Heritage Gateways

Brent C (B.C.) Moore Journals

July 8, 1997

Location: Miller Station, Wyoming - Between Granger and Fort Bridger.

Summary: Granger to Miller Station -- Hot, tired, getting close to Utah

Journal entry: Today I stayed in camp with Amy. She was still wiped out, and I wasn't feeling too great either. We helped to shuttle vehicles forward to the next camp while the other walkers and wagons were on the trail. We oficially passed the 1,000 mile mark today. It was a hot day, and we were concered for the safety of the walkers all day. I could hear the conversations over the radio that the water and porta-pottie drivers use. They were constantly talking back and forth about where to move the trucks and if the walkers needed more water.

Until today I had no idea what a massive operation it really is to transport all the water. Steve, the CES volunteer in charge this week, went up to Lyman to negotiate a deal with the city to obtain water from a fire hydrant. Until today, the crew had been getting water from the city of Green River for a small price. In addition to the 1000 gallon tanks that fit in the back of a pickup truck, they have to fill the huge water tanker truck. They spent part of the morning setting up horse troughs around camp and filling them. The rest of the crew was either filling their tanks in town or meeting the wagon train for periodic breaks along the trail. All of the water crew are seminary teachers who have volunteered to come out for a week or two. They do a wonderful job.

Our campsite is right next to I-80. The cars are whipping by, but some people see us and pull over to take pictures. From camp we can see the Uintah mountains. They still have snow on the north face. It is rather strange to see them, since they are the first familiar landmarks for me along the trail. I have actually spent weeks hiking and fishing along the highline trail. I have climbed up King's peak, the highest peak in Utah. That reminds me -- somewhere between here and those nearby mountains lies the Utah-Wyoming border. We are close to Utah!

At our evening prayer meeting, James Arrington's sister, Susan, shared some stories about pioneer children on the trail. She has researched and compiled a lot of these stories and written a book entitled, "I Walked to Zion". I marvelled to hear her share these stories, many of which she could tell by heart. It was as if she had been there 150 years ago on the trail and knew these children personally. We are ready for another day. All is well.