PIONEER TREK 2015

Paul & I were asked to be a "Ma & Pa" for the youth of the El Dorado Stake pioneer trek in July 2015. We reflected on our pioneer heritage & pushed our loaded handcarts along portions of the Mormon Emigrant Trail. We dressed in pioneer clothes & not only walked in our ancestors footsteps, but participate in games and activities of the pioneer time period. The goal was to help the youth understand what it means to establish Zion, give them an appreciation for family history work, and develop an understanding of the sacrifices of our own ancestors and the Mormon Pioneers. We built some great friendships & strengthened our faith in God as we shared these experiences.

Gathering our "family" & loading up the handcarts, heading down the trail to camp...

Beautiful scenery along the Mormon Emigrant Trail in The Sierras near Tahoe...

We met different people along the trail who told us their stories...

A father of three boys whose wife had just died giving birth to twins. They couldn't care for the babies & asked us to take them with us. Each family took one of the twins, we named it, & cared for it the entire trip...

 

A young mother was having trouble rounding up her cattle, we tried to help as we learned to rope 'em in...

Friendly Indians along the trail warned us of dangers & taught us to shoot a bow & arrow for food & throw a tomahawk...

They fed us well at camp, we played games, danced at our hoedown, & listened to inspiring music & messages...

Now this last game, the "stick pull," is a game of leverage. With feet together, both hands grabbing the stick, each person tries to pull the person up to a stand when someone yells "GO!" 

In an effort to get the kids involved & entertained, Paul was convinced to give it a try.  Since we were the oldest ma & pa there, I think some of the younger guys thought he'd be an easy target, but his size & strength plays to his advantage on games like this.  After a couple of pulls, Bishop Murdock challenged him & Paul was able to easily pull him to a stand. On the rematch, however, Paul felt something "pop" & let go of the stick & laid straight back on the ground in severe pain...he was hurt & it was Day 1 of this TREK! Of course there were medical personnel, EMT's & doctors who took care of him immediately & gave him the muscles relaxers/pain killers he needed to tend to his injury. 

As they are tending to him in the medic's tent (& giving him a blessing), I went with our "kids" to the hoedown...it was such a beautiful night with a beautiful view!

Just as the sun was setting, The Mormon Battalion came through camp & took all the men with them to a separate campsite, leaving all the women to trek by themselves...

D&C 6:36 Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.

The "sisters pull" was tough, but these girls are strong! As we pulled the handcart, our "Mormon Battalion" volunteers marched with their gear through the woods & met up with us at our lunch stop. Paul was able to suffer through the pain (with the help of some serious pain killers) & stay with the boys on their march...

That afternoon we all experienced "Rocky Ridge" - before we tackled this challenge we were asked to choose one of our members to carry another member up the hill, so those two members couldn't help us with the handcart. Of course, with Paul's injury, he couldn't help either so they gave him the baby to take care of. It was amazing to see the strength & willingness on everyone's part to pitch in & get the job done. The hill was so steep & they were so strong, I couldn't even keep up with the handcart so they basically pulled it up the hill without me, too...it was a very humbling experience!

Do you notice how Paul isn't helping??? We were all super happy to be at the top of the ridge! It was a beautiful sight to see the view from the top. I wondered what the pioneers thought as they made it to the top only to see "more" rocky ridges ahead?

We were all happy to get to camp. The kids received letters of encouragement from their parents sharing their testimonies about their own pioneer heritage or struggles they've overcome & we enjoyed a great fireside where different youth spoke about overcoming specific challenges they've faced...

We were up early & met in groups for a testimony meeting before heading out to go home...

At our last stop, several sisters (angels) dressed in white were standing on the hillside.  They had come for some of the babies because not all survived the pioneer trek...

And should we die before our journey's through,

Happy day! All is well!

We then are free from toil and sorrow, too;

With the just we shall dwell!

But if our lives are spared again

To see the Saints their rest obtain,

Oh, how we'll make this chorus swell--

All is well! All is well!