Starting July 1, 2016 the missionaries began leading youth trek groups over Rocky Ridge. Rocky Ridge came by its name naturally enough. This rugged, boulder-strewn path stretches for about 12 miles, across two high ridge shelfs, crossing Strawberry Creek and passing the old ghost town of Lewiston. At its summit, the trail ascends about 700 feet in two miles, causing the pioneers no small amount of grief. The rock cuts left here by emigrant wagon wheels are among the most dramatic trail remnants remaining on Wyoming's westward emigrant trails. The trail has great visual integrity and appears to have undergone little disturbance since the pioneers passed through the area in 1856.
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| Trek On! |
On the eastern edge of Rocky Ridge sits a monument to the suffering endured by the Willie Handcart Company, after they were trapped here in October 1856. With no food and inadequate clothing, the Willie Handcart Company watched as the snow began to fall and the temperatures plummeted to temperatures well below freezing. Fifteen people froze to death on the trail before they were eventually rescued.
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| Willie Handcart Company Rescue Monument |
William Clayton in 1848 writing about Rocky Ridge said, "Rough, rocky ridges – Dangerous to wagons, and ought to be crossed with care." Gordon B Hinckley in 1992 described the trail as "a trail of tragedy, a trail of faith, a trail of devotion, a trail of consecration, even the consecration of life itself."
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| Climbing Rocky Ridge |
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| Climbing Rocky Ridge |
In another address President Hinckley went on to say, “"I have walked with those of the handcart companies. I have in my imagination felt something of the cold, and have been chilled down to the very bones. I think I have felt in a very small degree something of the terrible, gnawing hunger which afflicted them for a long period of time. I think I tasted, as it were, the thin flour gruel. I think I walked through the snow . . . desperately sick, desperately hungry. I've seen those who dropped and died there. I've seen those who came with great expectations for their lives, bringing treasured things from their homes, who left them [on the trail] unable to carry them on. What a day for remembering. What a time to reflect on those who laid the foundation for all that we enjoy."
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| Rocky Ridges of Life |
As we have said before (see our “Rocky Ridges of Life” post), we all face rocky ridges in our lives, with the wind in our face and winter coming on too soon. Occasionally we reach the top of one summit in life, as the pioneers did, only to see more mountain peaks ahead, higher and more challenging than the one we have just traversed. And how will we feel then, as we stand shoulder to shoulder with the great pioneers of Church history? How will they feel about us? Will they see faith in our footsteps? I believe they will. We will learn, as did our pioneer ancestors, that it is only in faith–real faith, whole souled, tested and tried–that we will find safety and confidence as we walk our own perilous pathways through life. We are all bound together – 19th and 20th century pioneers – in our great journey to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and to allow His atoning sacrifice to work its miracle in our lives. May we endure life's trials well, is our prayer.
Elder and Sister Bowden
