TREK - Days Three and Four

On day three we walked 14 miles, including Rocky Ridge. This was the actual trail the pioneers took when out of food, starving and literally frozen. Fourteen souls died after this day and were buried in a common grave.

We were really blessed with weather and a breeze. Only one adult became dehydrated, and there weren't any mosquitoes because of the breeze. No one saw a single rattlesnake, and only one person had one tick. This was miraculous given the report of our neighbor stake who had been to the same location the week before! However, we had just enough taste of discomfort to really contemplate the suffering of those early Saints. It was tiresome to walk and many got blisters, it got a little warm in the day and a little cold in the night. We got hungry enough that arriving into camp where amazing food awaited us nearly brought us to our knees in gratitude. On day three we had to get the handcarts through two thick, mud pits. Not everyone took them through, but watching the difficulty and team work of all who volunteered was inspiring. And on this final day of walking the wind was a little more severe and it was hard to breathe in all the dust. Many wore bandanas over their nose and mouth. But we were incredibly prepared, thanks to our great organizers, and had minimal physical issues.

The final day was really long, but fun too, just as I imagine the days were for our pioneers.

This day had some inclines before Rocky Ridge. Rocky Ridge was hard. There is no doubt those weary pioneers had heavenly help.

There's Tennie in the front pulling her cart up Rocky Ridge:

I have to say that I was really impressed with Adele (in pink bonnet above) on trek. She strongly dislikes to walk, and she tires easily. She resisted going on walks in preparation. Her family invited her to ride in the wagon, but she later told me she wanted to walk every step of the way, and she did.

I laughed when I saw the picture below. Somebody thought the camera was focused on her...

Tennie, Adele and I shared the story of who we were walking for:

This horse-drawn wagon came riding by out there in the middle of nowhere!

It was so peaceful, almost reverent, on those long stretches. There were cattle, and wild deer leaping across the expanse, as well as jack rabbits who thought they were super camouflaged.

As we walked in to camp, so exhausted from a long day, the food committee, stake presidency and bishopric members and a few youth who hadn't walked this long day, lined the trail and applauded. Imagining those deeply worn out Saints pulling into Salt Lake with members lining the streets ready to wash and cloth and feed and warm and comfort them was very emotional. Again, just a taste. We welcomed the hearty dinner. Here I am recalling the day with Keenan:

That night we had a testimony meeting where our stake sang Fire of the Covenant.

That night we all slept well, despite the thick layer of frost that covered us! We enjoyed a delicious and nutritious breakfast from this amazing food team:



We packed up camp and walked through Rock Creek Hollow where the pioneers camped that night and buried 14 souls.

 

Adele and a few others in her family snuck away and had a chilly morning swim in the nearby river.

The rest of us took a final group photo:



And then we discovered that one of the three buses had a flat tire. What do you do in the middle of nowhere Wyoming with a flat tire? Wait SEVEN HOURS for a replacement bus. Luckily after everyone waited a few hours it was decided two buses should go on. Luckily we were on one of those two buses (since we would get home that evening, have the next day to pack, and leave for Europe early the next day). Those poor souls who waited the full seven hours drove about 20 minutes on a dirt road to the main road when the bus broke down! Thankfully someone in a local town knew how to fix the problem and they were only delayed an extra TWO HOURS!

We survived trek! We were REALLY tired, and very FULL. 

TREK - Day Two

Of all of the physical discomfort I anticipated feeling on trek, the thing that plagued me most was severe allergies, mostly at night. Nights were colder than we thought they would be and everyone was cold. I lay awake sneezing and itching and wiping my nose all night long. Misery. Somehow, each day I felt as though I had the energy for a fresh start.

I was in charge of medications for the Beehive in our group. That kept me on my toes! That first night I must have fallen asleep for at least some portion because I woke up to find out she had felt sick in the night and had thrown up, not two feet from my head, TWICE! I'm grateful to have missed it. Here was out first campground (we slept in different locations each night):



On day two we went to Sixth Crossing, and we had 7-mile day (I think I'm remembering the distances correctly!) We had the Women's Pull where the men and women split up and the men talk about the strength of women pioneers, and in the church, while the women talked about the strength they have and the great contribution they make to the kingdom of God. After these separate devotionals the men line an uphill path and watch the women pull the carts up the hill.

This was supposed to happen the previous day, but we ran out of time. The intended hill was much steeper and would have been a more effective Women's Pull. This smaller hill wasn't a challenge at all for the women and the potential lesson was really lost. Too bad. 

Adele in the pink bonnet:

Really trek is a lot of walking and walking and more walking. Sometimes pulling and sometimes pushing too. It gave us a lot of opportunity to get to know the members of our family. I learned to love and admire the youth and their tremendous strengths.

When I combed through the thousands of trek pictures I marveled how few there were of Adele, where you could actually tell it was her, and I couldn't believe Tennie's energy. She was REALLY sick the entire time. Every night she received a blessing from Geoff's dad, who was on the food committee. After each blessing she would regain energy for the next day, then as the day wound down she would just wilt and feel terrible. I contemplated sending her home, but she was determined to finish trek and wouldn't even consider it.

Adele's family is crossing the Sweetwater below (pink bonnet):

We took frequent breaks and listened to pioneers stories.

Sometimes we had quiet time to write in our journals or read the scriptures, and on this second day the youth opened letters from their parents.

Another long and incredible day.