Earlier this week my friend, Diane, and I went on a lovely walk. We have access to a beautiful walkway that not only follows a river but also takes you past ruts from the Oregon Trail!
As we followed the swollen river we sometimes had to forge our own path around flooding. We talked and enjoyed watching Diane's dogs play in the water.
We were talking about the thousands of people who followed the Oregon Trail, passing over this same land. We thought about the motivation those folks had. We pondered the amount of courage it took for them to leave the lives they knew, not quite knowing where they were going. So many died along this trail! They had to have had strong character to survive the discomfort and danger along the way. What would it be like to be a woman on that trek. I found giving birth in a hospital rather uncomfortable, what about women giving birth along this trail?! What about mothers who had to bury their children along the way?
How amazing to be standing there, seeing the same view they saw, but experiencing things so very differently!
1 comment:
So true. I always think about towns that sprung up along the route. I tend to think people who were sick of traveling said, "Meh, this is good enough."I also think those people must have become deeply invested in the community they helped to create.
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