3 Mules and The Truth
All photos are from http://www.3mules.com/. Check them out.
This is a story about a man in search of a basic life. It’s a story about his connection with the planet, and it’s a story that we love. He’s wandering the earth, much like Caine in the old television show, and instead of dispensing wisdom and karate chops, he’s dispensing wisdom and happiness.
This man’s name is “Mule.” He won’t answer to any other name, and took the moniker in honor of his travel-mates, 3 mules who help to carry his belongings. He never refers to the animals or himself, but rather always references his team collectively – “We are The Mules.” He has a lawyer who knows his real name, but it’s a secret and a little later in our story.
For the better part of 30 years, Mule has wandered North America, following the seasons, and working just about enough to get him through a winter or on to his next stop. A slightly built man, he happened upon a mule for sale during a stop in Spokane, Washington, and enlisted her help to carry some of his belongings. This allowed him to carry enough to survive on his own, off the grid, and without the worry of belongings and a “home,” but we’ll get back to that as well.
Eventually, Mule assembled a proper team, with three sturdy animals, and began exploring the world around him. He’d stop in a town, stock up on supplies, and go in search of the undeveloped open spaces of our country. He’d sleep under the stars, forage what he could, and revel in his human solitude, comforted by the rhythmic sounds of hoofbeats.
As he travelled, he began to notice changes around him. What once was free and open had become bridled with parking lots, roads, and fences. He once did almost 300 miles in Nevada, and was troubled by the changes in that desert landscape. He still sought wide, open spaces, but found himself bunking down within a stone’s throw of civilization more and more. And this is when his problems began.
The Mules would often find themselves near a park or neglected space, and choose that spot for an evening stop. He would be approached by law enforcement, and asked to move on. He would plead his case, saying he wasn’t leaving garbage, he wasn’t begging, and he wasn’t homeless. The police would say, “Great! Then go home!” He would reply, “I am home.” When asked, “Where, exactly, do you live?” He would reply, “Here. Earth. This is my home.”
“Here. Earth. This is my home.”
Torrey Pines Natural Reserve is a park in the City of San Diego. The Mules found themselves there at closing time. Torrey Pines is undeveloped, pristine land on the California coast, and Mule thought it was as good a place as any to spend a night, washed by ocean breezes and the smell of salty air. That stay cost him a $485 ticket. Later, he was arrested for walking along a highway near San Jose. He was sent to a psychiatric facility, and his team was put in the care of animal control. Through the help of an advocate and some creative social funding, he managed to bail out both himself and his team.
Hence the lawyer. 
The cool thing is that not everyone treats The Mules that way. One of his mules had some hoof issues and was taken in by a rancher. She was willing to lend an extra animal, and promised to join Mule when his mule was fully recovered. He also met a great patrolman recently who set up a sort of roadblock so that The Mules could safely cross a busy interstate. He saw them to the other side and wished them a safe journey. Mule is also very sparing in his “asks.” He has a website and a Facebook page (thanks to filmmaker John McDonald) and uses a mobile device to keep folks updated. He charges them up at coffee shops for free whenever he can, and when his phone bill is due, he simply asks on social media. When he has enough to cover his expenses, he’ll post a note saying, “Thanks for all the help. The bill is paid in full. Don’t send any more money.”
Mule has recently become a bit of an advocate himself. Whenever he comes through a town, he seeks out the highest official and hand-delivers “The Mules And The Declaration Of Emergency,” which is carefully hand-written and torn from a spiral notebook. It states,
“We are declaring this declaration of emergency because we see, we know the spreading megatropolis is taking away all the space.”
The Mules aren’t as anonymous as they once were. People are keeping up with their journey in search of “all the space,” and meeting up with gifts of food, gear, forage, or just to join in a bit a travel. They have over 25,000 fans on Facebook, and recently marched in the Rose Bowl parade. We encourage you to like and follow The Mules also. Perhaps we can encourage them to bring their search east?