Handcart Trek 2009 - Part 3

This has been TWO MONTHS in coming, but here it is - DAY 3 of our Handcart Trek in July.

On Thursday morning we woke up to rainy and cold weather. Not exactly what we had planned! It was in the 40's! After breakfast we went to the Visitor's Center and watched a very touching presentation there. Have I mentioned that the missionaries were wonderful everywhere we went? In the Visitor's Center, there was a saying posted on a white sheet of paper hanging on the wall. It touched me deeply. On my way out, I noticed a stack of papers with the same saying on it, so it was apparent that I wasn't the only one touched by it, and they had prepared sheets for people to take. The quote was this:

"When you understand the Atonement,
then you understand the joy of being rescued."
-Elder M. Russell Ballard

We put our buckets in our handcarts and headed out. Jesse and Britani didn't come on the trek this day, opting to drive to Rock Creek Hollow and visit there instead. With the rain and cold, Greg and Rachelle almost didn't come either, but they decided to do it, which they were glad for afterward.

The trek was a four mile loop. The first mile was no problem, but after that the conditions on the trail started to deteriorate, as it started to rain more. It was muddy and slippery. It made me think of the Saints going through Iowa in Feb of 1846. The mud and sand splattered all over the bottom of our skirts, and made it really uncomfortable, like sandpaper rubbing on your legs every step you took. I read where the ice that formed on the bottom of the women's skirts cut up their legs. I could see how easily this could happen. At one point we got to a building that looked like a restroom, which I badly needed. We walked up to the doors and they were all locked! I have to confess that this was the point on the whole trek, where I was really tired, frustrated, cold (as in hands numb) and desperate! When those doors were locked, it was very discouraging! This sounds so dumb now, writing from the comfort of home, but I was pretty low at that point. Thankfully, right after that disappointing blow, a missionary showed up and pointed to some older restrooms about 100 yards away that were open.

It was interesting to me at this point, that the missionaries were out there with us, and making sure we were headed in the right direction, but not once did they say, "Are you OK?", or "Do you need some help?", or anything of the kind. And I think they purposely stayed away from that, even though they may have wanted to. After all, a trek has to be a TREK!

After that short break, and hiking up my skirt so it wasn't rubbing on my legs, I was better off.
It was a good thing too, because right around the bend was a hill that was a steep climb. Mary and I had been pushing together on and off, but for awhile she had not pushed. On seeing the hill, I said, "Mary, you've got to push." She started to complain, because her hands were so cold, but I told her that she was absolutely needed, and we couldn't do it without her, which was true. So she put her cold hands on the cart, and with Josh and Jesse pulling, we hit it hard and pushed the cart up the hill. This was harder than the Women's Pull - we really worked hard. (Jesse and Josh will not say that - "it was a piece of cake" is what they would say).

Anyway, when we got to the top, as we were pushing along, Mary started to cry. I think she might be a little embarrassed about me putting that fact in, but her hands were so cold that she was crying. I have to put it in, because of how it made me feel, and the depth of my empathy at that point, as I thought of other mothers long ago, going through much worse. After a minute or two of deep thought, I came to my senses and had Mary stop pushing, take her gloves off, and put her hands under her armpits. This warmed them up and she was fine the rest of the time. (No use suffering/empathizing more than necessary - ha ha!)

We took a short break to get some snacks.One challenge here was the two youngest children started to ball their eyes out in the handcarts. We let them cry for a while, but then Rachelle picked up Lincoln (he is a big, heavy kid), wrapped him in a blanket, and carried him the last mile of the trek.Soon after that, we came to our first river crossing. Before, the boys had taken us all across, but this river crossing, we were to push the handcarts through the river - kids, equipment and all! Some missionaries gave us a short talk (they were out in the rain with us), and then in we went. It wasn't too deep, as you can see in the pictures, but enough to really make you think about ice chunks in the water, and exhaustion, etc.

Bruce went ahead, and took all these pictures of us coming across.
Greg and Joseph pulling the little kids in the handcart.
Josh and Jess pulling, me pushing.Rachelle carrying Libby, with Mary walking beside.

These pictures of Rachelle carrying Lincoln, with Mary walking along side, are so touching to me. Rachelle never complained about this. I kept offering to trade her off, but she wouldn't hear of it. She too wanted to get the "full" experience.Adam and Libby in the back of the handcart. Note the mud!

A short jaunt after that, and we were back to the campground. Whew! That four mile loop was a whole different story than the two days before. As we found out for ourselves, weather conditions in Wyoming change awfully fast, and have a big impact. In retrospect, I am so glad that we had a struggle on that 4-miler, because otherwise, it would have just seemed like a walk in the park. I'm really glad we went through that.

Handcart Trek 2009 - Part 2

In modern times, there is a bridge over the Sweetwater River close to Martin's Cove. In 1856, it was a freezing, ice filled river, with the only bridge being the arms of brave young men. To remember this event, we walked to the edge of the river and Josh and Joseph carried our whole "company" across the water. To say I shed a tear or two watching my boys do this is an understatement.

They started with Peter,and then Libby,and then on down through the company. Here's Joseph picking up Adam,and Josh carrying Jennifer. This picture is priceless. In two years, when he's turning nineteen, I won't be able to look at it at all. :)
Joseph carrying Mary,and Josh carrying Jesse.Joseph carried me across (without even grunting - ha ha),and Josh carried Bruce.Here are the "rescued", waiting for the others. Why Libby is sitting off to the side, I don't know!Three more to go.The missionaries here asked us to do the River Crossing in silence, to maintain a reverent atmosphere. It was a very tender and unforgettable experience.

Speaking of the missionaries - what a difference they made! They were sprinkled out all through the trek, and every time we saw them they told stories, bore testimony, brought the Spirit in, and made connections to our modern day lives. They were wonderful!

After the River Crossing, we stopped at Handcart Parking, as it's called, and had lunch. They had a whole bunch of picnic tables under a pavilion. I looked at the side of one table and saw a plaque indicating that this was an Eagle Scout Project. I think many of the improvements and conveniences all along the trail are Eagle Scout Projects. I know Jesse B. was in a troop where a Scout had started a project and then passed away. Their troop went ahead and finished the project without him, of putting up a flag pole at the Visitor's Center.

The next step was to walk around Martin's Cove.
In our meeting in Dan Jones Cove with Elder Llewellyn, he explained that when Pres. Hinckley dedicated Martin's Cove, he dedicated it as an open-air temple in Wyoming. He said that Martin's Cove and Rock Creek Hollow are two of the most hallowed and sacred places on the earth, because of what transpired there.When I heard this, I was so happy, because I knew that Mary would be able to keep up her streak! Mary has now been to the temple 6 weeks in a row. Five times doing baptisms for the dead in Idaho, and now a 6th time in a very sacred place in Wyoming.

Peter found a rabbit along the trail. (Click on the picture to get a close-up!)
It was so satisfying and wonderful to be there together as a family.
Elder and Sister Sorenson were at the "top" of Martin's Cove, and talked to us there. Sis. Sorenson said something that touched me deeply. She said that Pres. Faust, when asked why the wind and the elements were not tempered by the Lord for the Saints in Martin's Cove, answered that he did not know why, but that those who were involved came out of it with a deep faith, as did those who were involved in their rescue. That was the First Rescue, and in the recent past, those that were involved in the Second Rescue were deeply touched. Sister Sorenson continued, with a break in her voice, that now a Third Rescue was going on, with all the people that were visiting Martin's Cove and going on the Trek, and being touched by the Spirit because of their experiences there. That resonated deeply with me, as my children can testify because I've already told a dozen people about it! Ha ha

I shared the story with her about one of our ancestors, John Clark, who served a mission in Palestine, against the will of his father, who had already lost one son on a mission when he contracted a disease and died while helping the immigrants on Ellis Island on his way home. John and his companion also lost their lives when they contracted smallpox from German immigrants that they were teaching. Ezra Thompson Clark, his father, traveled all the way to Palestine to retrieve their bodies and bring them home. He was not allowed to do so because of the smallpox, so he buried them in Haifa, with a gravestone engraved with their names.

More than a hundred years later, when BYU was attempting to build the Jerusalem Center, an obscure law was brought forth in an attempt to thwart the building, stating that any church that wanted to build a new structure in Jerusalem had to demonstrate a presence in Jerusalem more than 50 years prior to that time. BYU authorities were able to show the graves of John Clark and his companion, with their gravestone, as proof of the Church's presence. John, although unwittingly, just as the Willie and Martin Handcart pioneers, did their part to build up the Kingdom! And they did so with faith and resolve. I am very grateful for their sacrifice!

It truly was wonderful to be in Martin's Cove. I wanted more time there, to sit and meditate, but that wasn't really possible with all the family, so I gathered our family around in a circle and told them I was so glad to be with them there and wanted to be with them forever. Bruce said, "And I kinda like you too." Ha ha We put our hands together in the middle, and did a "Sure love ya" like my family does. :)

After Martin's Cove, we trekked back to the Visitor's Center, which was about 1.3 miles.
Jesse and Britani start teaching their kids early! :)From here we dropped of the handcarts, loaded up the cars, and drove about an hour to Sixth Crossing, which is where the Willie Company crossed the Sweetwater. There is a Visitor's Center here and a nice campground. While Bruce was in talking to the missionaries, it was raining, and Mary took a million pictures of the beautiful double rainbow,while I sat in the car and read "Remember", a book published by the Riverton Wyoming stake about the Handcart companies and the Second Rescue (highly recommended).After we got camp set up, the missionaries called for Square Dancing. We went over and did the Virginia Reel a few times. The other group took too long, so Bruce started calling our own dance, and we moved right along. It was the most fun to watch Brenlee and Libby twirl around and do the reel!Right after the Square Dancing, a wind and rain storm whipped in that made us all hop around. The tinfoil dinners were ready, so we dished out the food to everyone the best we could in the rain and wind. I said, "This is pretty extreme!" I told our friends, "Only certain families I know could handle this, and you guys are some of them!"

Our tents thankfully were all together under a small pavilion, but they were literally inches from each other. Since it was storming so much, as soon as food was eaten, everyone hurried into the tents. The cacophony of sound that ensued was amazing!! I started to laugh so hard. Then Bruce started to crow like a rooster, and of course others followed with mooing, barking, etc. I had to give Peter Peace & Calming essential oil before he would calm down and stop hopping around the tent.

And that was the end of Day 2! To be continued...