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Philmont Diaries: Donkey vs Scouts

Fourth of July 2023. The wranglers left me and the cook in charge of the donkeys.

Teaching a group of twenty or so teenage boys how to put saddlebags on donkeys went about as well as you’d imagine.

Donkeys were mounting each other left and right, learning simple knots took a couple hours, and the scouts were acting immature about the whole thing.

I think it went well, all things considered.

We packed up the extra lead ropes, pannier bags, and saddle pads then went to lunch. The dining hall was always full of loud conversations and shenanigans. Not quite a place for relaxation, but great for entertainment and socialization after a long day. Our sanctuary away from scouts and chuck wagon dinners.

In the midst of the chaos, we were informed that a group was waiting at the gate. We relayed a message back that we’d be ready to help them once lunch was over.

We walked over to the pens, but there wasn’t a group waiting for us. So we sat on the rocks and watched the donkeys munch on grass and hay.

Eventually a kid came running over. I looked over to my friend. Uh, oh. Running. Never a good sign.

Out of breath, he finally caught up to us and explained the predicament.

Their donkey was stuck on the road.

I asked him why they were on the road rather than waiting at the gate. Apparently, they decided to walk back with their donkey for lunch instead of waiting.

What a boneheaded decision.

The stereotype is true, donkeys can be extremely stubborn. I’ve had a donkey refuse to leave the pig pen, but that’s a story for another day.

We gave him tips on how to encourage the donkey to keep walking and sent him on his way. I like to give people a chance to figure things out on their own. It builds confidence and self sufficiency.

I also felt a tad annoyed and lazy.

We waited some more. Ten minutes later, the same kid came running back. Before he got to us, we got up and started walking. Guess it was time to help.
They were right. The donkey was at a complete stand still on the road. Not moving an inch forwards OR backwards.

Me and the cook tried every trick we had up our sleeve:

Wave our arms and make shushing sounds.

Lure it with peaches and cigarettes.

Form a pack and get it to follow us.

Brute strength.

News flash you can’t out muscle a donkey. Especially a donkey determined not to move another step.

An hour later and by the grace of whatever gods donkeys answer to, we got him walking down the road. A celebration seemed like it was in order. Fireworks, perhaps?

Instead I just packed up the tack, closed the gate, and walked back down the dusty road. All in a day's work at the lovely town of Ponil.