In 1997 Nicole and I were part of an LDS youth conference where we pulled handcarts for two or three days in Enterprise, Utah. She didn't want to go! She made that clear from the very beginning and she did not smile for our pre-trek family photo. However, she and I had an experience that changed that. One night while on the trek we had to catch wild turkeys for our dinner. Some of the other boys caught the turkey but when we brought the turkey back to camp no one wanted to do the work of preparing it for cooking and eating. We had to kill the turkey pluck its feathers out and skin the turkey before it would ever make it to the Dutch oven. There were two knives and so two were expected to do the work. For the longest time there was much debate on who should have to do it. Fed up with all the arguing Nicole said, "Fine I'll just do it"! At that point I took confidence from Nicole's decision and decided to join her even though it was far beyond anything I had ever done before. She grabbed one knife I grabbed the other and soon we were talking about how to prepare our turkey. She held and I cut and we both bloodied our light colored pioneer style dress. We finished all our preparing and proudly handed the turkey over to the cooks before we washed up. Something about that experience changed both of us. I grew quite fond of Nicole during and after this experience. She participated in all remaining activities with a subtle delight. Then came the night when our leaders quietly pulled off of the handcart the young men who helped push or pull it. This was to replicate the period when the men were called to march with the Mormon battalion, so the young women were left to push and pull the handcarts on their own. Now, pulling with young men and young women was hard enough as it was. It was dark and the trail pitched steeply upward on loose gravel. This would be impossible! But not so. Not when Nicole is at the head of your handcart. I thought she was tough when she volunteered to prepare the turkey but I hadn't seen the half of it. She worked so hard with the other young women to move that heavy handcart up that trail. I stood on the side of the trail dumbfounded. Literally, our Nicole and a few other young women moved that cart inch by strenuous inch up that path. As young men we wept to see their strain and struggle and we desperately wanted to help but could not. We were only able to take supplies out of the wagon to make it a little easier. We took the heaviest things we could carry. Soon, we were nearing the top of the hill when several young women who had already made it to the top came back to help us. Nicole stuck with it to its bitter end. I can't express enough the deep admiration and respect I felt toward Nicole and all the young women. They pulled and pushed the handcarts alone during the most difficult part of the journey! Lest anyone be confused as to Nicole's character she was tough! If there was something difficult to do you could count on Nicole to do it. By the end, she and I and the rest of our trek family had grown quite close. Her heart was softer and she smiled victoriously for our post trek family photo. Now she rests from her arduous trek called life. May her willingness to act when the going gets rough be an invitation for us to hang on a little longer and push for advancement a little harde till we are called to our rest. God be thanked for Nicole Cottam.
Neal Sullivan
In 1997 Nicole and I were part of an LDS youth conference where we pulled handcarts for two or three days in Enterprise, Utah. She didn't want to go! She made that clear from the very beginning and she did not smile for our pre-trek family photo. However, she and I had an experience that changed that. One night while on the trek we had to catch wild turkeys for our dinner. Some of the other boys caught the turkey but when we brought the turkey back to camp no one wanted to do the work of preparing it for cooking and eating. We had to kill the turkey pluck its feathers out and skin the turkey before it would ever make it to the Dutch oven. There were two knives and so two were expected to do the work. For the longest time there was much debate on who should have to do it. Fed up with all the arguing Nicole said, "Fine I'll just do it"! At that point I took confidence from Nicole's decision and decided to join her even though it was far beyond anything I had ever done before. She grabbed one knife I grabbed the other and soon we were talking about how to prepare our turkey. She held and I cut and we both bloodied our light colored pioneer style dress. We finished all our preparing and proudly handed the turkey over to the cooks before we washed up. Something about that experience changed both of us. I grew quite fond of Nicole during and after this experience. She participated in all remaining activities with a subtle delight. Then came the night when our leaders quietly pulled off of the handcart the young men who helped push or pull it. This was to replicate the period when the men were called to march with the Mormon battalion, so the young women were left to push and pull the handcarts on their own. Now, pulling with young men and young women was hard enough as it was. It was dark and the trail pitched steeply upward on loose gravel. This would be impossible! But not so. Not when Nicole is at the head of your handcart. I thought she was tough when she volunteered to prepare the turkey but I hadn't seen the half of it. She worked so hard with the other young women to move that heavy handcart up that trail. I stood on the side of the trail dumbfounded. Literally, our Nicole and a few other young women moved that cart inch by strenuous inch up that path. As young men we wept to see their strain and struggle and we desperately wanted to help but could not. We were only able to take supplies out of the wagon to make it a little easier. We took the heaviest things we could carry. Soon, we were nearing the top of the hill when several young women who had already made it to the top came back to help us. Nicole stuck with it to its bitter end. I can't express enough the deep admiration and respect I felt toward Nicole and all the young women. They pulled and pushed the handcarts alone during the most difficult part of the journey! Lest anyone be confused as to Nicole's character she was tough! If there was something difficult to do you could count on Nicole to do it. By the end, she and I and the rest of our trek family had grown quite close. Her heart was softer and she smiled victoriously for our post trek family photo. Now she rests from her arduous trek called life. May her willingness to act when the going gets rough be an invitation for us to hang on a little longer and push for advancement a little harde till we are called to our rest. God be thanked for Nicole Cottam.