Martin's Cove, Wyoming

I was privileged to get to go with the youth from our church branch to Martin's Cove, Wyoming, to walk the path that our pioneer ancestors walked in that area while pulling handcarts. It was an amazing experience, and filled with beautiful country. We pulled handcarts loaded with our gear along the trails where the pioneers walked, got rained on, had tents blown down, flooded, and broken, and got to see the local wildlife. No, rattlesnakes were not the only wildlife we saw, but the only ones that got close enough to us to see well. The antelope kept their distance. The snake in the picture was almost stepped on by a boy from our pioneer "family."

This is the double rainbow we got to see the first night after we survived the first rain storm.
This is hill that is right next to the area before you go up into Martin's Cove. These two pictures are of Devil's Gate, the landmark that the pioneers looked for while crossing the plains. These are the girls and their father that I took from our branch. They were the only two, and no trouble at all, so it was like a mini vacation of sorts to be free from looking after kids.

These are some of the kids from our "family", along with our handcart.This is the dog that became our shadow while on our trek. His name is Oscar, and he hangs out at this place most of the summer. He attaches himself to the different handcart groups and goes with them everywhere until they leave, and then he finds a new group to follow. He spent the night at our campsite, barking at the coyotes as they started to howl. He was featured in the "Friend" magazine in July, and we heard some very neat stories about him from the missionaries at the visitor's center.

It was a totally amazing and spiritual experience, and I hope that one day I can take my children and Shane with me to experience the place with me.