A pack station is the base of operations for transporting

freight Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including tran ...

via

pack animal A pack animal, also known as a sumpter animal or beast of burden, is an individual or type of working animal used by humans as means of transporting materials by attaching them so their weight bears on the animal's back, in contrast to draft anim ...

s in areas that do not allow for other forms transportation, either due to difficult access or use restrictions as defined in

Wilderness Act The Wilderness Act of 1964 () was written by Howard Zahniser of The Wilderness Society. It created the legal definition of wilderness in the United States, and protected 9.1 million acres (37,000 km²) of federal land. The result of a lon ...

. The station facilitates the transition from mechanized transportation to pack animals, and necessarily includes a

corral A pen is an enclosure for holding livestock. It may also perhaps be used as a term for an enclosure for other animals such as pets that are unwanted inside the house. The term describes types of enclosures that may confine one or many anima ...

for the animals and sometimes a stock loading ramp. In some places there may also be a

barn A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Allen G. N ...

or other structure to house feed and tack, and a

loading dock A loading dock or loading bay is an area of a building where goods vehicles (usually road or rail) are loaded and unloaded. They are commonly found on commercial and industrial buildings, and warehouses in particular. Loading docks may be exterio ...

or shelter for the items to be transported. In locations on private land, there may be a business office on site. The term "pack station" is most often used in California in the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

. In other parts of the US, outfitters may simply refer to a permanent or semi-permanent trailhead or wilderness camp as a "station" or "outfitter camp."

How packing works

One wrangler on horseback can usually handle up to five pack mules, who are tethered together in a line called a pack string. Many commercial outfitters today support recreation activities such as

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more natur ...

and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from fish stocking, stocked bodies of water such as fish pond, ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. ...

trips and

hunting Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, e ...

expeditions. Government agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service and the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

, as well as a few commercial outfitters have pack operations to transport construction materials, trail tools, and fire fighting equipment into wilderness areas. In either case, the process and techniques used are very similar to those developed prior to the era of motor vehicles. Customers arrange for a meeting time or a delivery time and drop their goods and supplies at the pack station. Packing services are charged by the pound or by the animal, typically with a minimum price depending on the distance from the pack station. Everything is weighed, sorted for each animal, then split 50/50 to get a balanced load on each side of the animal; an unbalanced load will cause the saddle to slide to the heavy side, causing discomfort to the animal, and potentially inviting disaster. The average

mule The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two po ...

can carry as much as . A mammoth

donkey The domestic donkey is a hoofed mammal in the family Equidae, the same family as the horse. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a ...

can carry up to and standard donkey limit is . However, most pack station mule loads are limited to

Permits

Outfitters generally operate within the boundaries of public land and are required to maintain an outfitters permit.

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

Forest Service calls this a special-use permit. A separate permit is required if the pack station or wilderness caches are located on public land.

References

*Jackson, Louise A., The Mule Men: A History of Stock Packing in the Sierra Nevada, Mountain Press Publishing Company, Missoula, MT, 2004, {{ISBN, 0-87842-499-7 *McClain, M, Holsinger, R, and Hendryx, M, Hauling Freight on a Frontier Highway, Siskiyou Pioneer, Vol 9, No 1, Siskiyou County Historical Society, Yreka, CA, 2011 Outdoor recreation Animal-powered transport Stations, terminals and stops

How packing works

Permits

See also

References