Pioneer Trek

We just got back from Trek yesterday and what a great 4 day experience it was! Chris and I were a Ma and Pa to 9 children. 5 girls and 4 boys. There were 2 stakes involved so there were kids we had never met before. We had great kids!

Our Trek started Friday morning where we were given our "children" and put our handcarts together and then off we went. We trekked about 17 k the first day in 32 c weather but there was a real nice breeze so it was pleasant. That first day was actually mine and Chris' favorite day. Because of the unknowns it was fun to look forward to the time ahead. We got into our place of rest just before dark and just before the rain, thunder and lightning. It was a very interesting night. We were greeted with banak and hot broth before sleeping.

The next day we trekked another 5 k to our base camp and got settled in for the remaining days. Each morning the families gathered to make their own fires to cook their own breakfasts. There were activities for us to enjoy during the day. Tippi(sp?) demonstration, stick-pull, square dancing, skeet shooting and if you wished, could have your hair washed. Saturday afternoon each family was given a live turkey to kill, pluck, clean, gut and cook for their dinner meal. The kids did a great job with the whole activity. Those who weren't interested in the turkey experience cleaned and cut up the vegetables. We put everything into our dutch oven to cook over the fire and then we waited. It was yummy.

Sunday we were awakened from our sleep by music being played by fiddles and a guitar from a hill in the distance. They played Beautiful Savior. We had church on a hill with the weather being great but then as the day went on we had our first of 2 storms. One in the afternoon and the second after our campfire program that evening. We had high winds, hail, thundering and lightening and amazingly not one of the tarps ripped or blew apart. At one point, it was so loud under the tarp that Chris had to yell so that I could hear him. And when the hail came it sounded like we were inside a pop corn popper. It was wild! But there was no complaining what so ever from anyone in the whole camp and there was a calmness. I know we were blessed.

Monday we headed out with much better weather and then ended our time with a testimony meeting.

We trekked in warm weather with plenty of water and sufficient food and sure we had a few storms but to think of those pioneers who trekked in the winter with the storms and unbelievable circumstances we only caught a very small glimpse of what they endured. We didn't have to bury our husbands, our babies, our children. We didn't wake up to our hair frozen to the tarps. We didn't have to take the leather from our only pair shoes to fix the hand cart wheels and then later take that same leather to chew on for food. We didn't have to walk in snow with no shoes on our feet. We didn't have to cross a frozen creek with the last set of clothes on our backs and then continue walking with the clothes frozen to our bodies. We didn't wonder if we would make our destination alive. This is what they had to endure and much, much more. Day after day after day.