Our story of Trek goes like this: In October 2016, we were asked if we would go on the Summer 2017 Stake Youth Pioneer Trek. Though Trek is something many LDS youth do nowdays, Tim and I had never participated. It is something we had heard was a great experience, but neither of us enjoys camping much. When we were asked, we discussed it and, at the time, were hoping to be pregnant soon, so we declined. As it turns out, I was still not pregnant in January, so we decided that even if I did get pregnant, I wouldn't be far enough along that I wouldn't be able to go, so we agreed. Soon after, we found out I WAS pregnant.
As time went on and we began preparing more, we realized this was NOT just a regular youth leader job. Trek would be very difficult, physically, and as "Ma" and "Pa" of a youth group, we were in charge of bringing all of the "family" supplies except food. We also had to get pioneer clothing. It was a LOT of work and preparation (and money).
The preparation was not just physical either. We had to pray about who our Trek family would represent and what our motto would be. Our spiritual preparation was also very important. We looked into our own family history and I found TWO direct relatives who were born on the journey to Utah, which means two direct relatives who were pregnant and had delivered on their journey! Both births seemed to go well, and the babies lived to also be my great X2 grandparents.
I decided to choose my Rich family, particularly focusing on Lydia Pond Rich and her story, as it related to me (she was pregnant), and her company, though they used covered wagons rather than handcarts, arrived in Salt Lake City successfully, with no deaths. I needed some happy stories to rely on. Lydia has an amazing and positive autobiography I found on Family Search. I was able to draw lessons from her story to use in our devotionals. Tim found our family motto, "
We walk by faith," from a
talk by President Gordon B. Hinckley, which we also used for devotionals and teaching the youth along the journey.
At the end of April, Tim and I went to a mini-trek for all of the leaders who would be attending in June. It was just one night, and I was about 16 weeks pregnant. I felt good physically, so I joined in on all of the pushing. We were separated into our own families, loaded our carts (which were not even as full as the youth's would be), and pushed from about 5pm to 11pm, where we pulled in and still had to set up camp and eat dinner. It had been HARD. Although we had eight adults, including 5 men, I was exhausted. We had gone up and down hills, over bumps and rocks, and pushed a loaded handcart with wooden wheels. The next day I was still exhausted, and didn't recover until Sunday.
At that point, I was nervous to go on the real trek, which would be longer and more strenuous. Our trek nurse, who was in our ward, said she recommend I NOT go. Tim and I prayed about it and I talked with my doctor. I was concerned about the physical exertion, but more concerned about the weather conditions. I prayed more and we still felt like we should go, but under strict self-imposed rules that I could NOT push the cart. So, at 21 weeks pregnant, we loaded up, left the kids with Tim's mom, and drove to Ft. Mountain State Park (with a speeding ticket on the way :(...where were the blessings?).
We quickly got divided into families and I was a little sad that I didn't really know anyone in our group. We prayed and decided who our "big brother" and "big sister" should be, loaded up, and began our journey. The stake that had gone a few days before us had gotten totally rained on (I was so blessed I wasn't there with them), so the trails were muddy, and sometimes, covered in water. It was very rocky and slippery. Our "family" did a great job of pushing and pulling, and I had to walk along-side just cheering them on. It was hard for them, but they worked together to pull our cart, loaded with all of our supplies, and weighing about 500 pounds.
Before trek, I was extremely nervous. I truly dreaded it and just looked forward to it being over. I had a bad attitude and wondered why the stake would choose such difficult trails and circumstances. They kept saying they wanted the youth to learn that they could do hard things, but did it have to be THAT hard? Also, why did we have to dress like pioneers? What was the point? Now that it is over, I wouldn't have changed a thing. It really was hard. It was a pain to find pioneer clothes. It all added to the experience, and I wouldn't have change a thing.
At one point, there is a very long and steep hill they call "Big Bertha." Everyone helps each other and tie four ropes to one cart to pull. Though I didn't get to participate, I know everyone gave it their all. Some of the kids could only go once, while others went until they physically couldn't help anymore. I know Tim was spent at the top of the hill. It was amazing to see everyone do what they could to help.
In the past, I had heard horror stories of Trek and kids not getting much to eat, or having to kill and cook their own chickens. The church has since made rules against those sorts of things (hallelujah), so we had plenty of food along the trail, and an entire team prepping our food for us to cook, or making it for us to eat. It really took the burden off of us as the "parents," and we were able to use those times to talk to our youth and present our devotionals.
Our first night was spent camping along the trail, the boys in hammocks up the mountain, and the ground covered in sticky mud. At least it wasn't hot and it hadn't rained (I truly felt that my prayers for good weather had been answered because I went). In the morning, one of our girls was crying and called home to see if her mom could come get her. Her mom was in tune with the spirit, and her best interest, and just said she was praying for her. I don't know what happened, but that same girl pushed and pushed and pushed without another word.
The second day was the women's pull where the men left on "missions" and the women were left to pull several carts alone. I was sad because I couldn't participate, but decided I would have to because they needed me. At that point, Tiffany, the trek nurse, came up and said she had to push for me. It was like she was an angel taking my place, much like the real pioneers felt. It was also a neat experience for Tim to see her in my place, as Christ would have been. It's neat that although I missed out on a lot of the pushing experiences, I learned my own things.
That afternoon, we arrived in our base camp where we would stay for the next two nights. The next day was games, devotionals, and relaxation. Below are some pictures of the games. The top two are the kids playing "human musical chairs" where the girls had to sit on the boys' laps. It was hilarious to watch.
I'd like to say that was the end of the hardship, but there is always more. Tim had trouble with two boys who always wandered off, and one of our girls was upset about a boy, but ended up having a really neat experience about her family history as she spent some extra time alone. One of our boys really impressed us and said he had given up on a mission, but decided on Trek that he really did want to go.
On the last day, we finished our trek walking to a big parking lot where many parents were waiting and watching us. It was very emotional. When Tim and I got home, we felt like we were on a high. It was so nice to be away from all of our technology and be out in nature. I remember thinking, I didn't even feel pregnant while I was there...and there were no mirrors. We spent the rest of the day without our social media, and reflecting on our experience. It was an amazing and difficult experience, but it really was worth it. I'm sure it can be applied to life, too. It wasn't easy, but it was worth it. I don't know if we'll be asked to go on trek again, but if we are, though it was great, I'm glad it won't be for four years!
Meanwhile, Grandma Diney did us a HUGE favor and flew out to stay with the kiddos while we were gone. I don't even know if they realized we were gone!
