowers demand one’s unwavering attention and awe; the mounds of unburst flower buds, and the clinging grains of pollen like a dusting of snow on the bark of a tree, captivate the mind without inspiring conjecture, conclusions, or even thought.
That at least, is how I experienced those moments. And that is what I understand mindfulness to be: an observation and appreciation of whatever is going on at present. Mindfulness means letting go of presets, and allowing the immediate to show itself without us attaching judgment to it.
My ability to be mindful is tested by my horse partner, Pumpkin. Pumpkin is turning out to be a very sweet mare, but it seems that she is having a hard time letting herself trust people. Along with this skepticism, she is startled by what seem to be attempts on her life by such things as ropes, water bottles, and fingers. When I am working with her, I need to be especially aware of our surroundings and her level of comfort. If I practice mindfulness, I can more fully appreciate that which is outside of myself (and be more open to potentially important sensory input), and be less distracted by inner ramblings and snap judgments.

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The unanimous night, and the effervescent day

August 31, 2009 at 3:08 pm (Jordan, Preparations)
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Many times in our life we experience moments of sheer exhilaration, but also utter apprehension. “I do not know which way to go!” we might say. Alternatively, “I don’t believe I am (good enough, wise enough, strong enough …) for such an experience!” To believe these things is to fail before we have even begun. The same is true of this expedition. There have already been points of time which I have tricked myself into thinking that I have no business taking on such an epic journey, but as Kurt Hahn once noted, “We can do more than we think,” with think being the key word in that sentence. How do I know what I can do before I have even tried? For I believe the biggest risk is not taking one, and when an opportunity comes that makes more sense than anything else it is a great risk not to follow thru – we are risking life or death in the sense of allowing our true selves to flourish or turn to dust. So far, everything has been going very well. The horse I will be riding on this journey, whose name is Tonto, started out as quite a character, biting and pushing many of the other horses around, but he is slowly coming forth with a big heart that is shining through like a passing storm filling the sky with cerulean blue. I am excited to witness the change in him, and the change within myself. To the unanimous night, the effervescent day, and the cool breeze dancing through my hair, I bow to the open trail, for I know it will be a great teacher.

THERE was a child went forth every day; And the first object he look’d upon, that object he became; And that object became part of him for the day, or a certain part of the day, or for many years, or stretching cycles of years.
- W.Whitman

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Hooves ready to ride barefoot?

August 31, 2009 at 3:02 pm (Eleni, Horses, Preparations)
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On Saturday August 29th, Dave Landerville came out to the ranch to educate us about barefoot trimming. He trimmed all 9 horses and the 4 mules with help from Paul. Dave said that all the equine’s feet looked good! As part of my independent study, I recorded hoof measurements for each horse. Taking these periodic measurements will be one of the ways in which I track the changes that occur in our horses’ feet. A big thank you to Dave and his family for coming out to the ranch and helping us with this vital part of the expedition!

When horses get their shoes pulled, they need time to get used to being barefoot. Their hooves need to be trimmed in a different way and their feet need time to get hard and callused. Some of our horses are in this transition period between shoes and barefoot. To protect their feet, each horse will have four hoof boots. Most of our horses have boots that fit and have been wearing them on our trail rides. Another reason why all our horses and mules will have boots is because the amount of wear on the hoof due to traveling long distances every day may exceed the rate of growth of the hoof. I am excited to see how our horses’ feet change on the trail!

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Leather Things that Protect me from Spikey Things…

August 31, 2009 at 8:12 am (Andy, CLS, Preparations)
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I live a long ways away from Phoenix, just outside of Washington, D.C.  My flight, thankfully uneventful, was early; really early.  I had to wake up at 4 a.m. eastern standard time…that’s 1 a.m.  Arizona time, ungodly early normal people time, and 2 p.m. Yekaterinburg, Russia time.  Now, couple my aforementioned lack of sleep with an annoying inability to sleep on airplanes. Next, mix that with a 2 hour shuttle van from Phoenix, a half mile walk to a college I’d never seen before (with four months worth of gear), a hackneyed pronunciation of “Sinaqua”, and you’ve got my mind state as I walked into a room full of people I’d never met.
Now, three (four?) days later, and I’m having a great time.  I’m excited to know that I am exactly where I’m supposed to be.  There is nothing else in the world I’d rather be doing.  I even bought a pair of, uh, chunks.  Sadly, the used turquoise ones with the ace of spades embossed in them were about 70 dollars more expensive than I could afford…I guess the plain brown ones will have to do!

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