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Living Lean and Feeling Bionic: A Mule Ramble Through Damascus, Virginia

I, Bernie Harberts, did not use generative AI to write or illustrate this article. Spell check and grammar check, yes. AI, no.

Long Rider Bernie Harberts' mule Polly and Julia prepare to camp for the night on the Iron Mountain Trail near Damascus, Virginia during the Ride Out the Front Gate mule ramble.
Mule ramblin’ digs: Julia and the mules prepare to bunk down for the night on last fall’s mule ramble. We spent six weeks traveling from our farm in western NC to Virginia and back. (Iron Mountain Trail, Damascus, VA)

“There’s a certain sharpness that comes from not being comfortable all the time.”
That’s Julia writing about our month and a half long mule ramble we took last fall. We traveled with little more than a tent, 2 jugs of water and juuust enough provisions to keep us going. Here are Julia’s thoughts on living lean and feeling bionic.


Read more posts from this ramble: Ride Out the Front Gate.


Julia’s side of the ramble at Saddle Under the Stars:


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