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Riverfeet Press - Books for your adventure
 
Order early and save 10% off the cover price! Expected to print by Christmas 2024.
 
“A vivid journey into the untamed wilderness, where mules and men forge paths through the mountains with sheer determination.”
 
In 1972, twelve-year-old Kevin Alltucker was shipped out by his parents from his hometown in Eugene, Oregon, a post-Vietnam War bastion of unshaven tie-dyed pot-smokers in Birkenstocks, to become a mule packer in the high Sierra Mountains of California, a buzz-cut, western-shirted, country-music-filled space with a wad of chew in its mouth that revered hard work, ranch dressing and the American dream. During his summers learning the lost art of packing, Kevin searched for belonging while learning how to securely pack mules, navigate harsh mountain trails, fend off bears, and entertain clients. Along the way, Kevin assembled a set of rules, the Packer Rule Book, that encapsulated the verbal traditions that described essential packer culture. When Kevin finally achieved full packer status, he realized some of the rules didn’t translate well to contemporary life. The Mules of Mineral King is a charming and funny guidebook to an overlooked region and way of life, and a story about coming of age and finding love.