Sisters, Cousins, and Best Friends: Dixie National Forest & Red Canyon in Utah

Mules and More’s October 2023 Cover Story

by Audrey Stogsdill Beggs, Sims, Ark.

Claudia Stogsdill Sharp and I were excited for our grand riding adventure for 2023. We’d been taking a yearly riding trip together for several years, and this time we were going to be riding mules through the beautiful scenery of Utah with Mecham Outfitters. 

I had read about McLain Mecham and his outfitter company in Mules and More, and I was excited to check it out. I called McLain and we talked about our plans. He told me that he does have mules for rides, and we discussed the different rides that he offers. I scheduled Claudia and I for rides in the Dixie National Forest and Red Canyon in June. 

Our dads were brothers, but I often describe Claudia as my ‘sister-cousin,’ because we are so close. She lives in South Carolina and volunteers at an Heroes on Horseback facility that works with special needs children, as well as military and first responders. Claudia and I have ridden in the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico twice and in Meeker, Colo., twice, so we wanted to plan a brand new adventure for this year. It would be extra new, because Claudia doesn’t have a lot of experience with mules. My husband Rickey and I have seven mules and she had ridden our mules with us, but this would be her first mule ride away from home.

I knew that McLain is involved in the Bryce Canyon Mule Days, held in Tropic, Utah, in early May every year. My husband, Rickey, and I have been to a lot of mule events, but we had never been to Bryce Canyon Mule Days, which features the Chrome in the Canyon Premier Mule Sale. So, I suggested that we go this year so I could get acquainted with the area.

Rickey and I drove to Tropic and stayed at the Bryce Canyon Inn, which has beautiful and comfortable cabins and is also a Mecham family business. Tropic is one of three small communities nestled in the valley of the red cliffs of Bryce Canyon National Park. It is centered in some of the most beautiful scenery in the Western United States. Located in Garfield County on Utah’s All-American Road and Scenic Byway 12, just off Utah Heritage Highway 89 south of the city of Panguitch, Tropic has prospered from its humble beginnings in 1892 with approximately 15 families to a thriving community of over 550 residents.

The Bryce Canyon Inn were very welcoming and gracious hosts. We had an awesome time there and did some sightseeing at Bryce Canyon and Escalante - beautiful country and such nice people. 

Claudia and I had planned to meet in Las Vegas and then rent a car to drive to Tropic. Unfortunately, our travel plans didn’t go as smoothly as we had hoped. Claudia’s plane had mechanical problems in Charlotte, so she had to change her flights. My flight into Dallas-Fort Worth was also delayed due to a security breach at the E terminal. I ended up waiting for two hours on the sidewalk in the sun before I could finally get on my flight. Both of our flights ran late.

To make matters worse, there was a wreck and construction on I-15 North, which caused us to drive at a snail’s pace for over an hour. We didn’t arrive at our cabin in Tropic until after 10:30 p.m., much later than we had planned. I called the office at Bryce Canyon Inn to let them know we would be late, and they kindly left the lights on and the door unlocked for us. We were so grateful for their understanding!

We were both exhausted from our long day of travel. After we unloaded our car, we had a glass of wine and crashed. 

The next morning, we woke up at 7 a.m. and had coffee. We had decided to text McLain to see if we could schedule a 10 a.m. ride, but before we could do that, a young guy came by our room a few times. He looked like he wanted to knock, but he didn’t. I went out to ask him if there was something wrong, and he told me that our guide was waiting for us at the end of the cabins. Our ride was supposed to start at 8:30, but it was already 8:15. We quickly grabbed a snack bar and a bottle of water, and then we met our guide, Andy.

Andy had five mules and one horse already saddled and in the trailer. He told us that one thing we should remember was not to use the word “short” in any sentence. We agreed, as long as he didn’t use the words “old” and “women” in the same sentence. He just smiled.

I had told Andy that I wanted a short mule, but when we unloaded, he told me that the horse was my ride for the day. I think that horse was the tallest animal there, and I told Andy that there was no way I was going to ride a horse. I had come to ride a mule! (I think he was just pulling my leg since I had asked for a short mule.)

We rode the Willis Creek Trail and the Slot Canyons. The scenery was spectacular. We had a group of five that day, including Calvin and his grandchildren Wyatt and Cassidy. Calvin was a gentleman and said he would prefer to ride the horse. I gladly agreed!

Andy was very knowledgeable about the area, and he had a great sense of humor. He kept us entertained the whole time. He told us that he was a retired cowboy clown, and we could believe it. He gave me a beautiful sorrel molly that he said they called Jodie on good days, and Judy on bad days. When I asked if this was a good day or a bad day, he just smiled and said we would see. He gave Claudia a beautiful molly by the name of Mary. This was very touching for Claudia, as her mother’s name was Mary. And like her mother Mary did while she was living, this Mary took good care of her on the trails.

At one point Andy told us to look up at the canyon walls to see the petroglyph from when the Native Americans inhabited that area many years ago. It was a somber moment when he showed us the impression of a small child’s hand in the canyon wall. To think we were riding where there had been humans thousands of years ago was a very humbling moment. 

Once our first day of riding was over, Andy dropped us back off at the Bryce Canyon Inn. After resting for bit, we walked over to the Pizza Place next door. It’s another family run business and the pizza there is awesome. After pizza and a beer, we were ready for bed. Andy was picking us up for our next ride at 8 a.m. in the morning. 

For our second day of riding, it was just Andy on June, Claudia on Mary, and a big white mule by the name of Jed for me. We love small groups, and this was one of the reasons we chose Mecham Outfitters. They cater to smaller groups, but they will also take out larger groups if requested.

We trailered to the Thunder Mountain trail head with our three mules. Claudia asked Andy if there would be a mounting block there, and he said that there would be two strapping young guys there to help us get in the saddle. Sure enough, Hunter and TJ (another member of the family) were there to help us get on our mules and take our trailer to the other side of the mountain so we wouldn’t have to backtrack. After we rode the Thunder Mountain Trail, we considered that to be a blessing. It was a breathtaking trail with lots of red rocks and hoodoos. It was also challenging, and for Claudia, and ended up being the scariest of our rides. She is not fond of heights, and there were a couple of areas that had steep drop-offs on each side.

When Claudia asked Andy why the trail was called the Thunder Mountain Trail, he told her that it was named after the Thunder Mountain ride at Disney World. She had been there, and she said, “Oh no!”

Andy took the time to explain a lot about the mules to us. He told Claudia that the difference between training horses and mules was that a horse would want to know what you know, while a mule would want to see your resume. I love that statement, and I have used it many times. Having had mules for the past 25 years, I can say that statement is spot on.

When we got back from the ride, Claudia made the remark that she loves her horses at Heroes on Horseback, but she was glad she had a sure-footed mule on this ride. I think she fell in love with mules on this trip.

Andy took awesome pictures and videos of our ride, and we were very grateful. Most of the time, we were too aware of our animals and the trail to take pictures ourselves. In one place, I’m sure Claudia’s knuckles were white from gripping the saddle horn. It was an awesome ride, and the trip turned out to be the best one yet. We have already made plans to ride with Mecham Outfitters next year, and we’re planning for three days of riding.

Mecham Outfitters is a small family business located in the heart of Bryce Canyon National Park and the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. They ride in the Dixie National Forest and BLM surrounding areas. I understand that McLain Mecham is a fifth-generation outfitter.

You will ride with experienced cowboys who will take good care of you. They will keep you laughing and share their local history. You will see places you would never see anywhere else. It is obvious that they all love what they do.

Life is a journey, enjoy the ride!

Audrey and Rickey have 7 mules and two cats. They ride in Arkansas’ Muddy Creek Wildlife management area (147 thousand acres) that joins their property at the back gate.