Lisa "Tex" Parker ('02) had worked 12 years in the fashion industry in New York City when she decided to make a big change in her life.

Her colleagues were stunned.

"Imagine telling people from The Devil Wears Prada that I'm going to go work with mules and be a cowgirl instead."

Parker is a mule wrangler, guiding tourists on mule-back within the Grand Canyon. She also has completed the Appalachian Trail, which runs 2,190 miles from Georgia to Maine, and most recently hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, the 2,655-mile-long trek from Mexico to Canada.

It all combines her love for the outdoors, athletic challenges and traveling. She draws on the lessons she learned as an art education major in the College of Visual Arts and Design by documenting her thru-hike adventures on her YouTube channel and by giving  interpretive talks during her Grand Canyon mule rides.

"I get to share with all of the people who ride with me all about the mules and all about the canyon, so I still feel like a teacher at heart."

A Journey That Became a Job

Parker, who grew up in Kingsville, taught at Denton ISD's McMath Middle School and Guyer High School for six years after graduation. She then moved to New York City in 2008 and worked for famed fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg, first in a customer service role and later in project management for DVF's website.

Then she took a trip to the Grand Canyon, visiting Phantom Ranch, a lodge at the bottom of the canyon, in 2011.

"And that just blew my mind entirely. It was the most magical time I have ever had," she says. "I grew up riding horses, but I had never ridden mules, and I fell in love with them, too. Because I enjoyed it so much, I came back three more times and did the ride again. By the end of that, I said, 'I need to be doing this every day for the rest of my life.'"

She has served as a mule wrangler since 2019 for the tour company Xanterra, guiding tourists through two different rides. The two-hour ride goes along a flat track along the rim of the canyon. Her favorite is the two-day trip that goes five hours one way down the Bright Angel Trail and across the Colorado River on the Black Bridge, stopping for an overnight stay at Phantom Ranch. The next day, she and the other wrangler take their tourists back across the river and up the South Kaibab Trail -- facing rockslides, wildlife and "stunning panoramas" along the way.

"People are very saddle-sore by the end, but everyone says it's a trip they never forget, and I felt the same way, so it's pretty neat that I know exactly how they feel."

Mountains and Sunsets and Bears

Parker's life as a mule wrangler gives her the freedom to take off for long stretches of time, so she began a quest that was planted while she was riding the New York City subway.

During her commute, Parker became engrossed in the memoir Wild, Cheryl Strayed's account of walking the Pacific Crest Trail. She learned everything she could about thru-hiking, which is backpacking an entire long-distance trail in one continuous journey, and became absorbed with hikers' YouTube videos about their experiences.

She tackled the Appalachian Trail in 2021. During the six-month trek, she hiked for several days and, when she hit a town, she hitchhiked to get supplies and food. She slept in her tent or the three-sided shelters while on the trail or hostels when in town. She walked solo but befriended hikers along the way. She experienced issues with her knees and got soaked for two weeks in Vermont, but she found the trail mesmerizing with the beauty of the mountains and the foliage in the fall.

For her five-month journey along the Pacific Crest this year, she camped in a tent when the weather dictated, but preferred to "cowboy camp" with just a quilt under the stars. Here, she was part of a "trail family," hiking separately but camping together.

She had to climb over some downed trees and through thorny, knee-high bushes, trudge across snow and ford raging snowmelt-fueled rivers in the Sierra. She experienced altitude sickness while summiting Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States. But other parts of the trip were awe-inspiring. She saw a black bear and two cubs at a safe but clear distance.

"The mom was scavenging for food, and the babies were just rummaging around playing. Oh, so adorable."

Then there was the Goat Rocks Wilderness in Washington state. Nearing the end of the trail, she realized how stunning the land was -- and the reason for her adventures.

"I hit a ridgeline right at sunset, and I mean, I'm from Texas, I'm used to spectacular sunsets, but this, coupled with a mountain range all around you -- it was just beautifully breathtaking. And then I found a nice campsite with a view of the beautiful sunset, so I called it an early day. There are just some spots along the trail where you're lucky enough to camp, and it's just a magical environment."