Pioneer Trails Workshop, Day 6

The Parting of the Ways. To Oregon or Zion?


We did some awesome off-roading, changed a few tires, used chains to get out of mud bogs, you know - the usual.

This hill was particularly exciting to drive down. The Saints called it gravel hill, and William Clayton wrote this in his journal: "The descent from this hill is the steepest and most difficult we have ever met with, being long and almost perpendicular."

Brigham's rock.

Almost no pics from these days -- how sad!!! For memories, here is a list of things we saw this day:

-Camp Scott

-High Ridge and Philo Dibble Jr. site

-Aspen Ridge

-Sulphur Creek Camp/Bear River Crossing

-Echo Canyon: You can still see piles of rocks where Lot Smith had men staked out to fire on Johnston's Army.

-Cache Cave

-Castle Rock

-Hogsback Summit, aka Heartbreak Ridge: the pioneers would get over Heartbreak Ridge, thinking they were almost there, and see a MOUNTAIN range in their path.

-Big Mountain: the first view of the Valley. By the way, the days lined up just great. We were able to enter the Valley on the 24th of July - same as the first pioneer company of 1847. Again, a really neat moment to get that first view of the valley while reading Jean's journal about her feelings as she looked out at the valley.

-Little Mountain

-Donner Hill

-This is the Place State Park

Whew! Now I want to do a big long post of reflections on this incredible week of my life, and once in a career opportunity....but...I'm really burned out. :) So hopefully, that will come soon!