We had an amazing time at Trek this year. Ben and I were "Ma and Pa" to eight great kids from our stake. Haley went, too, but she was in a different "family".
We had met with our family three or four times before we actually went. Then, on August 4, we all met at the church at 3 a.m. The parking lot was full of over 250 youth dressed in pioneer clothing, waiting for the buses (which didn't show up until 4 a.m.). I'm sure if any of the neighbors woke up that night, they probably thought we were expecting the end of the world and we were all going to our fort somewhere to await the destruction. It was quite a sight!
All five buses departed about 20 minutes later, and we were off on the 6 1/2 hour ride to central Wyoming. One of the buses broke down, and ours stopped 3 times. The last stop was at Independence Rock, about 5 miles from Martin's Cove. We went to the bathroom, then climbed the massive rock. It was steeper than it looks! Note to self: do not start this climb at a run ever again. Just take it slow and steady. And going down is much worse than going up.
Once we got to the Visitor's Center, we were given our handcart. We had a particularly big family, so we were allotted two. Good thing we had 7 men to pull them. The girls and I just kind of hung on to the back, and eventually I just gave up and walked beside. I was sick of eating dust all day.
Kallie and Madeline, our 2 "daughters" who became fast friends
A few of our "sons", from left: Hayden, Barron, Aaron, and Payton
I called Payton "the grasshopper" because he was full of energy, always bouncing around. He kept us in stitches, because he always had something unique and funny to say.
This was another of our "sons", Spencer. He was a real-life cowboy, and did most of the work in camp, without complaint, and without ever being asked. He was quite an outstanding young man. And he was a little tired, having been up since 2 a.m.!
And then, we were off! We said good-bye to plumbing, electricity, and running water. Oh, and trees. These were the last trees we saw for a few days.
Pulling the handcart with Spencer is our last "son", Chase. He was another strong guy that we were happy to have around!
It was slow going, with lots of starting and stopping, deep sand, hot sun, and wind that blew the sand in our faces. It was a great exfoliation technique.
As soon as we got our 4 tents set up, we were wowed by Hayden's ability to do trick roping. He taught some of the other boys, and it was a good thing for that rope. Our family full of big boys was so fast at setting up, taking down, and getting organized for the day, that we had a lot of extra time on our hands.
The days were very hot, and we were grateful to have the Sweetwater river right by our camp. It provided much needed relief from the heat, and some great play time.
We had some storms skirt around camp, some with lightening, but it never hit us. The weather was actually very nice, considering we were on the open prairie of Wyoming. It could have been much worse!
Martin's Cove is at the very left of this picture, behind the big rock. In the middle of the picture is Dan Jones' grove.
We stopped for many water breaks, giving our team a breather. It was slow going, pulling those loaded carts everywhere. But we were happy for the experience. And not a murmur or complaint was ever heard.
Going into Martin's Cove, there are three statues depicting the four men who carried the pioneers over the Sweetwater river, saving their lives in the harsh winter storm.
We sat in Dan Jones' grove and listened to a missionary explain the cove and what happened there. We also enjoyed the shade, and avoided a rattlesnake that was lurking in the grass. The group was silent from here until we came out of the cove. They showed great reverence and respect.
After walking the long loop through the cove, lunch was awaiting our arrival on the other side. Thank goodness for this awning that provided us with some great relief. It was a nice break, and then we went on to the river crossing.
The whole group of almost 300 people were again silent as we pulled our handcarts across the Sweetwater. Some of the men carried some of the girls across. It was a very spiritual and reverent experience, one I'll never forget.
Then we were on to the most difficult part of the Trek, for me. The Women's Pull began with the men climbing the hill and waiting for us to begin. The women and girls were gathered to listen to President Williams speak to us. There was not a dry eye in the bunch. He told us that most of the work at this point fell on the women's shoulders, because many of the men, who had sacrificed their food, and had worked themselves past their abilities for their families, had died. He told us that this would be hard on us. It was.
It was the steepest hill, and was covered with thick sand and rocks. I don't know how much our handcarts weighed, but I knew I couldn't push that cart any harder up that hill. My legs felt like I couldn't pick them up off the ground anymore. But some of the girls who had made it up the hill already came back to help us. The men wept and removed their hats. They struggled to keep themselves in their place, and not reach out to help. I was so grateful to Lita for helping me and my two tiny girls up that hill. Just as we were about to roll backwards, another girl came to help push. We wouldn't have made it without her.
Haley and her friend pushed that cart up the hill, and just as they started, her friend's shoulder came out of socket. And they still struggled up that hill together, weeping the whole way. After all the women were up, the men took over and the entire group walked back to camp in silence.
After we made it back to camp (with one of my little girls bleeding from the nose because of the way she exerted herself on the Women's Pull), the men started a fire, and the girls and I made foil dinners. We used the tent because the wind was blowing sand everywhere, and we didn't want it in our food: we had eaten enough that day.
The boys used the rope to entertain themselves, and came up with this game. They stood on their buckets and tried to be the first one to pull all the rope from the other person. If you fell off, you lost. It became a very popular game.
The first night, we all square danced (even Ben did it!), and the second night we listened to a man tell us about Ephraim Hanks, and read our Pony Express letters. Then, we made campfires and spent time together. The wind had stopped, and it turned into a beautiful night.
The next morning, our boys had camp packed up and ready to go home before anybody else in the camp. Payton started roping people, so Hayden taught him a little lesson.
As we were lining up to pull the carts back, the boys went back to sweep camp for trash one last time. Haley and I took the opportunity to take one last picture together.
We were privileged to have Oscar the dog with us pretty much all three days. The missionaries say that he only picks the best groups to be with. He spent nights guarding our camp, chasing away coyotes both nights, and two bobcats the first night. He spent days traveling with us, making sure we were all safe.
He lives on a ranch 10 miles away, but comes to be with the Trekkers. The missionaries told us that one time, he laid himself down in front of a tent, and wouldn't let anybody in. Finally, somebody checked in the tent, and found a rattlesnake. Another time, a large family was there for a family reunion. As they were leaving in their RV, Oscar ran onto the road, stopped, and faced them. He wouldn't let them pass. They couldn't coax him out of the way, and he wouldn't let them go around. After several minutes of this, the outhouse opened, and out popped one of the grandchildren who had been left behind. As soon as the child was in the RV, Oscar moved. On our Trek, as we were just a few hundred yards from returning to the Visitor's Center, he stopped the entire handcart train. He plopped himself in front of the first handcart, and wouldn't move for about 5 minutes. We never found out if there was a snake or other problem, but we all made it safely back. If Oscar says stop, you stop.
This was the tent that the pioneers used. They put 20 people in this tent, sleeping in a circle with their feet in the middle so they wouldn't freeze in the night.
We were happy to be back, and to be done. We all had a wonderful experience. We waited for the buses for about 2 hours, because one of them had a flat tire on the way to pick us up. Despite the transportation problems, we all made it back safe and sound to our soft beds and hot showers. We're finally clean, and are grateful to all the memories we shared. It was a fabulous experience!
