14 August 2018 - Tuesday

14 August 2018 - Tuesday

Our day to trek Rocky Ridge finally arrived!  We were up at 3:30am and ready to gather at the Pavilion next to our trailer right at the appointed time of 5:00am.  We have been looking forward to this experience, and count it as one of our many significant and sacred experiences here on this mission.  Mom and I have wanted to be personally involved in this trek to feel and experience, in a very small way, those sacrifices made by the Willie Handcart Company.  And we were not disappointed.  As our group of about 30 missionaries prepared to leave the Missionary Village, I was asked to give the prayer on our days activities.  What a special privilege and tender mercy that was!

On our way to Sixth Crossing, one of the Elders shared this story.  I knew, as he was sharing this story, (and the emotion he had in his voice for his part in this story), that I wanted to share it with all of our family and friends;

He was working in an area that had a homeless man who lived in and out of the office building he occupied.  Over the months, this homeless man would come into the building at night and use the restroom and check out the food in the office refrigerator.  This Elder was in charge of several associated groups involved in the Scouting program that used this building at different times.  On one  given morning, he had a meeting with about 30 individuals, and was giving a presentation to them in the downstairs meeting room.  He could hear, and ultimately smell, this homeless man coming into the offices.  He had his secretary try to move him along out of the building. When that did not work he tried to "shoo" him off himself, feeling somewhat embarrassed that he was there.  

Then, one of the members of this training group, a Priest in the Catholic Church, saw this man in the hallway sitting down on the floor.  He went up to him, knelt down beside him, and took his hand, and called him by name, and asked if he was all right. He asked him if he was hungry and if he needed some help.  This Elder was in tears on how this Catholic Priest had "ministered to this homeless man, and was obviously very sorry for not having taken the lead with trying to help the homeless man himself.  What a wake-up story for me!  

Why wouldn't we be the first to see if he was OK?  Or if he needed something to eat?  I hope that I do not ever miss an opportunity, going forward, to be like this Catholic Priest!  This really struck me and helped me to realize we have everything the Lord has revealed to us through a Prophet, and that there are many "homeless" people who need to be cared for, and ministered to, in our neighborhoods and in our communities, and, perhaps, within the boundaries of our own families.  

We were traveling from the Missionary Village, to Sixth Crossing site, to add a few more senior missionaries to our group.  We then traveled together to Sage Camp, about two miles from Rocky Ridge to begin our experience.  The Sixth Crossing missionaries worked with all the trekking groups this summer who trekked over Rocky Ridge.  They made this experience even more significant by sharing several pioneer stories along the 10 miles mom and I trekked.

The skies over our trek at 7:00am this morning

The sunrise just beginning to appear over the trekking missionaries

We had a very cool morning as the sun came up 

The temperatures were in the low 70's as we began our trek.  Mom and I were quiet as we walked the beginnings of the trek up toward the Rocky Ridge.  This was the most challenging day for the Willie Handcart Saints and we were walking, virtually, in those sacred footsteps.

The memorial near the beginning of the 27 hour ordeal on October 22, 1856

We started about two miles below Rocky Ridge.  The pioneer Saints were beginning what would be, for many of them, a 27 hour challenge that would lead to 15 of their group dying, and being buried at Rock Creek Hollow.  In front of the memorial in the picture above is the probable trail that the Willie Company used on that extremely challenging day.

The Mormon Trail is marked by these trail markers

This is a trail that parallels the actual trail just east of us on private property

It was very quiet, this morning, as we walked the first two miles.  Looking around the open area, I could imagine the 18 inches of snow and the pioneers struggling in minus 11 degree weather, with unprecedented faith, to climb this trail that  rises about 700 feet in a little over three miles.  They were hungry, cold and very close to death.  But they were driven with the desire to follow a Prophet and to not leave anyone behind.  

I can't express enough, how they were so anxious to help one another, when they could barely help themselves.  James Kirkwood, Bodil Mortensen, Levi Savage, Millen Atwood, Andrew Smith, James Willie, and so many others, who struggled and helped others while in the process of giving their all to help each other make it to the next camp site.

This is Rocky Ridge

Another view of Rocky Ridge

A view back from the top of Rocky Ridge

The Rocky Ridge stretches for miles in both directions

Some handcart wheel marks over the rocks

As you view the Rocky Ridge area in these pictures, and imagine the struggles and challenges that went in to getting over this ridge, and then on to another 10 miles to Rock Creek Hollow, let me tell you about Andrew Smith.  He was 19 years old and was baptized into the Church in Scotland.  He was traveling to Zion as a young single man, with his future father-in-law, Joseph McKay.  Andrew was asked to be in charge of 18 other people assigned to his tent.  He was a trusted individual.  His tent mates included three widows and their children along with several others.  One of these widows was Margaret Kirkwood. the mother of James Kirkwood.  

On this fateful day in October, as they were ascending Rocky Ridge and then trekking into Rock Creek Hollow, he personally helped these widows make this effort to climb this challenging trail.  He would get to the top of the ridge, carrying one of them, and then return back for another.  He did this four times before the sub captain of 100, Millen Atwood, told him; "Hold on there Andrew boy, hold on!  You have done enough boy!  The Lord knows you have done enough!"  

As mom and I were looking at that 700 foot rise over the three mile distance, we were so grateful for Andrew's efforts and his commitment to fulfill the assignment given to him to take care of those assigned to his tent.  And while Andrew was fulfilling his work with the widowed ladies, James Kirkwood was fulfilling his charge to make sure his brother Joseph made it to camp.  One man survived the ordeal and one gave his life to save his brother.  There is nothing to compare with being on that trail, today, and hearing these stores of faith and courage and love for one's fellow beings.  The word that comes to mind is; "Remember".

Mom and I will cherish this experience

Our trek today was about ten miles.  Others in our group went the full distance of 15 miles, but we felt that what we had experienced was worth our time and effort.  We were picked up at the Strawberry Creek campground along with about 30 other missionaries and drove the last few miles into Rock Creek Hollow.  There were several of the senior missionaries that elected to walk the last few miles, but this distance sufficed for mom and me.  The Sixth Crossing missionaries had lunch for us at Rock Creek Hollow, and then our traveling group squeezed into one of the Church pick-ups and headed for home.  

It was so good to get home to our trailer, and to our refuge from the world!  The day was perfect for us and the experiences were touching and significant.  Once we are all reunited together, we will have so much to add to the details of our experiences here in the Wyoming Mormon Trail Mission!  We are grateful for the privilege and the honor we have been given to serve this mission along with our precious mission experiences in Nauvoo and Carthage!  We love you!  Thank you for joining us tonight!