BetterMost, Wyoming & Brokeback Mountain Forum
Our BetterMost Community => BetterMost People => Topic started by: Front-Ranger on April 12, 2019, 11:12:14 am
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Who's interested in gathering on Brokenback to pay our respects and perform the last wishes for John Trudell? The July 4th weekend has been suggested. July 4 is on a Thursday, and it is the traditional date of the Ten Sleep Rodeo, an old-time small-town rodeo such as Jack would have participated in. The actual date is up to leader Dana, but I'm just trying to take the temperature of interest here.
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I won't be able to make it. :(
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Who's interested in gathering on Brokenback to pay our respects and perform the last wishes for John Trudell? The July 4th weekend has been suggested. July 4 is on a Thursday, and it is the traditional date of the Ten Sleep Rodeo, an old-time small-town rodeo such as Jack would have participated in. The actual date is up to leader Dana, but I'm just trying to take the temperature of interest here.
I would love to get back to Wyoming again (hell, I'd settle for Colorado), but even when I am present to support the grieving, I feel weird and uncomfortable at funerals/memorials/etc. for people I did not know. It feels like intruding.
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I'm going to try to finalize accommodations for the Wyoming trip today. It looks like folks will stay at some new cabins just south of Ten Sleep on July 3-4, within walking distance of the rodeo. Then, we have tent camping planned for the 5th on or near Brokenback. We taking a suite at the Occidental Hotel in downtown Buffalo for the 6-7th. Then, back to Denver. Attendees so far are Larry (Oregondoggie), Dana, Lynne, me, and Adam. There is room for one or two more.
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Well, we've made reservations for everyone and there is a comfortable range of accomodations from tents to cabins to motel rooms. It's going to be great!
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We're starting our family vacation on July 5th.
I'll be thinking of John and y'all.
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Well, I'm so glad we didn't plan this ceremony for Memorial Day! Less than a week until it, and we have 8" of new snow in Denver! Can't imagine what it's like 200 miles north in the Big Horn Mountains!! John's ashes are on their way to Dana and Adam and I have firm plans to leave Denver on June 27 and make our way in a large clockwise circle through the mountains and Utah and then up into Wyoming to Ten Sleep, with a quick jaunt through Yellowstone. On the 5th, after the ceremony, we'll hop over to Buffalo and stay 2 nights at the Occidental Hotel, then back to Denver on the 7th. I'm still not sure if Lynne and Oregondoggie will join us for the 3rd-5th. :-\
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Tomorrow is the day we leave for parts west and north! Please go with us in spirit because some mountain passes are still closed due to snow. And, it's not too late to join us. . .it looks like there will be more sleeping spaces than we need!
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I’ll be with you all in spirit.
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Thank you Paul and I know the rest of you will be too. We might video parts of it.
Signing off now but I'll come back online probably tomorrow morning. Being offline is hard for me, but my traveling companions will be miffed if I stare at my phone. Ciao!
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Yeah, I'll be with you in spirit too.
And thank you and your travel companions for doing this for John and for all of us.
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Thinking of John and you all today. It's good to know he'll rest up there on Brokenback. Thanks for seeing him home :-*
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New items in the cache, topped by a bouquet for John.
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Frasera speciosa, Monument Plant, lives for 20 years but only flowers once before it dies. It was blooming for John Trudell up on Brokenback Mountain (with Cloud Peak in the distance).
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So, when we went up on Brokenback on July 5, the weather was really poor, spitting rain and almost snow. The temperature was close to freezing. We wandered about, trying to figure out if things would get better or worse. But the weather did improve slightly so we went ahead with the ceremony. The sun even came out for a few minutes as we were tossing the ashes. I began by talking about our community, our family, and how we were all together on Brokenback, our spiritual home. We rededicated the resting places of Jackie, Rodney, and Shadow. We bid their souls to welcome and embrace our departed brother, John Trudell. Then, we unpacked the ashes from the wooden box Dana had provided. Each one of us said a message to John or an anecdote about John before tossing a handful of ashes. At the end, EDelMar tossed the last of the ashes, while I tossed the pine cones that Larry (Oregondoggie) had sent that he had collected at the tent site. Then, we went over to where the cache was in the split rock, and read all the letters and poems that y'all had sent. We then sang "Meet Me on the Mountain", had a swig of whiskey and a smoke, and put everything in the cache. It was a very memorable time, that old cold time on the mountain.
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Thank you all.
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Meryl sent this prayer scarf and Dana and I marveled at the clues to our story and film.
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Sending John's ashes into the bitter, euphoric air.
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We read aloud all the letters and poems you sent.
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We finished by singing "Meet Me on the Mountain."
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More scenes from the tossing.
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Goodbye, John. God rest.
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The last toss was with the pine cones from the tent site that Larry sent.
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Looks wonderful. You did John proud!!!
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Dear Lee, Dana and Adam,
Thank you so much for these wonderful pictures and your report. It gives me joy to see you all on the top of Brokenback and know John's ashes are there for all time. I never expected my little prayer scarf to end up there, but it looks right at home. Lots of love to you all. :-*
Meryl
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Meryl, we felt honored to do this for John and y'all. Our friend Gary, who is not a Brokie, but was traveling with us, took the pictures and was moved to tears even though he had never met John. It was not our eloquence at all, but simply a pouring out of love for John and appreciation of all the many caring things he did. I felt a sacred presence there, the spirits who have gone to Brokenback and who long to gather there in community, fellowship, and brotherhood.
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Thank you so much for this moving report and the pictures, Lee!
You all did a wonderful thing for John, on behalf of all of us.
Thank you all!
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Meryl, we felt honored to do this for John and y'all. Our friend Gary, who is not a Brokie, but was traveling with us, took the pictures and was moved to tears even though he had never met John. It was not our eloquence at all, but simply a pouring out of love for John and appreciation of all the many caring things he did. I felt a sacred presence there, the spirits who have gone to Brokenback and who long to gather there in community, fellowship, and brotherhood.
Lee, I'm not surprised Gary was affected. Brokeback has that effect on all of us, and John was such a special Brokie.
I took some pictures of my mementos before I mailed them to Dana, so I'll post them here for the record. I'm so glad to know they found their way home to Brokenback. Thanks, dear buds :-*
1-Folk art prayer shawl (in the closeups you can see the shirts at the top, one of them the shirt John owned, the other the 2 shirts in the film)
2-An antique harmonica bought in Alberta in 2007 (maybe Paul remembers the name of the town)
3-Various bits collected at the film sites, including cement from the Twist ranch porch (top), a chip of paint from the Rockyford post office (oxidized blue one, bottom), a flattened bottle cap with a maple leaf and stones picked up (I don't remember where)
4-A pine cone, probably from the tent site
(https://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BetterMost/BBM%20prayer%20shawl%202_zpsz8nzkw6p.jpg) (https://s66.photobucket.com/user/merylmarie/media/BetterMost/BBM%20prayer%20shawl%202_zpsz8nzkw6p.jpg.html) (https://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BetterMost/Shawl%201_zpsaln6f6hh.jpg) (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/merylmarie/media/BetterMost/Shawl%201_zpsaln6f6hh.jpg.html) (https://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BetterMost/Shawl%202_zpsl8rguwur.jpg) (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/merylmarie/media/BetterMost/Shawl%202_zpsl8rguwur.jpg.html)
(https://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BetterMost/Harmonica_zpsgbzwzmks.jpg) (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/merylmarie/media/BetterMost/Harmonica_zpsgbzwzmks.jpg.html) (https://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BetterMost/Samples_zpso9rjevya.jpg) (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/merylmarie/media/BetterMost/Samples_zpso9rjevya.jpg.html) (https://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/merylmarie/BetterMost/Pine%20cone_zpsobdpyr80.jpg) (http://s66.photobucket.com/user/merylmarie/media/BetterMost/Pine%20cone_zpsobdpyr80.jpg.html)
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Such wonderful mementos, Meryl! :-*
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I got here eventually, you did John proud.
Nax/Neil
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Thank you for making the trip back to BetterMost, we're glad to see you here!