Like everything our Stake puts on, this was beyond amazing and blows my mind thinking of logistics - imagine 400 teenagers (14-18yrs old), about 200 adult helpers, 40 handcarts from St. George, food for the entire crew, activities, preparations, traveling portapotties, etc. etc. The Stake Trek leaders were actually from our ward - the YM President Marvin works with and my camp director last year - amazing people, the Kjar's (pronounced "care"). I didn't lift a finger to cook for 3 days - enough incentive to go right there. A brief breakdown of events:
WEDNESDAY - Gear check-in, and meet the family. Everything taken (minus sleeping bags) had to fit into a 5 gallon white bucket (for us, too). Our family kept changing... so we ended up with 5 guys and 3 girls. I was nervous about our handcart-pulling capacity because two in our group had injuries or conditions.
THURSDAY - Meet at the Stake Center, take the family up to Donnelly, Idaho (just north of our favorite Lake Cascade). Load up the handcarts and begin! We walked 7 miles the first day, including the Sweetwater Crossing Re-Enactment. After dinner - Frontier Night - loads of serious games set up for the kids (archery, ax throwing, etc.) and square dancing. About sunset, in the middle of all the games, a MOB invaded - complete with dynamite, flame torches on horses, costumed mob. They tied up the Stk. Presidency and tarred & feathered them! We felt like we were in the middle of a Hollywood set. We then had to hike for two hours in the dark to arrive at our first campsite, set up tents, and then finally sleep. The kids were begging for it!
FRIDAY - Delicious french toast and OJ (and sausage) for breakfast. Pack up camp and pull out around 10. The Mormon Battalion and Women's Pull were in the morning. Again, the full set-up with authentic-looking soldiers on horses, a scroll read, the men marched away two-by-two to the sound of the drum. The girls hiked a little and listened to the Stk. President's wife talk about women doing hard things (this was a favorite for many of the girls) and then we pulled our handcarts on a trail and up a long hill. It wasn't terribly steep but long. The Stk. President talked to the men and watched while the girls pulled the last bit. They weren't allowed to help or talk. After lunch, our family was rather ambitious and didn't like to stop on the trail so at one point we were allowed to go ahead of the whole group - arriving to camp far ahead of the others - which was terribly satisfying for our family. The guys even set up the tents for without us asking! There was a short fireside, a few testimonies, and then we broke into families for testimony meetings. Everyone in our group shared - including a kid who is a member of another faith.
SATURDAY - pancakes and patties for breakfast, pack up and hit the trail again. I think we pulled the handcarts around 25 miles total the three days, and over a variety of terrain. We pulled up a mountainside, and then left the handcarts for a steep hike to a beautiful vista, then divided into companies for each kid to have a brief solo time to read a surprise letter from home and make a commitment to improve in one area. We were running out of time at this point - try keeping 40 families of 12 on schedule! Parents lined up with white flags waving to watch our final pull into the "valley" - each family announced over loudspeaker, no less. Such enthusiasm filled the air! And then we had to carry our carts another mile at least - to pack up and go home... funny since it felt like we should have been done after the big finale!
Lest you think we did nothing this trip except follow our teenagers around... we did have the sole responsibility to make Trek meaningful for each one, to share Pioneer stories, and to not only ensure the health and safety of these kids, but to have them feel part of a cohesive and loving family in less than 72 hours. Marvin & I were so surprised because it seemed like it worked for our family. We were definitely blessed in many ways. We can't wait to share the Trek experience with our kids in a few years!
Below: The crossing of the Sweetwater - the most reverent and peaceful feeling of the entire trip for me. President Hinckley's talk about it was broadcast while 4 boys acted out the parts. One of those boys has a twin sister - Melanie - who was in our family. To see him call her up, carry her across the water, and then so sweetly embrace each other on the other side will forever be a memory in my heart. It's what I want my kids to feel and do for each other. Such a tender moment.
The OTO family : Melanie, Zach & Morgan (from our Ward), Jake, Sam, Connor, MA & PA, Andrew, and Tyler.
First campsite :: much easier to set up tents in the daylight! Notice the white buckets... that's our luggage.
Some muddy terrain - we pulled over ditches, over fallen trees, in swamps, in fields of sagebrush, along the mountainside without a trail...
What you get for $10... Andrew dared this kid in another family to eat this plump & juicy grasshopper. This kid chewed the whole thing up. Would you?
Stunning vista
2 comments:
How fun! I went on a pioneer trek when I was 14. We were to Wyoming where the Willie and Martin handcart companies were stranded. It was really neat.
Oh my gosh, how fun!! I bet you two were such a cool ma and pa!
Mel- I did the same trek! It was awesome.
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