Clayton offers resting place for The Mules
After walking some 80 miles over 6 days from Petaluma, John Sears, 72, and his two pack mules, Little Girl, 30, and Little Ethel, 11, arrived in Clayton Sept. 2 via the George Cardinet trail. This famous trio is known worldwide as “The Mules.”
Sears and his mules began traveling when he was 36. He has lived full-time outside with his mules since retiring from work in 2001 at age 54. He documents their endless journey on his website 3Mules.com, Facebook and Instagram pages, which have over 55,000 followers.
People often ask the Mules what their mission is. “Our purpose is to walk and live peacefully taking only what we need,” says Sears. “Seeking balance and harmony with all that surrounds us and bringing the energy of this ages old way of life to all of those who we pass.”
“Spiritually, we are unique,” Sears says. “I am experiencing this place in my own unique way. I am not doing anything spectacular. I get up in the morning, fix something to eat, and I walk all day long. I enjoy it. Just walking. Walking is sacred.”
Welcome to Clayton
On Wednesday morning, Mayor Julie Pierce welcomed The Mules to Clayton. The two chatted about the trail system in the Bay Area. “The system is for use for the homeowners,” Sears explained. Travelers like The Mules don’t have the access they need.
“We need a place to stop in a vacant field to go to sleep for the night, then continue our journey the next morning. That is something we’re not able to do as the rules for the trail system are currently designed.”
He presented a copy of his Declaration of Emergency to Mayor Pierce. In the declaration, he says the Natural World is being destroyed by a sprawling Metrolopolis. He has hand delivered this document to over 200 city halls in California. Pierce will share the document and his feedback with the Clayton City Council.
After resting in Clayton for two nights, The Mules will continue their journey to the Central Valley over the Black Diamond Way trail to the Black Diamond Mines in Antioch.