We were Pioneers....for a few days!

Clark, Bethany, Elinor and I (Abe) had an Amazing experience last Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We went to Martin's Cove for a Mormon Pioneer Handcart Trek in Wyoming!

Here are the four of us all decked out in our pioneer garb at the start of the trail with Devil's Gate behind us. That first day the wind was REALLY blowing.... hence the big coats for the girls.

During the "Trek", we covered about 14 miles pulling a real handcart. It was awesome, and the landscape was breathtaking. We were part of a "Pioneer Company" comprised of homeschooling families - totalling nearly 200 people of all ages!! We camped and cooked with 2 other families from our neighborhood. Here, Beth and Els are surrounded by friends from these 2 families.



Getting ready for the first big "Pull"!










The Sweetwater River was our constant companion.












Trekking with your friends.....it doesn't get much funner than this!!









Our first night camping we had a Super-Fun HUGE Square Dance. Bethany especially got into it.







Here is Clark with one of his trail-buddies enjoying our camp fire.












We pulled single file along the trail.







Our three families became one giant family as we worked, played, cooked and some of us even swam together in the very cold Sweetwater.....If Clark and I had brought swimsuits we would have been some of those shivering people.





After that first VERY windy day the weather got much nicer.









This was just before some of our "Trek-family" members jumped into the river....while the rest of us watched.










Here Els and her friend are walking down the trail after touring the actual Martin's Cove.










However, that didn't last too long before she started to really run out of gas and needed a lift.










Els and R. taking a quick break in the only shade around.



The Resident Camp Snake-Whisperer, otherwise known as my son, Clark, caught bare-handed a pretty darn big Gopher snake (non-poisonous) that had wandered into camp. He gave a mini-lecture on this particular species of snake to all the people who had gathered around and then, after a couple pictures, he walked a long ways from camp to release it. I'm not making this stuff up!! He is amazing with reptiles!! They just seem to come to him. He is a Parselmouth!!


Here the kids have just received letters from their mother delivered via the "Pony Express". It was very touching and sweet.







Our "Trek-Grandpa" brought some marbles and taught the kids some old-time marble games.










Here is our full 3-families-joined-for-3-days wonderful "Trek Family".






What a special experience this was for the four of us! We missed Betsy (and of course Cannon and Faith) not being with us....but with Bets being basically 8 months pregnant, I didn't want her to actually have the baby on the Wyoming high-plains.

We got home safe Saturday evening and we will NEVER forget our Pioneer Trek!