Camping tonight at Register Cliffs: Mary Ann's Diary

We left Fort Laramie behind this morning. Our wagon train drew lots for the third train to leave today, since we were too many wagon trains to all leave at once. The clever wooden odometer on our wagon wheel tells us we have come eleven miles from the fort to Register Cliff, where we will camp tonight. I am so glad for the monuments and mileposts of the trail, as it gives us all something to look forward to, and a feeling of accomplishment as we pass the mileposts one by one.

Register Cliff, Wyoming. Public Domain Image.
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My father took my brother Edward, and James and a few other men, to see the cliff up close. He didn't tell them beforehand that he was going to show them where he carved his name and date on his first trip to Oregon in 1850. Our family knew, of course, from his stories when he returned in 1851. I wonder if they will do any carving this afternoon. I hope James will carve our names and the year.

Register Cliff close-up snippet: Copyright Creative Commons
Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. By Chris Light

 

We stayed so many days at Fort Laramie, that we will have to be back on the trail first thing tomorrow morning. Tonight there will be folk dancing after dinner, and singing before lights out. I love it when we all sing the old hymns together. My favorite is "Abide With Me". It only came out a few years ago, but everyone knows the words already.

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide;
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.

 

I am very young but I have learned that Jesus will help us in the little things if we but ask Him, and not only in the great concerns of life. It truly is like the new hymn we learned back at Fort Laramie - we do have such a friend in Jesus.