The Long-Awaited, Highly-Anticipated Post (that's quite long & filled with interesting details) about Our Trek!!!

I've had many of you query, "When are you gonna blog about the trek??" Well, heaven forbid that I leave y'all hangin' for a couple of weeks & a couple of days. :) Here are some of my legit (I think) excuses...... Besides being plumb exhausted upon our return, I had to go back to doin' the single mom thing not quite 24 hours later. ...I had a mountain or two of laundry to do. ...I was tired. ...The kids were rather cranky & ornery so they demanded more attention from me than they normally do. ...I had to take my usual 'few days of adjusting' after a trip, but this time, I felt like I needed more than a few days since I had been on a spiritual high. ...Oh, did I mention I was tired? ...I've been busy watering our yards, trying to perk them up. (Yes, it's true--we do NOT have a sprinkler system.) ...Every time I have thought about starting this post, I've felt overwhelmed because how do I best share this amazing experience with you??? I want to go over every detail, not only because that's just how I am :), but because of how all-encompassing it was! ...I had a busy weekend, including the annual "round-up" for my dad's family (on the 9th) at the ranch 2 1/2 hours away. ...And again, I've been tired. Probably more from staying up too late at this point though. :) ...Oh, and again, I had to go back to doing the single mom thing (on the 10th) about 33 hours after Peter came home. ...We had to do school shopping. ...My sister Annette spent a couple of days with us before driving back to Cali. ......So, how's that for a list???? :)

Alrighty, let me dive in... On the afternoon of July 29th, Peter & I took the kids to my sister Jeanine's house. (They spent a couple of days with her & then a couple of days with my sister Eileen.) After running some errands, we ate dinner at Red Lobster--YUM. Then we came home to load up our gear and take it to the church for our "family's" check-in. We ended up staying almost 2 hours, since I got gabbing (surprise, surprise) & then Peter got helping pack up (he's an expert packer, if you ask me) the horse trailer that carried all of our stuff, including food. We did a few things once we got home and then hit the hay early. Although I was pretty tired, I couldn't get to sleep for a while. And then I kept waking up throughout the night. I wish I wouldn't do that; I always do when anticipating a trip/event. Anyway, we got up at the wretched hour of 4-something so we could get ready, pick up my friend Karyn and meet at the church at 5am. I thought I was going to feel like one of the walking dead, but I was actually a little perky. Perhaps a mini-miracle. :) Unfortunately, our family got split up for the rides up & back, since we had the smallest and they wanted to save money by eliminating one of the rental vans. I had been looking forward to hanging out with our clan that much more. Oh well. I think everyone enjoyed themselves; Peter and I did with the 'Carters'. We tried to catch some zzz's; I caught a few more than Peter. We pulled over to a rest stop because the guy hauling the trailer had one of its tires blow out, so our van driver & Peter headed down the side of the highway to see if they could help. Meanwhile, the rest of us got our first round of double-takes and stares from the handful of people stopping by at that early hour of the morning. It made me smile in amusement; I wonder just how many thought we were a group of polygamists at all of our stops up & back! :) You could tell some were weirded out, others were polite & even a little friendly, and then there were some that understood what we were doing and asked if we were coming or going. Anyway, we finally arrived. We quickly loaded up our carts (I snagged a cart second in line because I wanted to be right near the front, but no one ended up using the first one so we got to be first, which I wanted, so as to not to 'eat dust' & to set the pace, but apparently we were too eager since we got "scolded" a bit because we were going too fast) and headed over to our orientation. The video portion brought tears to my eyes. Just as the intense wind & blowing sand & bright sun did once we were on the trail to our campground. :) Seriously though, I could feel the special vibe about the place right away. And the beauty & grandeur of the desolate surroundings struck me instantly. After pushing/pulling our handcarts for 3 miles, we arrived at our campground. Each family worked on setting up tents, which was a joke since it was so stinkin' windy! Then we had dinner--hooray for our 'chef'; he did a great job with all of the meals--and our family helped with clean-up after doing our own dishes. Peter & I were continually impressed with the willingness of the teenagers in our family to help out; one or two would even volunteer. If only our biological kids would quickly obey the way they did! :) Anyway, a couple of families did the devotional before we got ready for bed. Then we had our own little family scripture & prayer. Even though I was completely beat, it was later than I would've liked before I fell asleep. The girls in our family had to share a tent with the girls in the family 'next-door' because their tent went missing, and a couple of them would not shut-up! It mostly made me smirk with amusement; I remember being that age at girls' camp or at a sleep-over. But, when it seemed like it was never going to end, I just about got out of the tent to talk to the one in my family, but then the biological dad of the girl in the other family came over... :) They live across the street and I told her mom the next day that I had NO IDEA that she could be such a gabber; she'd always been quiet around me!

Day 2 started out way too early; all the Ma's & Pa's had to be at a 6am staff meeting. Then we got our 'kids' up and another family did the devotional before breakfast. Then we loaded up our carts (we would haul our buckets--which were our seats & suitcases--and water coolers and backpacks/bags) and started trekking over towards Martin's Cove. We had to wait for other trekking groups, so that's when we took some time by the port-a-potties to play games and/or sit. It wasn't as windy that day, but it actually felt hotter at times without the wind. So, when a slight breeze would blow, it felt almost as good as a blast of air-conditioning. :) We got to the pavilion to eat lunch. Though I didn't have much of an appetite, I ate anyway. I knew I needed the fuel. I cannot fathom how the pioneers were able to keep moving when their supplies got so low that they were rationing out 4 ounces of flour for THE DAY. (Our trek leader's co-leader--his wife--put 4 oz of flour into baggies and wrapped them in burlap for us to carry with us to remind us of how it was for the pioneers.) While we were waiting for our turn in Martin's Cove, some water guns were discovered & so you can imagine the craziness that ensued. I welcomed being shot at; it felt good. :) (My friend Karyn actually brought a spray bottle. It was quite popular. The neck coolers that we made for the trek were sometimes too confining. I usually dealt with it because it was better than nothing.) Anyway, we finally began our walk into Martin's Cove, passing Dan Jones Cove along the way. We left our carts parked by the pavilion and we were asked to not talk in reverence for those that had gone before us in that area. It was such a neat thing to only hear the crunch of the sandy gravel under our feet along the trail. As I looked around and thought about the pioneers, I felt goosebumps (despite the heat) and had tears smarting my eyes. We stopped at a shady spot to have a little program. As soon as we began the opening hymn, I was overcome with such emotion that I couldn't even sing. Chills spread all over my body and I cried even though I tried not to. One of the older missionaries that work there talked to us about the history of what happened at Martin's Cove. And the words that our photographer/videographer shared were touching. Finally, we walked through the cove, continuing in silence. I could almost feel the presence of those pioneers who were suffering so much at that point of their journey. At least 50 died there. I tried to imagine what they thought & what they felt. The resilience of their spirits amazes me. Their commitment & determination is inspiring. That place is definitely hallowed ground. What a special experience that was!! After we had gotten back on the trail back to camp, we stopped at the statues/monument that honor the four young guys who carried everyone across the freezing cold Sweetwater River. And though they had some minor health complications thereafter, they survived. A miracle. We then re-enacted walking across the river. Without being asked, the oldest boys all went up to the front of our line to help carry a few ladies across...most of us just wanted to walk it. :) Though initially a shock because of how cool it was, the water was a sweet relief. I know I would've felt entirely different if it were in the dead of winter, like when the pioneers had to cross it. ...Anyways, though I had been wearing my reliable Timberland boots, and though I couldn't see anything on my foot when I looked before putting my boots back on after crossing the river in Tevas, I knew when we got back to camp that I had a blister. And man, did it hurt! Every step I took in that pretty short stretch (between the river & camp) just burned & ached. All I wanted was to bandage it up...and after consulting with the driver of the van we rode in who was also doing first aid duty & discovering another blister, Peter did just that...with duct tape. How many of y'all have heard of that before?!?! I hadn't! But oh, did it feel better once it was in place on my blisters! :) We'd been told that we were free to play in the river near our camp (the portion of the river where we re-enacted the crossing was special) so most everyone traipsed through the weeds, sagebrush, and reeds to cool off. The teenagers went crazy, of course, pulling a couple of pranks on each other. A few girls said they had seen a snake just before they got to the river. That didn't help my already trepidatious attitude about walking back! We had dinner and some of us in our family got goofy while doing our dishes. ("There's still blue-ish spots on the plate...!" I don't know if I'll ever live that down.) After hanging out a little bit, we were off to go square dancing. Wahoo. My foot was still sensitive & sore, but I put on a smile and did it anyway. :) It was fun overall; laughed a lot. Hadn't we had enough exercise with all of our walking though?? It was an additional work-out to work off those yummy frosted brownies from Macey's that I ate too many of, I guess. We got ready for bed after getting back to camp and then had devotional by the light of a fire. Then we had our family scripture & prayer. Peter and I were so pleasantly surprised at how well the boy in our family picked an ordinary verse and related it to the pioneers as well as our own lives. And we'd only asked him five minutes earlier! We finally hit the air mattresses (again, I don't know how the pioneers did it--well, and not everyone could bring an air mattress...we did because we were a Ma & Pa and we had plenty of room in our room) after I busted out into a giggling/cackling spell because we'd discovered my air mattress needed more air and I found the whole idea of turning on the air pump when others were trying to go to sleep rather hilarious. :) Plus, the girls tent was kinda making me laugh. And then the boys tent with their remarks. And THEN the bishop's wife started laughing which made me laugh even harder...she has such a distinct laugh! Plus, Peter with his comments. I couldn't stop for over 5 full minutes! Makes me chuckle just sitting here typing about it. :) ...I think I fell asleep faster that night, though one of the girls from our family in the girls tent was taking her turn at being the loud mouth (the other girl/our neighbor got a good "talking-to" the night before, I heard). I wasn't afraid to holler from my tent, telling her to hush-up by that point in our adventure. :)

The next morning came even earlier than the previous. At least it felt that way. I wasn't sleeping well. Nor long enough. We had our staff mtg. again and then got up our kids. Had breakfast and then it was our family's turn to do the devotional. I thought we did fairly well. The idea for it came from my friend Rachel--thanks again! :) (If you want to know specifics, I'd be happy to tell you elsewhere, so feel free to ask.) We made sure to keep it short & sweet--other devotionals seemed to drag on and on and on, but that could be in large part to having to sit on a bucket or if you were lucky, a hard bench. Afterwards, we loaded up the vans with our buckets, water coolers and lunch supplies. We drove almost an hour to Sixth Crossing, an important location in regards to the Willie Handcart Company. We loaded up handcarts they had there for us to use and off we went. I had thought we were in the middle of nowhere near Martin's Cove. In comparison, this place really was the middle of nowhere! I think the lack of other trekking groups made it feel more that way, in addition to the more distant rocky mountains. Earlier that morning, as soon as the sun came up over the horizon, I could feel that it was a hotter day. Sure enough, I sweltered as we brought up the rear along the trail. And not being able to see our destination made it that much more difficult. (Again, I don't know how the pioneers did it.) Finally, after I had even ridden on the cart for a short ways (and hurt myself getting out of it), we got to spot near the willows to have another older missionary talk to us about what had happened in that area to the Willie Company. So remarkable, those pioneers! ...We then went a little further and had lunch. Our family helped with that, so I helped put lunch meat on rolls and passed them out. I should say here that the wind was fairly ferocious there too. And any time a cloud would cover the sun, if only for a handful of seconds, it was another moment of sweet relief. We found out later that it was the hottest day they had seen there yet this year. I'm sure; I felt it! After we cleaned up lunch and started pushing/pulling along the trail again, we were 'stopped' by another older missionary who was dressed in some old military attire and he talked to us about how some pioneers who crossed the plains were stopped & the men were recruited to go help fight down in Mexico--the military had requested help via Brigham Young. So, he read a list of all the guys' names and they were to form two lines to 'march' away. We only had a moment to 'say good-bye'...I don't know if it's because I was so hot and worn out, but I just started crying as I hugged & kissed Peter and the tears started gushing as I watched him walk away. Maybe it was because I know how difficult it is to regularly say bye to Peter as he leaves on his many business trips. And though I don't send him off to war, and I trust that I'll see him again in about a week, it's always heart-wrenching. So, I can't imagine how tough it must have been for those pioneer women. Just before the guys were out of sight, I took some deep breaths to compose myself, thinking about how we were going to do this, knowing we could do it & God would bless us. I need to have more of that faith in my life when Peter leaves for work. The bishop's wife then talked to us, giving some history to the experience. (The bishop talked to the guys once they got around the corner and up the hill.) Then, we just did it. We worked together, took our time, stopped for water breaks, changed places around the cart if needed, checked on each other and encouraged each other. I can't imagine having young children to look after along the trail, in addition to the unforgiving conditions and lack of supplies and then the men leaving. I felt even smaller out there among the vast landscape. Those women must have had huge amounts of faith & trust in God, remembering that He was watching over them. I need to call upon similar strength in my life--for as small & alone as I might feel in this world, I am not forgotten by God. I got choked up & goosebumped at times as we went along. Then, when we were approaching the men, I got that way again and I knew I couldn't look at them or I'd start bawling. They had their hats off and placed over their hearts and were silent (we ladies had fallen silent as well, shortly after the last break we took--and we only took a few) as we pulled/pushed up the hill past them. I could feel of their respect & love & encouragement. Once we got to our stopping point, I felt proud of what we had done. We women are strong & can do awfully hard things, especially when we depend on God for help. I felt a wave of gratitude for Peter as the guys rejoined us. What an amazing experience that was! ...We eventually made our way back to the vans, after having gone 6 miles at the scorching hottest time of the day. We eagerly got back in the vans to drive back to camp--the air conditioning was better than any food (though hungry as I was) at that point, at least to me! We stopped along the way to look at Split Rock. Had dinner. Then another older missionary and his wife came dressed in period-appropriate attire and the man acted as Ephraim Hanks--told us about him. And his wife talked to us as if Ephraim Hanks' wife. Since he had worked along the pony express, he "delivered" letters to the youth (that their parents had written in preparation for the trek). Before they read those, we had another devotional and then a testimony meeting--an opportunity for anyone to share their thoughts/feelings/experiences. During which time, we later learned, a couple of women had found a rattlesnake in the wood pile when getting some wood for the fire. So, our van driver/first-aid guy and our neighbor--other girl's dad/other first-aid guy had quietly gone over to 'take care of it' while we were still around the fire, being spiritual. :) It was a nice time, but it was extremely tough for me to sit for that long, mostly because of when I'd hurt myself getting out of the cart earlier that day--I stood for some of the time, but that just brought all the aches & pains from walking to the forefront. Then, after going to brush my teeth by our tent and coming back by the fire, I learned that Kimra (she was on the Park City Bunco excursion with me) had used Peter's knife to skin the snake...bleccch! And there had been a huddle of youth, of course, observing & a few girls screeching. :) One of the Pa's salted the skin and put it in a baggie to take home. Yuck. The 2 guys who 'took care of it' had thrown the head in the fire without notice during the meeting and our van driver was now showing off the rattle. Gag--just a little. It was kinda cool to see/hear. We finally crashed, and to my amusement, the loud-mouth girl of our group was telling everyone to shut-up that night...ha! Guess the gabbin' caught up to her! :) Then, right after I'd fallen asleep (or so it felt), coyotes started howling. They must have been close because their howls were very loud. When discussed the next morning, the men figured they were after the snake meat that had been tossed just outside the campground area. Lovely. :)

Though we were just heading home the next day, we still had a 6am staff mtg. I was pretty cranky by then. But so were many others. (Ask Karyn about our little spat.) :) Got up the youth, took tents down, loaded everything up. Had devotional & breakfast. Then we trekked back to the handcart parking with hardly anything on our carts. Oh, we stopped at Veil Crossing & Devil's Gate before 'parking'. So cool. I think part of my crankiness was because I wasn't ready for it to be over. Sure, I was more than ready for a shower. But, I wasn't ready to leave such a special place & have such awesome (and extremely challenging at times) experiences be over. Before we came back across the bridge at Veil Crossing after walking another mile (What's another at that point?? I think in total, we walked 18 miles.) to Devil's Gate, we had to "say good-bye" to our pioneer names we'd each been assigned for the trek. They were real pioneers who had been in either the Martin or Willie Handcart Companies. I have to say that I'd felt the closeness of those pioneers, and I felt of their strength, and that made for such a spiritual experience overall. Most all of us left with reluctance. ...The drive home felt like it was never going to end, just as the drive going kinda felt. One of the teenage boys sitting behind me said that it felt like we'd been in that van for weeks. Cracked me up. :) (Hey, I'm totally wiped out & loopey by that point.) We got plenty of complaining about Utah drivers into the flow of conversation. Stopped at the mouth of the canyon so Peter could meet my sister, brother-in-law, our kids and our van. I went on to the church, seeing the smoke from the fire on the mountainside about 5 miles from our neighborhood. Learned a few things from our van driver who also works for the fire department in the nearest 'big city'. Once we arrived, I grabbed all of our stuff as quickly as possible, dropped off the photographer/videographer at her house, and practically ran inside to the toilet (yay for toilets that flush & for MY toilet!) and then the shower (double, TRIPLE yay for hot showers!!). We were quickly doused with reality when we reunited with the extremely CRANKY kids. Gosh, I thought...maybe I could live a couple more days without my toilet and a shower... :)

For pictures you ABSOLUTELY MUST see, click here...