More Stories: 14th Ward Handcart Trek

Handcart Trek: 14th Ward Rocky Ridge

A number of years ago when I was in the High Council of the stake our ward decided to go on a trek. This would be the second one that we have had in the ward or at least the wards we had been in for the last number of years. Our first one we went to Days Canyon across from Sheep Creek in Spanish Fork Canyon. Jeff was the young man over the trek and Linda Baird the young woman. It was quite an experience and I think that I have written about it before and in fact may have written about the other two as well. However I will not write about that one at this point on the second two. I did mention these as I wrote about my cameras so part of this is probably already done.

This trek was to Wyoming and we had a number of ward firesides in preparation for the trek. One of them was with a couple in the ward who were currently serving missions there during the months that they were open at Sixth Water, and Martin’s Cove. They talked about some of the special experiences and sacred experiences that occur there each year involving youth groups and other visitors. Some where children’s voices could be heard and after the people had reported it to the missionaries a couple of times the missionaries would explain that he happens and it is not something to worry about. The voices are having fun not in distress and they believe it could be some of the pioneer children. They also talked about the rattle snakes that are so plentiful there and the need to stay on the trails and use caution when walking along the trails. The state of Wyoming has forbidden the killing of the snakes. We later learned that his statements were quite true in the latter case for us at least.

We started by loading on buses early in the morning and traveling to Wyoming. It was a long ride but short compared to the distances the pioneers traveled by foot. We stopped at several places along the way and ate lunch at one of them. Loren and Brittany were both with Marie and I and so it was fun for us. We stopped at Sixth Water the first night and set up camp. We had supper that we cooked over fires and then had a fireside program that evening. The youth were all quite excited and getting to bed that night was not easy. In the morning after breakfast we went over to where the pioneers had actually crossed the river and where we could see the draw up which they pulled their carts. We then went back and got onto the buses and took what seemed like a very long ride up to the memorial at the top of the draw. We had to travel around the area and come in form the opposite side where we would find the carts ready for the loading of our gear. We had a short discussion at the monument after loading the carts and then began the 14 mile pull across Rocky Ridge to Rock Creek Hollow. The place where the pioneers had stopped in the Martin and Willie Handcart companies and buried a number of the families that had died while crossing that part in the cold winter storm. It was here at Rock Creek Hollow where we had a experience that made the trek so memorable to us.

It was that year that Loren had been diagnosed with Diabetes. As we were crossing that 14 miles we were told not to eat but we had fruit for Loren since his body would need the food. He refused to be different than any one else and refused to eat. When we got to Rock Creek we set up camp and then couldn’t find Loren. Marie, Sister Dahle , who had a child with diabetes and lots of experience dealing with it, and Bishop went with us to find him. When we did at the north end of the area we could tell from how he was talking that he was suffering from very low blood sugars, I tried to reason with him to come back to camp and get some food but all he wanted was to be left alone and. SIsiter Dahle knew we had to get some sugar into him and finally when all other efforts to get him to cooperate failed I tackled him and took him to the ground, well at least that was my intensions and they didn’t succeed until Bishop helped. He later told me he knew that was what needed to happen but didn’t want to make the move until I did and then he was right there with me. We forced Loren to eat some candy, Skittles, which we had to force into his mouth and which he kept spitting out but finally there was enough sugar into his system that he came around and began to be himself again.  

We were very careful to make sure he had sufficient food the remainder of the trip. After a very good fireside that night we went to bed again with some long suffering since the youth were still quite wound up.

The next morning we boarded the buses and traveled to Martin’s Cove. We loaded the carts again after a special fireside and instruction period conducted by the missionaries at the visitor’s center. We then pulled the carts over to the bottom of the cove and took the trek up around the cove. Marie and I and our children had been there years ago with a ward campout and it had really changed over the course of the years. We had gone at that time to the top of the ridge forming the cove and looked down into it before hiking down the hill to be in the cove. This time they had made a walking trail that was paved up around the point of the cove and out the other side. There was a place even at the top of the cove where they had made a seating area to talk about the pioneers. Marie and I had a special experience there on the way out as we caught up with Sister Kaen Long who was on the trek with us. As we talked about the events surrounding the cove and then did some casual conversation she turned and looked at us and said, “You have never really ever stopped being our home teacher have you.” I had been their families home teacher when Marie and I had first moved into the ward and yes I always had felt close to them even though we had been in different wards for a time in between then and this experience and were now back into the same ward. It was really special.

After we got back to the carts we then continued down to the camping area where we were to stay for that evening before leaving the next day. We went through the river where the saints had been carried across since so many of them were too weak to face another crossing in the cold. Three young men had carried many of them across and stories about them are a part of church history. Anyway our experience was so different form the pioneers since we were crossing in the summer and not the winter and in a time when the water was at a much lower flow. We had a water fight before proceeding on to the camp. It was along that trail after the water when we saw, and Loren was the one to spot it, a large Rattle Snake sunning on the top of a sage brush bush next to the trail. I photographed it when I got there but otherwise we left it alone. Later that day when the boys were taking the carts back to Martin’s Cove Visitor’s Center Loren again saw a snake in the middle of the trail. They had been running with the carts and apparently almost stepped on it before seeing it. It was not coiled so didn’t strike at them even though it could have. He had now seen two and been the one to spot it both times. After an evening around the campfire again we went to bed. It was a little easier that nigh tot get the youth to bed. The next morning we went to Devil’s Gate and Signature Rock before traveling home. When we got to each area we got out and were able to explore each of the areas. Devil’s gate was a narrow gorge near Martin’s cove and Signature rock is a famous rock sticking up out of the ground about 50 feet upon which many of the early pioneers and other traveling along the Oregon Trail would stop and sign their names on the rock. Loren again was the one who when climbing the rock found another Rattle Snake well up on the rock. He found all three of the snakes that we had seen during that trek experience. We enjoyed the rock and again Marie and I had been there during that ward family camp experience many years ago but it was still fascinating to see all of the signatures that had been scratched into the rock in so many places.

Our trip back was uneventful and long but we had really enjoyed the three days with the youth and for Marie and I learned some very important information for Loren.