Trek

If you wondered why you hadn't heard from me in over a month, this is why - Trek

 Its an enormous amount of prep work. Our whole family took a great trip to Mt. Rushmore and surrounding areas around Father's Day and when I came home I got so sick for several days, and then it was back to my walking 6-10 miles a week, purchasing and organizing gear for the 3 of us as well as for our whole family of 8 "kids" we would be walking with, planning devotionals, games, how to solve problems we knew would come up, praying for inspiration, answers, and more ideas, sewing an apron, a family flag, and hemming pajama pants into the bloomers all women had to wear, etc. until . . . .The night we left. We started with a fireside Sunday night then loaded buses - all 500 of us, (8 buses) and left at midnight for Wyoming.

 LittleBuddy wasn't in our Trek family, but we got to be in the same company of 100 with him after the 1st day. He went on the 17 mile 1st day trek while we were with those who were handicapped in some way, and only went 10 miles. Mike volunteered us for that as he didn't want me to over do things, and I did fine, 21 miles overall for our group, 28 for LittleBuddy.

 The girl in the center pulling the handcart is wearing a leg boot for her broken leg, but that didn't stop her. She was hard-working and didn't want to be left out of having a real pioneer experience. Others in our group had inhalers, autism, and other issues, but they all wanted to participate and everyone helped. This was going uphill on the Women's Pull.  I'm in the back pushing with all my might with another of my "daughters."

 Here was our whole group - 4 sons and 4 daughters, plus me and MyMike - Pa. Our handcart weighed 200 lbs. on its own and with our supplies we added another 150-200 lbs. . . not really sure of exact amount. We have 2 5 gallon jugs, one for water and one for Gatorade. Surprisingly, it wasn't as bad as it sounds but we had lots of helpful pullers and pushers. I can't imagine those back in 1856 who did it alone or carrying a dying loved one inside theirs. Very humbling thoughts were part of our Trek experience.

Our bishop and his wife were in front of us, so they took this picture as we're standing in front of the area known as Martin's Cove. What a sacred place this was!

 This is Devil's Gate. Martin's Cove is just to the left of this photo. We had started in Willie Meadows at the 6th Crossing of the Sweetwater River, then took a bus over to Rock Creek Hollow where we camped. LittleBuddy's group hiked up Rocky Ridge where they come out on the back side which is Rock Creek Hollow. The next morning we had a neat devotional led by missionaries called to share these great stories and help us understand the significance of where we were the history surrounding it. It was wonderful! The Spirit was strong, and whether you have pioneer ancestry or not, it is a legacy of faith and consecration that we all benefit from today.

 This actually shows the area that is Martin's Cove. As you see the grass jut to the right in the center before the mountains, it is actually sand that was blown there over a long period of time, and the grass grew up over it, and behind it and between the mountains is a grassy area where over 400 members of the Martin Handcart Company stayed and huddled, hoping for enough to eat and to be rescued in the brutal winter of 1856. It struck me how loving our Father in Heaven was to have provided a secluded spot out of the worst of the Wyoming wind to provide a save haven for them in their extreme situation, by sending those winds to build up the sand in just the right place. You'd never know it was there if you didn't happen to look for it, and yet its a perfect spot. Tender mercies.

Here's my boy on the way to the Cherry Creek Campground after a rest stop where snakes were spotted. Yes, we were camping, with outhouses, hot days, and cold nights. I could have done without the camping but Trek I would do again in a heartbeat. Really it is the people you are with that make the difference and I had a great family. I was glad I could see my LittleBuddy with his family too. It was great to know we were all there together, feeling the Spirit of this great place and learning more about those who came before us.