The Hike

On July 13Th, Friends and family made the arduous hike to the slide area above Alpine in Wyoming. Sue had been planning on going since last march and it had originally been planned as an overnight er. A week before the hike Ron Hart and I hiked in to scout out the area to see the difficulty and opportunity for camp sites. Because we are two old fat guys we concluded that it would not be a good idea to do the overnight er and have to pack packs in.(everybody else probably could have done it but we didn't think we could) The hike to the top of the saddle where the slide started is 5 miles with an elevation gain of 4,000 feet. The first mile you gain 300 feet, the second mile you gain about 600 feet. the last half mile you gain nearly 1,000 ft, for an altitude of 9,430 ft at the saddle. I noticed some of the lowlanders(think Ohio at 600 ft above sea level) were sucking a little air, and that was at the parking lot!!! It was interesting to note the different types of hikers we had. There were those that were primarily interested in fashion and how they looked, I think Pattie Norgard from Pocatello fit in that group. There were those that were determined to make the rest of us look bad, i think Babe with his 60 lb pack and cameos fit into this group. (although those apples and candy bars along with the ducth oven potatoes and the fresh peeled shrimp and the sparkling apple juice were a nice touch.) Then there were the cross country runners.....I'm not even going there, although Jeff Horsely is a horse, he carried the steel box up the last 500 ft straight up with out so much as breaking a sweat. And then there were those of us who were just hoping our hearts legs an knees would hold out along with our emotions. We were a diverse group as someone commented and we considered it a tribute to Stove Bob, Scott and Robert that they could bring such a group together. I got to the trail head early, Pam wanted to hike in by herself so I took her up the trail about a mile to a junction with the box we had made as a memorial and hiked back to the trail head for the rest of the group that were meeting at 7. On the way up and back the dew from the plants along the trail had soaked me up to my waist. I was surprised to see the look on some faces when they saw me thinking they were going to have to cross a stream waist deep and how cold it was going to be.
One of the reasons for the hike was to take a box up to the slide area
and leave it for others and for future visits from Friends and family.
I think twelve different people helped carry the box up to the top.
The hike in was good It took a little bush sacking in places but
whoever was leading did a good job. For the most part the group stayed pretty close together. We stopped at the 3mile mark and had a bit of a snack. As we neared the top we came around a corner and I saw both Sues standing and looking, it was their first look at where the slide had happened. It was a somber moment for all. We could still see the snow field from the slide. As we got closer both Sues went in the last
little bit alone so they could spend some time with their thoughts and
their husbands uninterrupted. The area was beautiful it was so green. After a little while the children and then the rest of us went in. My hood which had been torn off was still on the the snow along with some other parts. The week before I Had found both Scott and Bobs goggles on the snow. From the snow field up to the saddle it was almost a thousand feet and about a half mile. It was a challenge to climb that last Little bit but up on top it was a spectacular view. We staked the box down and read some letters followed by a prayer. As we contemplated on the area it was easy to feel a feeling of sacredness and the feeling that we were standing on hollowed ground. In my heart I know those good men were with us. On the way back we split up a little. Some went out the way we had riddin along the ridge tops. They were rewarded with the same view that we had had the day we had riddin in. After we all made it back we were treated to a wonderful meal by Ron and Kathy Hart, Haily Myers and Grandma and Grandpa Clark. Perhaps as some of you I had a difficult time convincing myself to go as the time got closer to go but it was a good thing for me and I hope for everyone else who went. I have been amazed and overwhelmed at times by the love and kindness that has been shown to both Sues. I am grateful that I can associate with good people such as you.
Wade

Avalanche Site

Running for Robert

The Soda Springs July 4th Rotary 5k brought in a record number of runners this year. This came as no surprise seeing as this year's run was dedicated to Robert Clark. There were so many friends and family members participating and it was so fun to see them all cross the finish line. Thanks Robert & Sue for inspiring us all to get out there and run! Everyone had a great time and Sue was a wonderful host for this rowdy crowd!

Also, the race director, Bill Horsley, wrote this a while back.

"Many of Robert Clark’s friends and family expressed a desire to run the July 4th Rotary fun run as a tribute to Robert’s memory. When I was approached with this idea I immediately thought that this would be a great opportunity to create a much more lasting and meaningful tribute by creating a fund to benefit young runners in the Soda Springs XC program that may not be able to participate without a little help with the expense of shoes and appropriate running attire."

There was over $1,300 donated! Thanks to everyone who was able to contribute!

Ridin' For Robert

Robert and Sue are known for their ability to get very young kids up on their hand-built waterski. A lot of family and friends got their start on that little plywood ski, some just two years old. It is one of the coolest things to see little kids out there - usually not knowing what has happened.

Robert and Sue brought us a ski last year to get our twin girls up on. They had obviously put time into bending the front up, cutting it out, making fins and footstraps out of nothing. Robert told me that it was a prototype, but the next one would be pink and better than the first. All summer I wanted to be able to call Robert and Sue to tell them we got the girls up on it, but it never happened.
I decided to strip down the ski that Robert made to bare bones and make it the sweet dude he planned on. Brooklyn helped me sand it down so I could fiberglass it and paint it. The ski ended up looking great. I finished Friday night after way too many hours of labor, determined to go boating Saturday and MAKE them get on it.




I'll keep it short and say that both of my girls were thrilled to get out on it and when I asked them if they were ready to get off, they both replied "not yet!" They did it several times each. We were Ridin' For Robert. Thanks Robert and Sue, you can add two more to your long list of young riders.

Straight to Eternity

Last week was our Dad and Mom’s 22nd Anniversary, it was a hard day for everyone especially Mom.
Us kids just wanted to thank our parents’ for choosing each other and getting married. What a wonderful
Life Together! We would Like to send up a special thanks to our Dad, for he has engraved many fun and
Hilarious memories into our hearts.
Thank you, Mom and Dad,
Love Kaycie, Quincie & Sydnie

Have you ever seen a cutier couple? Mom thought he looked like Tom Selleck. What do you think?

We don't know if many of you know this, but our Mom was a total cow girl( Rodeo Queen and the whole works) when our Dad fell in love with her. So as the wedding was being planed our Dad would say "NO COWBOY RECEPTION". Take a look at his boutonniere it's a "horse turd" can't get much more cowboy than that.
That's Dad Laughing as always.

This comes from Sue Rice. Thanks Sue.

"As I was looking through some pictures, I found these of Robert this past Christmas.

My grandaughter, Kira, doesn't warm up to people very easily, but Robert won her over when he sat and played the piano with her. It is a special memory for all of us.

Also, Robert and the girls came over to take the kids for a snow machine ride around the yard. They still talk about "Uncle Robert taking them for a ride". One of them even went in their pajamas. They will always remember it and it is a picture that will forever be in my heart of how good he was with our babies. We miss him so much."

Memorial Day Weekend

The Clarks got together last weekend and had the opportunity to visit Robert's grave and the beautiful headstone Sue picked out. Can you see the little snowmobiler on the mountain? How perfect. This weekend was the perfect opportunity to reflect back on Robert's life on this earth. Never a dull moment. He is missed every day...every second. Robert will always live on through Sue, Kaycie, Quincie and Sidney. You can't help but feel humbled and full of love when you're around these ladies. Thank you Robert for marrying a woman as lovely as Sue and producing three great girls. We love the Robert Clark family and are so glad to know that Robert's memory will live on throughout this earthly life...until we meet again.