Yosemite Packers Honored as World Champion Pack Team 
The Yosemite Mounted Patrol and the Yosemite Packers in the Parade Arena at the 50th Annual Bishop Mule Days.
Photo Credit: NPS Photo
May 29, 2019 - Yosemite National Park Superintendent Michael Reynolds is proud to announce that Yosemite National Park won three major awards at the 50th Annual Mule Days Celebration over Memorial Day Weekend in Bishop, California. The Yosemite Packers were honored as the 2019 World Champion Pack Team and they won First Place in the category of Parade Pack Team – Government Packstring – Working 1 Lead and 5 Mules. The Yosemite Mounted Patrol also won First Place in the category of Mounted Horse Group. 
The Yosemite Packers at the 50th Annual Bishop Mule Days. (Pictured l-r) Justin Foust (on horseback), Liz Vanden Toorn, Joe Webb, and Aida Pereira on May 26, 2019. Photo Credit: Bishop Mule Days
Bishop’s Mule Days occurred May 21-26, 2019 with a series of individual and team stock events. The Yosemite Packers that participated included team members Justin Foust (lead), Aida Pereira, Joe Webb, and Liz Vanden Toorn. The Yosemite Packers participated in a series of events over the week, in addition to participating in Saturday’s parade. Based on their performance in all of the week’s events, they won as the 2019 Bishop Mule Days World Champion Pack Team.
The Yosemite Packers are NPS employees who are part of the park’s Roads and Trails Branch. The Packers play an integral role in a variety of backcountry projects during the busy summer season by using pack animals to haul food and heavy project materials out to remote locations to support the park’s trail crews. The use of pack animals to meet the working needs of the park has been an important part of Yosemite National Park’s operations for over 100 years.
“We are incredibly proud of the Yosemite Packers and Yosemite National Park’s participation in Mule Days,” stated Yosemite Chief Ranger Kevin Killian. “We are honored to participate in Mule Days and to be part of this great traditional community event in the Eastern Sierra.”
The Yosemite Mounted Patrol entry featured a four-person Color Guard line with Yosemite Rangers Clif Ashley, James Cox, Heidi Edgecomb, and Justin Fey in the lead and the two-person dignitary line featuring Yosemite Superintendent Michael Reynolds and Chief Ranger Kevin Killian. The Yosemite Mounted Patrol has been participating in the Mule Days celebrations since the 1970 Bishop Mule Day Parade, when the Yosemite Mounted Patrol won First Place for the category of Horse Mounted Group.
Yosemite National Park would like to extend its deep gratitude to Yosemite Conservancy for their generous support of the Park's equestrian programs.
Yosemite National Park Wins Three Major Awards at the 2019 Bishop Mule Days (pictured l-r) Superintendent Michael Reynolds, Lead Packer Justin Foust, Ranger Clif Ashley, and Chief Ranger Kevin Killian. Photo Credit: NPS Photo
The Yosemite Mounted Patrol at the Bishop Mule Days Parade. (Pictured l-r) Yosemite Superintendent Michael Reynolds, Ranger Clif Ashley, Ranger James Cox carrying the American Flag, Ranger Heidi Edgecomb carrying the California State Flag, Ranger Justin Fey, and Yosemite Chief Ranger Kevin Killian. Photo Credit: NPS Photo
Source: NPS
