We are back from an amazing experience. What a blessing it is to take time out of life for spiritual rest and remembrance. Three years ago, we went on the same trek, to the same place, even with some of the same youth. For some reason however, this trek was SO different. I'm sure the difference was me - but it is something that has become very special to me.
We left our girls with some friends in our ward - thanks SO MUCH!! We are blessed to have them as friends that we feel comfortable leaving the girls with. We had dinner with them on Sunday night and then left the girls there. We got up VERY early on Monday morning and met everyone at 6:00 am at the church. Drove to another pick up
spot and approximately later arrived at our destination - Martin's Cove in Wyoming.
There, we were divided into families and the fun began. At first we were pretty apprehensive. Our 8 'kids' didn't appear to like each other, get along, or want to even be near each other. I think our thoughts were along the lines of - oh brother - what have we gotten ourselves into? Three days of this might be pretty tough. However, we packed all of our belongings onto the handcart.
We had a brief orientation, where inside one of the cabins I was able to locate some of my ancestors. I learned that my ancestor WS was 33 years old when he traveled through Martin's Cove in 1856. Approximately one week prior to his arrival there, he had buried his 2 year old son after crossing the North Platte River (now near Casper) and then while there in the cove, he buried his wife R who was 31, and a newborn baby boy who was premature.
Well, we as we traveled, our stuff constantly fell off of the cart- it was ALMOST humorous. We arrived and figured out our tent situations and got our camp set up. Had dinner, watched the kids do some square dancing, had a devotional, and then we had a family home evening around the campfire. We asked our kids to share a pioneer story, or a favorite scripture story. I was grateful as they began to open up and share some of themselves with everyone. We had a beautiful sunset, and the stars were gorgeous.
As we went to bed, the wind picked up - it was CRAZY. Sometime after 1:00 it died down and we were all finally able to get to sleep.
The next morning we hitched up our handcarts and traveled to the Veil Bridge which connects the present with the past. The original land owner requested that his posterity never allow a plow to touch the ground there, and so the landscape is the same as it was back in the 1850's. We had a devotional in Dan's Cove, and then spent time in Martin's Cove. When President Hinckley dedicated the Cove in 1997, he stated that the spirits of those who gave their lives there were there. Although Wyoming doesn't have a temple, this land was dedicated as a temple and hallowed ground - made hallowed by the sacrifices. While in the Cove, I had some very distinctive experiences, and I think I took care of 6 months worth of crying(and for the record - I really don't cry.) It was a very special experience for both myself and my husband.
Later, we had the opportunity to cross the Sweetwater river. The young men were given the opportunity to carry people across the river if they so desired - which I believe was a very special experience for many of the, and then the men were called away to the Mormon Battalion. The women had a short devotional with a very interesting topic. It was pointed out that most women at some time in their lives will have to pull their carts on their own. Whether through lack of finding a worthy mate, divorce, or death the likelihood is great. They talked about the similarity of the YW values as pioneer values, and then - the Young Women were asked to pull their carts on their own. The men lined the path, took of their hats and silently watched as these strong young women carried all of their belongings as well as a 'sick' person up the steepest and sandiest hill. My young sisters told me it was the hardest thing they had ever done in their lives.
Most were hot and tired when we got back to camp. My daughters and I slipped away to quickly shampoo our hair, and then we were informed about a last minute change of plans which allowed us to go (girls first, then boys) play in the river for 30 minutes to cool down. That was a blast!
We then had dinner, more square dancing, a fireside, then a bonfire testimony meeting. That night after the kid's chatting died down, the wind picked back up - it was another tough sleep night.
In the morning, we broke down our camp, and reloaded our cart. One of our daughters had a great idea on how to do it, but the stuff STILL seemed to fall off - just not as often as previously. We started talking about movies and everyone finally started to really laugh, bond, and have lots of fun together. We got back to the pick up area a little bit early, and had some extra time, so 4 of the youth in our family and we decided to go an extra couple of miles and visit Devil's Gate. What a BEAUTIFUL area - probably the most pretty of it all - definitely worth the extra mileage! Afterwards, we loaded up and headed home.
I'm so grateful for the wonderful experience we had. We really were able to connect with several of our 'children' and it was truly and amazing experience.
Although - the shower and clean bed were REALLY nice last night too! I must be getting older, cause I really like my own bed A LOT!
