MULE TRAIN NOMADS: A message from the WILDERNESS

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For breakfast, we have rolled oats, or eggs and biscuits, or pancakes. Lunch consists of leftover biscuits or pancakes, or dried fruit and cheese, or peanut butter sandwiches, while our evening meal is usually beans with rice or potatoes. These are our basic foods, but we also catch fish when were near a river or stream and find wild berries and plants from time to time-in order to supplement our rations.

Our wardrobe is a practical one, too. Each of us has western riding boots (plus camp boots for walking and exploring), two pairs of bluejeans, two shirts, a hat, a vest, and leather chaps. The latter protect us from the heat in the summer, the cold in the winter, and injury from the heavy brush we often ride through.

A WILDERNESS FAMILY GROWS

In February 1976 we had our first child, Luke Kade. He was born in a tent at the mouth of the Sycamore Canyon wilderness area . . . and was delivered by a midwife with Gene's assistance.

Our second son, Jube Wade, was born on April 26, 1978. We made camp at the foothills of the Mingus Mountains near the old ghost town of Jerome to await his arrival. And we didn't have to wait long . . . I was in labor for two hours with Luke, but Jube arrived in 20 minutes! We broke camp when he was 12 days old.

Luke is very proud of his little brother. He held my hand during the birth and has really helped me take care of Jube. In fact, both children are very contented and happy. Luke who has been on muleback since he was 10 days old-has already traveled about 3,000 miles . . . and was riding alone (though strapped to the mule) when he was only 11 months old. Jube rode about 50 miles within the first month after his birth rocked in a sling that I strapped to the front of my body.

We hope our offspring will learn self-sufficiency from their outdoor lifestyle. Luke already has a good sense of direction, which we've fostered by leading him from the camp and letting him find his own way back (under our hidden but watchful eyes, of course). He can also start a fire, make his own biscuits and cook them on a stick . . . and he's learning to milk Heidi, the goat (who provides more than enough milk for the children to drink).

Besides Heidi, Luke's other pet is his dog. Blue . . . an Australian shepherd puppy he was given Christmas before last. And, of course, we're all great friends with our mules: Molly, Stubby. Mickey, Minnie, and Frances.

THE "WILD" LIFE

People ask us if we ever get lonely. We don't, of course . . . in fact, it's so beautiful in "our" wilderness that we dread trips into town to get supplies. We simply enjoy each other, our animals, and the beauty of nature.

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