Pioneer Trek - Day 1

Day One....so exciting! Everyone is excited and nervous and ready to get going! It was a gorgeous morning. Here is our group, ready to go!

We had some breakfast in the parking lot before we headed out. Yogurt, muffins(made by Sierra), fruit, granola bars and capri suns. There was a little something for everyone.
When we got to our drop off point we all gathered around and everyone was finally told which family they would be in. I'm sure there was a little grumbling at first, but as the day went on, everyone was loving their families.
And they're off! Heading up the road to new adventures.
Pa Jensen already using his walking stick to keep his kids in line!
The girl's in the Cook family are starting off strong!
We had this cute little wagon and ponies come up and follow us around on the first day. It was a comfortable ride. Nice shocks, comfy seats....you were lucky to get ride in here!
I didn't get to spend a lot of time with everyone on their journey the first day. There were a lot of things "behind the scenes" that needed taking care of. Here they are coming into the lunch spot. We were already there and set up for them. They had lots of choices everyday for lunch...always the same choices, but lots of them. There were rolls to make sandwiches, ham, turkey or chicken salad made with mayo and some made with miracle whip(there is definitely a line there on who prefers which!). There were chips, apples, oranges, watermelon pieces, granola bars, fruit snacks, ice water, gatorade, plus all the fixin's to go with the sandwiches. Nobody left hungry! Those kids went through almost 10 dozen rolls! Every day!!! It's like they were hungry or something. =)
They were so good when they got their food. Everyone was so excited to see the lunch set up. They found a nice shady place to eat and really enjoyed their rest.
I got to ride in the wagon up to where I parked the pick-up. It was really fun. I was expecting a much bumpier ride, but it was so smooth. Loved it!
After I went back to camp and put lunch stuff away, Megan and I walked up the road and found the wandering pioneers. They were just stopping to take a break in some nice shade. Some fell asleep, most just enjoyed the afternoon shade and company. Here my sweet husband went and picked Indian Paintbrush and handed them out to all the Ma's. They all just adored him for that!
Gary and his brother Garin.
We're heading down into a little opening when we see a couple of guys walking towards us.
Gary paying attention....
We ran into some "missionaries", who were on their way back from being in England for the last 4 years. They too were headed to Zion. They told a few stories and we invited them to come into camp with us and eat dinner. They accepted and off we went.
Just about to our camp for the night....just in the middle of those trees.
Setting up camp.
After the way they moved across all those hills today, I'm surprised they still had energy to jump around!
When they finally got dinner, it was pretty quiet. We made chicken pot pie in the dutch ovens for dinner. It was so yummy....there were hardly any left! I also made Pink Lemonade Pie for dessert for everyone. It was very much enjoyed by everyone. Some of the men had 3 pieces! But that was after me keeping close tabs on them.....making sure they didn't get anymore until I was sure everyone who wanted a piece had had one. It was pretty funny....you had to be there!
After dinner there was some free time, so Brother Ronnow taught the kids a game called Dippety-dippety-dip. It was very entertaining watching them.
Well, it was a great first day......everyone is getting along.....Yeah! No accidents or sick kids....bigger yeah! Tomorrow is going to be much more difficult.....physically, emotionally and especially spiritually.....I couldn't wait. That was the day I was waiting for.

Pioneer Trek - Day 2

Day 2 started out with sunshine and blue skies! It was a perfect morning! The Ma's and Pa's got up and started making breakfast for their families which consisted of made from scratch biscuits and sausage gravy. They did a wonderful job. It was so much fun cooking and teaching those who hadn't done it before. Some had a little trouble with the biscuits, but there were enough to go around.
Everyone ate well....we needed a hearty breakfast.....it was going to be a long day!
Everyone was so willing and able to just jump in and help out. Many hands really do make light work.
The kids had lots of fun playing on the tire swing, playing tetherball(not pictured) or Ninja Destruction! I'm pretty sure every time we had some free time, there was a round of that going on....and not just the kids!
We had some mountain men come and visit with us this morning. They told us a little bit about the history of the country and meeting Brigham Young on his journey to the Great Salt Lake Valley.
They then took everyone out to show them how to throw knives, axes and shoot black powder guns. Everyone who wanted got to try it. It was very entertaining!
Watch out for Ma Cook! She'll get ya if you're outta line!
We then headed up the road from camp and through the grass and sage brush. We walked for about 30 minutes and stopped for a little rest. We didn't want the kids getting going quite as fast as they had the day before! We needed to pace them a little better today. Naturally, when we stopped, there was a game of Ninja Destruction going again.
Of course there were those who preferred to spend their time resting!
Off we go again!
We head up and down through the swells of the land and down to the canyon rim. There we met up with Sister Stephanie Parker who told us of the story of Sarah and her fiance` George.
After that it was lunch time again. We had a nice little rest....some tried to get out of the sun by napping under the handcarts, there was another big game of Ninja Destruction going on....most just sat around and visited, enjoying the beautiful day.
We worked our way around the canyon rim, not being able to go any other way. Everyone moved pretty well on the sloped hillside. We stopped for a bit and had a good break and got up and got going, the leaders knowing what was coming up ahead of us.....the Women's Pull. When we got near the hill that the women would be pulling up, we detoured down to the point out above the canyon. There we had some men from the Mormon Battalion come and tell all the men and boys that their services were needed and they were to leave immediately with them. Our Bishop talked to us for a few minutes about the importance of the priesthood in our lives.
We then heard a few words from our Relief Society President about how we as women can help the men in our lives, whether they are our husbands, fathers, brothers or friends, to sustain their priesthood.
My cute husband with the horse and mule.
After those inspiring talks we all headed back up to the bottom of the hill. The men headed off, leaving the women below to take care of the handcarts and continue on in our journey to Zion. The men lined up along the hill and could not say anything. All they could do was stand and watch us pull the carts up the hill alone. It was SO HARD! Physically, emotionally, spiritually! I can't even look at these pictures with the tears welling up in my eyes remembering the experience.
My legs were burning as we were getting to the top of the hill. One of the girls down below was not feeling good....she was a little dehydrated and had a bit of heat stroke. And some of the families only had one girl and the ma. Us up front knew that they would need help, so we hurried as quickly as we could so we could go back and help them.
As soon as we got to the top and parked our carts and grabbed a drink of water we turned around and headed straight back down the hill. Some of the girls were literally running back to go help their sisters in need.
Most of them had helped the other carts up the first time, so we headed back to get the last 2 carts up the hill....we already pulled up 4 of them. It was not easy.....at all! My legs burned....my lungs burned. I couldn't even look at the guys because I knew that I would loose it. All I could do was focus on the ground in front of me and shout my encouragement to the ladies.
The second time up should have been harder....but it wasn't. There were more of us to each cart, but I know that it was more than that! I know that we had more "help" than we could see. I could feel my dad there helping us....I could feel the spirits of our ancestors pulling and pushing with us. It was all I could do to keep up and not be run over by the handcart.

I can't begin to describe my joy as we all made it to the top with everyone and everything. The Spirit was so strong that you could almost reach out and grab it. And I did, with every hug I had with some of my sisters there. It is definitely an experience that I will never forget. It's something that I really wish everyone has the privelege to experience in their lifetime.
The rest of the way back to camp was fairly simple....mostly level or downhill. It was nice to have a peaceful, almost restful walk after that experience.....I need some quiet time to compose myself again. When we got back we had some time to rest and relax. The kids found a shady spot to relax in. Pa Jemmett offered to wash some of our feet for us....I gladly accepted! My legs were really dirty! I had put on some lotion that morning and all the dust stuck to it really well.
A little before dinner was ready, the Pony Express rode into camp with letters for all of the kids from their parents. It was a humbling experience to watch some of the kids read their letters and really get emotional.
Our Trek dog, Lily!
After dinner we did some square dancing!
We really got the dust a flyin'! Everyone had a great time!
Here we go some more.....it's a great workout! It is not slow at all! It's go or get run over!
Afterward, everyone got settled in the shelter so we could have our Testimony meeting.
It was another amazing experience! Most of the kids got up and bore their testimonies. Most of them talked about how they really didn't want to come on the Trek, but they were all so glad that they did. I'm so glad that they did also. Gary stood up and bore his short, but sincere testimony.....it was amazing. I stood and talked about my dad, the priesthood, the farm and my love of the Gospel and my Ward. I'm so lucky to be here.
We were there from about 8:30 to Midnight, giving everyone a chance to express their feelings and share their testimonies of the gospel. It was such a humbling and full-filling experience. I hope that I can always keep that feeling alive and burning inside of me. Through this journey I've been learning the true meaning of having the fire of the covenant inside of me. It burns bright and deep now! I am so grateful!