Sheep Trail

One of the main reasons we came out West was so that Todd and the boys could do Sheep Trail.

My uncle Dan owns a ranch that has sheep. Every summer, to save costs on feed, they herd the sheep from the ranch to some place in Wyoming. They have been doing this since my grandpa owned the ranch. I went half-way when I was in high school and loved it. For years I have wanted Todd to go on it, and as my boys have gotten older I have wanted them to experience it as well.

We drove from Montana to my grandma's house in Randolph the Saturday before trail started. On our drive down, we stopped at a store where my mom purchased cowboy boots and hats for my boys and Todd.

The next day Todd flew into Salt Lake City and drove up to Randolph and we got ready for the trail.
In the 30 years that they have been doing trail, this is the first year that Dan wasn't going. He claims it was because he had too many things at the ranch to do, but we all know it's because his wife, Donna, wasn't going to go.

Dan and Donna are wonderful people. They are hard working and make you feel welcome, especially by their ability to hand you a shovel to help do the chores as well. I have always admired the home that they created; everyone learned to work hard and everyone showed love to each other, yet still all had a sense of humor. Dan is pretty hilarious. He comes up with nicknames for anyone he meets. You almost get offended if you don't get a nickname....which I now realize he never gave me one...hmmm. He wears some pretty shabby clothes because he will not get rid of any thing that is still use able. Dan is the life of the party, everyone wants to be near him, get teased by him, listen to his stories. He's a dare-devil and rule breaker. I don't think he understands the word "cautious". But with his confidence, he really is able to accomplish these dangerous things without any harm. He is also a very good, righteous man. He will help anyone in need, he cares about people. And most importantly, he cares about and loves God. He strives to do what is right.
With the news that Dan wasn't going on trail, Todd was a little nervous. Todd hasn't spent much time around horses, in fact he's only ridden a horse 3 times, all of which have occurred since we've been married. Todd was nervous that one of the boys would get hurt without Dan there. I tried telling Todd that it was probably a little safer with Dan not going, that everyone else is more cautious than Dan and also Dan wouldn't be daring anyone to do some dangerous plight.
Monday morning they started on trail. Jake, my cousin Mary's husband, was in charge of trail, and along with him went Brandon (my cousin), two kids from Dan's program, Meisha (a Russian 19 year-old boy that Dan and Donna have taken in), and a couple of hired-hand sheep herders all went on trail with Todd and my 4 boys.

The boys were so excited to get started. We drove down to the starting point, where the sheep, sheep herders, and horses were all waiting.

Then the fun started.
The evening before the men were gathering up some horses. As Jake was trying to retrieve and select these horses, the horses didn't look promising for they were giving Jake run for his money. They were bucking, rearing, running, and acting crazy. Moments before I was trying to calm Todd's fears about trail, and now I wasn't sure I wanted my boys on these horses. My cousin's husband, Dustin, then informed me that these horses were the pack horses.
There's a hierarchy of horses. There's the ones that are ridden and are more trained and tame, and then there are those that are a little crazy and need a lot of direction. These pack horses had to carry all the supplies on their backs, which could be heavy and if they weren't packed just right, these horses would go even more crazy.
When we got up to the start of the trail the men were trying to get the pack horses ready and packed up. This was our own little rodeo. There was a lot of bucking and tense nerves (mostly mine and Todd's) as the horses got packed and re-packed since they would knock their packs off.
After they finally got all the pack horses packed, then it was time to decide which of the horses everyone was riding.

Roger had no fear of the horses, and actually wanted to help more than I would have liked.  He ran over to his horse and confidently attempted to get on without any one's help. He was chosen to ride , which he jumped on him and took control.

William was helped onto his horse, ........ After he got on, he got some directions, but not a lot. As the men were turning to help with other horses and such, William's horse started rearing back, even bucking a little.
William did a good job of staying on, and while it was happening he stayed pretty calm. Dan calmed his horse down and told William to not pull the reins so tightly. Problem solved, right?

Wrong.
A few minutes later his horse started rearing back again and bucking. William did a good job staying on, but after we got the horse settled down, William started tearing up and crying. I wanted to cry with him, but I didn't want to give him any reason to be scared. I wanted to seem confident so he would be brave.

We got William off his horse and he came into my arms. He asked me if he could just ride behind Todd on his horse. He didn't want to be on the horse alone. My heart went out to him, but it was already decided that Grant would be riding with Todd. It was terrible to see my little boy on a horse that was acting up. And to think of him going up into the mountains, where there weren't any other people, any vehicles, and no cell phone service made me question how wise it was to let him go on trail. But I also knew that it would be a good experience for him, that if he did it, his confidence would grow stronger.

I put on my brave face and told him that I understood why he was scared, but that in life there are a lot of things that are hard or scary. If we give up our dreams to avoid work or out of fear, we will be unhappy. I told him that he could handle riding a horse and that he just needed to get right back on. I squoze him a little harder before I sent him over to Jake. Originally Jake had wanted William to ride ....., so now he had William get on ........

The switching up of the horses made me feel better, but I was still nervous for William is a little guy and could easily get injured,  also Mikey was now riding ......

With everyone on their horses and the horses all packed, they started moving out. By this time I was in the motorhome with the girls. We followed them down the road a quarter of a mile until they went onto the trail and disappeared behind the mountains.

I was so nervous for my men. I kept a prayer in my heart, pleading to God to keep them safe.
The boys started Trail on Monday and we wouldn't see them until Thursday. Doesn't seem that long of a time, but I did miss them. The inability to communicate with them caused me some anxiety, while making me respect my ancestors that wouldn't have communication with loved ones but just had to have faith that everything would be okay.
We spent the next couple of days just hanging out at my Grandma Love's house. I absolutely adore my Grandma. She is the only remaining grandparent I have, but it's okay for she is my favorite. She is the best hostess. She had me and all my kids, then just me and my girls at her house, messing it up, being loud, and not once did she ever give the impression that she was frustrated or upset with all the brought on chaos. Instead she was loving and inviting. She even made her famous cinnamon rolls - which are incredibly delicious and not very easy to make.

I really enjoyed my time with Grandma. We just hung out and took it easy....something that was necessary for a pregnant woman and two little girls.

Most of us enjoyed our time

Wednesday was Roger's birthday. I kept thinking about him, hoping he was having a fantastic day. I had sent a couple of small gifts for him, which I heard were a big success.
One afternoon I was looking at my grandma's coffee table and a little footstool that she had. They were in great proportions to each other and I decided to test them out. I had Evee sit on the footstool, then put it in front of the coffee table. Then I placed her puzzle on top of the table, just barely out of reach. To my surprise and joy, after a few moments Evee grabbed onto the table and pulled herself up to a standing position. Oh, the cheers were loud, and a few tears were shed.

I always applaud any of my kids' progressions, but when you understand and see how much work and effort goes into making the next step, and when it doesn't happen for awhile, when it does happen the joy is so incredible.

 Wednesday evening my mom, Iralee, and I drove up to Star Valley, WY in preparations to greet the boys. Since Cheryl didn't get a traveling license to Wyoming, she offered to have Evee stay with her at my Grandma's house. The drive was a couple of hours, but it was enjoyable. I love my mom, she is just a fantastic woman to spend time with.
That evening we stayed at Dan and Donna's cabin. My cousins Mary, Amanda, and their kids all stayed there as well. Besides watching a very stupid movie, it was a fun night. I just couldn't wait to see my boys, see that William was safe, and be with Todd again.
The next morning it felt as though we were waiting forever for the men to come through. I would have gone crazy waiting if it hadn't been for some enjoyable conversation with Mary, Amanda, and Donna. Just before Mary's senior year of high school she was in a horrific car accident where she had broken her knock - same vertebrae that Christopher Reeves did. Most people who break that one either die or are quadriplegic, less than 10% fully recover. It was amazing to hear the details of the miracle that occurred in saving her life and future, especially since it happened in a small rural town, hours to a city.
Finally the sheepherders and the sheep came up the road. It was an amazing sight for there were two sheepherders and hundreds of sheep. It made me feel as though I was witnessing Man from Snowy River sheep style.

We kept going to where we would see the men coming through the mountains, but they still weren't coming. What seemed like forever, I spied them coming through the pass. I was so excited, I wanted to run meet them...but then I remembered how pregnant I was.

Donna had said that they would come back as different boys. I didn't give that too much thought, but when I saw my boys riding those horses like they were born riding, I understood.

They had no fear, they had control of their horses, and they loved it. They asked if they could ride their horses in the field a little longer, which they did. Then when they were done, they rode the horses to the cabin. I was so impressed to see the proficiency and confidence they had when they handled their horses, feeding them and tying them up as if they had been around horses all their lives.

I was excited to have my cowboy back

One of the two other boys that rode with them celebrated his birthday the day after Roger, both turning 10. Donna had gotten cupcakes to celebrate their birthdays.

The boys loved trail. Since going, they keep asking if they can do it next year. I was so proud of them for being so tough and adventurous. I was grateful that Todd took good care of them. He had some good time with them, they all had their own little inside jokes for awhile.
It was an experience they'll never forget.