Mule Power, Faith & Real Resilience: Mike Toberer of Mission Mules on Reaching the Unreachable After Helene
- Sara F. Hathaway
- Jun 9
- 8 min read
In this powerful episode of The Changing Earth Podcast, I sat down with Mike Toberer —
founder and president of Mission Mules and owner of Mountain Mule Packers. What started as a conversation about traditional packing skills quickly became one of the most inspiring and practical discussions we’ve had on real-world disaster response.
Mike is a lifelong muleman with over 40 years of experience. He grew up packing in California’s Sierra Nevada near Yosemite, trained elite military units after moving to North Carolina in 2012, and then — when Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina — he and his team loaded up mules and headed into the mountains to reach families no one else could.
This episode is packed with stories, hard-won lessons, and hope. It’s a living example of the “prepare for the worst and pray for the best” mindset we talk about here every week.
Quick Updates Before We Dive In
Before we jumped into the interview, I shared some exciting news:
Season 5 of the Changing Earth Audio Drama (Part 2) just started dropping. Episodes 5 and 6 are out now (or dropping very soon), and it’s getting intense. If you haven’t caught up, now’s the time — the story is heating up fast, and you won’t want to miss what’s coming.
Prepper Camp 2026 is right around the corner in August at the beautiful Tryon International Equestrian Center. Chin has already been sneaking over there for date days to check out the facilities. It’s going to be an epic year — grab your tickets and camping space now while you still can.
Meeting Mission Mule's Mike Toberer
Chin actually had the privilege of meeting Mike in person first. Mike came to speak at his local CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) meeting and brought video and stories about his work. Chin was so impressed, he immediately said, “We’ve got to get this guy on the podcast.” And here we are.
Mike is humble, faith-driven, and deeply practical. He’s 59 years old and has been packing for four decades. He doesn’t just talk about resilience, he lives it.
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From California Packer to North Carolina Trainer
Mike grew up in California’s Central Valley and spent his childhood packing into the backcountry of the Immigrant Wilderness with his dad and cousin. They would do week-long trips, make big circles through the basin, and watch cattle for local ranchers. Two-pack outfits operated in the area, and as a kid, Mike thought those packers were the coolest guys alive. That’s when he decided he wanted to be a packer.
In 2012, Mike and his wife, Michele, made the big move from California to North Carolina. His sister had moved east years earlier, joined the military, went to dental school, and later started a body armor company called Paraclete with her husband. After they sold the company, they built a skydiving wind tunnel near Fayetteville and asked Mike and Michele to come out.
The military wanted mule packing training, but it wasn’t cost-effective to keep sending teams to California. So Mike and his family brought their mules east and began training Special Forces units at Fort Bragg (now Fort Liberty). They figured they’d stay three years and then go back to California. Instead, they fell in love with North Carolina and decided to stay.
Hurricane Helene Changes Everything
When Helene hit in 2024, Mike and his team were in the middle of a training with MARSOC in South Carolina. The roads flooded, and the training was canceled. They had a trailer load of mules and a week’s worth of supplies.
Once the power came back on where they were staying (near Mooresville), they started seeing the news about “inaccessible areas.” Mike and his wife looked at each other and said, “We can help with this.” They decided to replace the weapons and ammo they normally carried with food, water, and supplies.
They headed up and stayed for what they thought would be a few days. Five months later, they were still delivering aid.
One of the most moving parts of the story came when three of Mike’s mules were tragically killed after a tree fell during a storm and knocked down a fence. The mules got out onto the highway and were hit by a semi. That loss cut Mike’s workforce by about 30%. He was ready to step back and try to recover financially.
The very next day, Samaritan’s Purse called. They had heard what Mike was doing and said, “You need to keep going. We want to replace your mules — and then some.”
That was the sign. Mike and his team never stopped.
How the Mule Trains Worked
Mike explained exactly how their operation functioned. They used traditional pack saddles with panniers (side boxes or bags) that could be hard or soft. Supplies went into the panniers.
Early on they were stringing five or six mules together. But in tight subdivisions with small driveways and parking areas (like in Montreat), they quickly learned to break the strings down into teams of two or three mules. This gave them much more flexibility.
The formula that emerged was powerful:
Chainsaw crews (often Green Berets who drove down from West Virginia) cleared the big hardwood trees that blocked the roads.
Mule strings carried supplies into the areas side-by-sides and vehicles still couldn’t reach.
Side-by-side crews followed behind and finished clearing so they could keep moving supplies.
It was a beautiful example of people and animals working together with whatever skills and tools they had.
Reaching the “Unreachable” — Stories from the Mountains
Mike shared several stories that stayed with me.
One older woman in Roan Mountain, Tennessee, didn’t even realize the full extent of what had happened. When Mike’s team arrived with supplies, she was still inside her house (a tree was blocking the door). She thought it had just been “a lot of rain.” Mike showed her pictures and explained the scope of Helene. She was stunned.
Another woman sat on her front porch holding a little .22 rifle. When Mike offered her supplies, she only took what she needed because she had family on the other side of the mountain who might need it more. She told Mike that if he had said he was from FEMA and offered to fix her house with government money, she would have run him off. These mountain people take care of their own and didn’t want to take more than their share.
The community response in those first days was incredible. People showed up with shovels to dig out churches buried in mud. A little lady set up a table and started making sandwiches for the workers. Everyone did what they could.
Post-Helene Deployments: The Texas Recovery Work
After the intense, multi-month effort in Western North Carolina, Mike Toberer and his team created Mountain Mules and continued responding to other disasters. Within just a few months, they deployed to West Virginia (twice), Kentucky, and Maryland. Then they headed to Texas — and Mike described it as “a whole different deal.”
The Texas mission was every bit as horrific as Helene, but far more concentrated along the river. They started just down below Mystic and worked the rocky areas upriver. For the first 3–4 days, their main job was supporting the ground recovery crews by hauling chainsaw fuel and water to the teams working in the field.
After those initial days, the heavy first-strike supply runs with the mules were mostly complete. The work shifted into search and recovery support. They were waiting for search dogs to arrive, so they began using their rideable mules, placing experienced riders on them to help with recovery efforts on the ground.
This experience became a turning point. Mike realized the mules were excellent up to a point, but they needed to expand their capabilities. He started thinking about pairing mule teams with drones, micro-drones, and comms equipment so teams could cover ground, spot details, and report exact locations back — especially when bodies were involved.
One important detail Mike shared about the Texas operation: if they found a body, they did not touch it. They were required to call law enforcement immediately and go through official channels.
The Texas deployment, though shorter than Helene, helped shape how Mission Mules approaches future responses — combining the strength and reliability of mules with modern tools like drones for even more effective search and recovery work.
Expanding the Mission — Jamaica & Beyond
Because of the visibility from Helene, other organizations started reaching out. One group asked Mike to deliver a large water filtration system (an Aquifer 4000) to Jamaica after flooding there.
Mike and his team flew to Jamaica, cleared customs with the machine, and took it across the island to Great Bay in St. Elizabeth Parish. They set it up and started pumping clean water within two days — without waiting for permits. Other teams were still waiting on approvals. Mike’s team followed the advice of an experienced Canadian rep: get it running, let the water ministry test it, and they’ll let you keep going if the water is good.
The system pumped for months and was later moved to two different locations. It was a powerful example of what focused, faithful action can accomplish.
Mission Mules has now deployed to multiple states and even internationally. They continue to focus on reaching the places conventional aid can’t go.
Practical Preparedness Lessons from Mike
This conversation was full of gold for anyone serious about preparedness:
Low-tech mobility matters. When roads collapse and fuel runs out, mules (and well-trained handlers) can still move critical supplies.
Train before you need it. Mike’s years of training military units prepared him exactly for what Helene required.
Break things into smaller, manageable teams. Large mule strings worked until they didn’t. Flexibility saved time and reduced stress on the animals.
Community networks multiply impact. Chainsaw crews + mules + side-by-sides created a system far more effective than any single group working alone.
Faith and practical action belong together. Mike repeatedly credited God’s guidance and the support of partners like Samaritan’s Purse.
People in remote areas often have their own systems. Respect local knowledge and the desire of mountain communities to take care of their own.
Mike also spoke about the possibility of expanding training to local first responders and even exploring veteran programs — something many listeners will find exciting.
My Takeaways as Host
Listening to Mike reinforced so much of what we explore in the Changing Earth series. When the systems we rely on fail, whether from a massive quake, a storm, or a societal breakdown, the people who thrive are those with skills, faith, community, and a willingness to serve others.
Mike’s story is a beautiful real-world example of “prepare for the worst and pray for the best.” He didn’t set out to become a disaster relief leader. He simply used the skills God had given him and said “yes” when the need arose.
Listen, Share & Take Action
I’m so grateful Mike took the time to come on the show and share so openly. His humility, faith, and practical wisdom are exactly what this community needs right now.
Resources mentioned:
Mission Mules: missionmules.org (support their ongoing work)
Prepper Camp 2026 – August at Tryon (get your tickets now!)
Season 5 Changing Earth Audio Drama – Part 2 is dropping now
If this conversation encouraged you, please share it with someone who needs hope and practical ideas right now. And if you have skills — whether it’s packing, chainsaw work, medical knowledge, or simply the willingness to show up — consider how you can build those into your preparedness plans and community networks.
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