Trekking IT.....

We successfully made it through June, which included...Trek...School and making it on our vacation to Seattle.

Trek was a great experience. Having gone 3 years ago, I was not sure if I was going to like it as much as I did then...it was better!! The way that our ward does Trek, is awesome. We have a pioneer scholar in our ward and he has so much Pioneer heritage on the brain, it is pretty amazing. His philosophy is to give the youth 5 to 10 minutes of pioneer history, than relating it to their lives now, jabbing at their spirit, and then move on as they get more tired and worn down from walking on the trail, the more you jab.

As we walked into Martin's Cove, the spirit was amazing, you can feel the presence of those that lost their lives and those that made it out of there alive. We met as a Youth group in the cove, listened to our Bishop, sang Come, Come, Ye Saints and then we were able to walk through the cove. It is an hour or so of pure reflection and peace, it is so quiet in the cove that you can hear nature all around you.

After leaving the cove, our group was able to cross the Sweetwater River at the sacred crossing. The river was much higher this year than it was three years ago. Our Young Men's president stood and told the story of the Rescuers that came and helped those Pioneers cross the sweetwater. They were young men, the age of our Priests, he then asked each Priest to carry every single person across the river. It is pretty cool to see Young Men carry 70 people across a very swift moving river...taking great care to make sure that they don't get wet, holding them on their shoulders so they won't. Barely able to keep their own feet underneath them, assuring each person as they walked across.

Although, crossing the Sweetwater River was amazing, my most favorite part of the entire Trek was our Woman's Pull. Three years ago, the Woman's Pull was merely a walk up a sandy hill pulling an empty cart. Recognizing that we had discussed making it much harder this year. As the weeks leading up to Trek, I was contemplating my Pioneer story that I would tell the group, three years ago I told the same story of Elsie Nielsen, wife of Jens Nielsen, a wealthy man who gave up all he had to the Martin & Willie Handcart Companies. Providing the way for many, many families to be able to go in the Handcart Companies, as opposed to going in style and luxury with horses and wagons himself. At a certain point, Jens feet were frozen and he could walk no longer, after already losing a six year old son to death, Elsie was determined to get the rest of her family to Zion alive. She told Jens to get in the cart and she would pull him the rest of the way. Jens was embarrassed, but listened to his wife and got in the cart. So I wanted to find a way to reach that story to our Young Woman, making them see that they can do ANYTHING that is asked of them, and that every price you pay is worth it.

I am certain it was through pure inspiration and through the Spirit that this idea came to me, and after a couple of simple adjustments we came up with the idea to have our Bishop in the cart, being pulled by his daughter, a mia maid, one of our tiniest young woman. Tyler had told the Bishop we needed his help with the Woman's Pull and he agreed, not telling him what we had planned. When it was time for the Woman's Pull, all of our Young Men were called away on missions and they left and started walking up the trail. I then told the very surprised Bishop that he would not be helping with the handcarts, he would be in the handcart and that his daughter would be pulling it by herself. It will forever be one of my favorite memories, as the Bishop recounts his emotions as he climbed in that handcart, glad for his sunglasses as he was crying thinking of his daughter having to pull him, and later putting his arm around me, thanking me for that experience, as he had been praying for his daughter to have a spiritual experience and to understand the pioneers struggle and to gain something from Trek. But that was not the only special moment. We then asked each of the Young Woman Leaders, who were finding there way to help on pulling the handcarts, to get IN the handcarts. They all looked at me with heartache, as they recognized how much harder that was going to make the pull. We had two leaders, lots of equipment, coolers and gear loaded in each handcart. We also made our pull longer than just the hill, starting it right after the river. The flat part the girls did with ease. But what was most impressive to me, moments after the sole young woman pulling her father departed, each Young Woman pleaded with me to let them help her. It was killing each one of them to see her struggle to pull the handcart by herself. As we came to the hill, the sand was getting deeper and deeper and they watched that Young Woman struggle, one of our Laurels could not take it any longer, and ran up to help without being told. The two of them started the hill with the Bishop in tow, and it was too hard, before long all the Young Woman put down their own carts and ran up to help them get to the top of the hill. At the top of the hill was our Young Men standing on both sides of the trail, singing Armies of Helaman, over and over and over again, until each handcart had made it up the hill. Some of the Young Woman leaders tried to get out of the carts to help lighten the load as they went up the hill. They were pretty mad at me when I told them to get back in and sit down. I will never be able to describe the feelings we all felt as we watched those Young Woman struggle to pull each handcart up the sandy hill. The leaders were sobbing, and much to my surprise, on the last handcart as the girls came down to help for the last time, exhausted and every energy spent, but still having to get this last one up, the Young Woman were sobbing. What an unbelievable experience. We all reached the top of the hill, we stopped and we sang as proud Young Woman, As Sisters In Zion. I will never forget that moment, those feelings or those girls as they caught for just a small moment the Pioneer Heritage and then how they took those moments and related it back to their lives now. It was awesome, and I am so grateful that I got to be a part of that Pioneer Trek and that I had the priviledge to do it again with Tyler.