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Just a man and his mules

Emile Brager traveled through Athabasca County as part of a two-year trek across North America

ATHABASCA - It’s like stepping back in time when you encounter Emile Brager and his mules on their journey across North America.

Brager, who hails from France, has been walking and riding almost daily since July 1, 2019 with his three mules from where he bought them in Cottonwood, Idaho.

First travelling northeast into Montana then swinging into North Dakota he paused to go back to France briefly, before looping up into Canada through Saskatchewan. He arrived in New Pine Creek, 30 kilometres southeast of Athabasca, Feb. 9 as guests of Don and Gail Sissons.

The 68-year-old Brager and his mules Jojo, Jack and Sully average 15 to 20 miles a day in winter and 20 to 25 in the summer.

With no set route the quartet wander where the heart takes. Brager has destinations in mind but the route to get there varies depending on weather and proximity to towns and he only decides which direction a week in advance.

“It’s a dream of mine, I’ve always wanted to see the Rockies and Great Plains,” Brager explained to the group of about 20 people who gathered at New Pine Creek Hall on the evening he rode into the area.

During the summer Brager doesn’t mind camping but he has relied on the kindness of strangers in winter. He has taken shelter in barns, shops, on a sofa and sometimes gets offered the spare room.

During the cold snap in January he accepted the hospitality of a Saskatchewan rancher, staying longer than he normally would in any one place, and helping feed the 750 head of cattle as payment.

“I had to learn quickly because we have not that in the south of France,” he said with his French accent, referring to the Canadian winters. “The problem isn’t the night; it’s getting out of the sleeping bag in the morning.”

Brager aims to be near a town to replenish his supplies and do laundry at least one day a week. He will stay for two days if the trip takes 10 days. It gives his mules a chance to rest as well.

Along the way he buys oats from farmers, only packing a four-day supply. Brager himself eats high protein meals with bacon, dried fruit, almonds, jerky and peanut butter as his staples.

He said he prefers landscapes and wildlife over technology but reaches out to his family in France every few days when he finds Wi-Fi to let them know he’s OK.

When asked what his family thinks of his trip he said, “I am doing something important for me, so that is enough.”

It’s not his first big adventure though. From 1984 to 1988 Brager and his then wife rode horses and mules from Patagonia to Alaska, wandering through 14 countries.

He has also bicycled across the Mongolian desert and sailed around Europe.

“If you don’t want flies, stay home and close your window,” he said of his travels.

For this trip Brager mostly worries about his animals and starting to find a place to stay in the early afternoon.

His own comfort is secondary.

“My main worry is saddle sores (on the mules),” he said. “Second is changes in food for the mules and third is stress on the animals.”

He custom made his own saddle from a combination of five different saddles and the pack saddles he uses are trees from a Swiss Army pack saddle and most closely resemble a Decker.

He uses a hackamore as well, opting not to use a bit.

Other than managing the weather by walking when he’s cold and riding when he’s warm, Brager says he’s only had two occasions where he’s had bad experiences on this trip. Both were when he was forced to ride along busy highways instead of the back roads he favours. Passing traffic spooked the mules and caused a runaway.

As for good experiences, that has been the classic Canadian hospitality he’s encountered.

“Bad news runs fast, good news runs slow,” Brager stated. “Right now, the good news runs fast. There are a lot of good people out there I’ve met.”

Most of the places Brager has been able to stay came about after stories were posted on social media. The host will then call ahead to arrange a place for Brager to stay the next night.

North Corridor Co-op and UFA graciously donated feed for his mules while he’s in the area and Athabasca County Reeve Larry Armfelt was on hand to greet Brager and gave him a few small items that he can easily carry with him.

“It’s the trek of a lifetime,” Armfelt said. “On behalf of all the people of Athabasca we are very pleased you are going through here, and I really admire your trip.”

Humbly accepting the gifts Brager responded, “I am not an important person, I thank you for welcoming me. I am just living a teenagers dream.”

While he has been documenting his trip Brager has no plans to write a book about any of his adventures, preferring to use his knowledge to teach others hands-on.

“There are three phases of your life – learning, doing, teaching,” he said. “I learned to ride horses, I ride them, I will teach someone else.”

Brager is now boarding his horses for three months while he returns to France. When he comes back, he will meet up with a friend and his 10-year-old son in Grande Prairie. His son will ride with him for a month before heading back home while Brager will continue his trek for another two years, with the destination somewhere California.

Heather Stocking, TownandCountryToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @HLSox

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