Trekking it Pioneer Style

Our ward had the amazing opportunity to do a Ward Trek. 18 families signed up for the excursion which broke down into about 88 people, with 36 adults, 6 of whom were pregnant women (2 within a month of their due date) and the rest of them were children!! Our family flagWe partnered up with another family and took turns pulling the cart Well. Most of us did. Princess Caymbree found it quite enjoyable to be in the cart. Hope walked about five steps before she decided that she "needed" to be in the handcart. I think I may have gone into this experience with somewhat unrealistic expectations. I thought my children would be perfect angels with the whole experience humbling them into reverence. Um. That didn't happen. Hope had a rough trip and whined about any and everything she possibly could. Caymbree woke up in the middle of the night with a night terror and screamed bloody murder for about five minutes waking up half the camp. On our walk (without handcarts) up to Martins Cove (in afternoon heat and a steady incline) Caymbree decided that she could walk no further wanted to be carried the entire way up and back down (about a mile) by nobody else but me. It was then that I felt myself fighting the frustration and questioning our decision about the trek.

It wasn't until later that evening at Rock Creek Hollow that it all started to fall into place for me. A sister missionary shared the story of a widowed family that came across with the Martin Hand Cart Company. The oldest brother was crippled so the mother and another son pulled him in the handcart throughout the entire journey. This left the 11 year old brother to take care and watch after his four year old brother. When the four year old could walk no further the 11 year old picked up him and carried him the rest of the way. By the time they reached the rest of the camp at Rock Creek Hollow the 11 year old safely set down his brother and then died with his mission fulfilled. I still can't tell the story without choking up.

I think it was at this moment that it hit me. We didn't bring the kids for their sake we brought them for ours. It may be years before they are able to truly understand and appreciate the pioneer experience but for Troy and I it gave us just a small glimpse of what it was like for those pioneer parents who watched their children cry and plead for help from starvation and the elements. It was truly a humbling experience.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was right here. We stood on the exact trail the pioneers came down after enduring through Rocky Ridge. You can still see the markings. It was amazing!

It is also here that a number of marked group graves are found with a pile of rocks as the marker. I thought it tender that through the rocks this single red flower grows as if to say "All is Well. All is Well."

They warned us we might see a snake or two and that we did. This little guy was right where we were getting ready to set our tent. We also ran into a couple of rattlesnakes along the way. One we stumbled across right as it jumped out to strike a rabbit.