WILDERNESS PERMITS for our guests are issued from our commercial quota, NOT from the general public quota.

PROFESSIONAL PACKING SCHOOL COURSES 2024

WILDERNESS PERMITS: All wilderness permits for our guests are provided through the Pack Station commercial quota allocation not from the general public quota.

Schedule your own customized PACKING SCHOOL or participate in one of our scheduled classes!

Book a Packing School online now!

PROFESSIONAL PACKING SCHOOL
Packing Fundamentals
6 days
June 24-29, 2024
$1800
Backcountry itinerary at Tamarack/Hilton with emphasis on mastering hitches, packing techniques and management of livestock and people to minimize impact on wilderness.

PROFESSIONAL PACKING SCHOOL #2
Advanced Packing in the Wilderness (section 2)
6 days
July 1-6, 2024
$1800
This trip is operated by the Mt. Whitney Pack Train
Meet at Horseshoe Meadows—a six day traveling educational pack trip into the Golden Trout Wilderness
Emphasis on moving camps, wrangling and feeding livestock on the extended wilderness pack trip.

PROFESSIONAL PACKING SCHOOL
John Muir Wilderness
6 days
September 7-12, 2024
$1800
Start and End at Rock Creek
Master packing and outfitting skills in this September course on a six-day pack trip into Mono Creek. Emphasis on wrangling and moving camp daily to improve packing skills. This fall session will be an ideal course for those who have completed UC packing courses, Backcountry Horseman seminars and introductory packing clinics.

ABOUT THE COURSES
Each is designed for:

• Those who use their own stock for trail riding or pack trips.
• Those seeking employment in the commercial packing industry.
• Those administering or using livestock in wilderness areas.

Students will participate in all activities such as moving camps, wrangling and packing. There will be time for discusssion and questions and free time for fishing and sightseeing. The course will conclude with a practical as well as a written examination. All students will receive a written evaluation and certificate of completion.

TOPICS TO BE COVERED:

1. Catching, saddling and handling horses and mules.
2. Planning and making loads for mules.
3. Pack hitches and how to tie on bulky items.
4. Riding and leading strings of mules.
5. Feeding in the backcountry—how to graze stock, when and how to picket, how to wrangle.
6. Horseshoeing.
7. Veterinary skills for the layman.
8. Methods in selecting horses and mules for back country use.
9. Nutritional needs of pack animals.
10. Selection of campsites.
11. Management of livestock to minimize impact on wilderness.
12. Planning and outfittng your own pack trips.
13. Selection and maintenance of camping equipment.
14. History of packing in the High Sierra.
15. Knots used in packing.
16. The effects of altitude on livestock performance.
17. Maintenance of pack equipment.
18. Trail safety.

(Cick here for a complete outline of the topics covered, as well as the itinerary for the September Professional Packing School).

Craig London D.V.M. outfitter and owner of Rock Creek Pack Station, teaches packing to University of California riding groups.

HANDOUTS GIVEN TO STUDENTS:

• Handbook on practical veterinary care. (For a PDF version of the "FIRST AID/VETERINARY CARE FOR THE WILDERNESS HORSE", click here.)
• Plans showing how to make packboxes.
• Drawings showing how to fit pack saddles.
• Food and equipment lists.
• Information on where to purchase mules and their equipment.
• List of opportunities for employment in the packing industry.
• Bibliography of reference material on packing.
• The Handbook "Management of Livestock in the Wilderness".

  Graduates of our school include United States Forest Service and National Park Service employees, pack station owners, pack station and outfitter employees.

  All Inclusive - You furnish only bedroll and personal items.
  Call us TODAY at 760-872-8331 for a quick response to your questions.
  You can email us, also.
  
  
  

  Rock Creek Pack Station, Inc operates under permit on the Inyo National Forest.
  All Trail Rides and Packing Schools are subject to an 8% regulatory reservation fee, plus 2% USFS fee.
  Horse Drives are are subject to an 8% regulatory reservation fee, plus 3% USFS fee.
  Mustang Trips are are subject to a 3% USFS fee.
  Trips traveling in the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are subject to an additional 3% park use fee.
  
  
  NOTICE: “In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)

  Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible State or local Agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information is also available in languages other than English.

  To file a complaint alleging discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027 , found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html , or at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provided in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (a) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (b) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (c) email:program.intake@usda.gov.”

  “USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.”
  

  Last Updated: April 12, 2024
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