Pioneer Trek

Brandon and I were asked by the stake to be a Ma and Pa on the pioneer trek. It was a very rewarding experience but very challenging. I think the pioneers deserve a free ticket into heaven, because I hardly made it 3 days. Going on the trek gave me the weekend to really consider what is important in this life and how truly blessed I am.

Here is our "family" right before we got started. I have to say we had the best group of kids, when we got home Sunday night we both asked eachother if it was weird that we missed the kids already. Maybe ill plan a reunion hike soon so we can keep in touch with them. ANNIE, JENNIFER, KAY, JESSICA, ME (MA), SAM, JORDAN, BRAXTON, BRYCE, BRANDON (PA), MATTHEW (another JESSICA joined us a day late)
MA & PA (Brandon & I) all nice and clean right before we started pushing handcarts for miles.

This is a view of Vale Lake from the top of a HUGE HILL.

DARLING GIRLS FROM MY WARD! Erin, Lexi, Bri, Kay, Emily. What troopers!

DOC & VICKI "ROUGHIN' IT THE RIGHT WAY"! I am sure their cots beat my sleeping situation. I was in the "MA" tent with 7 other women, next to a lady who SNORED so loud all night long, at lease I had a sleeping bag. I am so glad they were came, they are so much like my parents it makes me feel like my own parents are there. I can always count on them to take care of me. I relied on doc to haul all my stuff up there and vicki to do my hair. Thanks guys!

Each family got to make 2 dutch oven dinners, thanks to ANNIE who headed up cooking our dinner we had such a yummy meal. You can't go camping without a chiken dutchover dinner.

Here we are waiting patiently for it to be ready.

After we finished with all the "treking" and Brigham Young said we made it to "Salt Lake" they set up different stations with pioneer activities. Brandon stayed at the knife and hatchet throwing station almost the entire time. He got really good.

I have to say the food was so YUMMY! Thanks to a great stake young women's presidency and Costco only 35 minutes away we didn't go hungry at all. We had everything from egg & cheese burritos, to hamburgers & hot dogs, dutchover dinner, and brownie & icecream sundays. The food made the trek, thanks again granny's grits 'n' gizzards!

Doesn't he look gorgeous? He would have made a great cowboy!

This is just one of the MANY HUGE hills we had to trek up. Our family was so strong, once we made it up all the boys would run back down and help up the next carts. Not one of them complained and were always so willing to help. I was so IMPRESSED!

Saturday morning Brigham Young showed up and called all of the men to join the MORMON BATALION. Brandon had no idea I was watch or taking pictures but I could tell how much he LOVED doing the millitary drills. He is such a GERMAN! I hope he got it out of his system because that is the closest I will let him come to joining the millitary. After learning the drill they took off on a long hike. The women were left to push the hand carts up a nasty big hill ALONE. It took about 12 girls to push one cart up. The second I made it up, I ran back down to push up another one until all 25 carts made it. I don't know how those pioneer women did it. We were so HAPPY when the BOYS joined up with us agian!

The girls in my family moving forward, after our boys got called to the fight in the Mormon Battalion.

I am grateful for the opportunity I had to experience a taste of what the pioneers did. I had never done one before and was so happy to have my sweetheart there with me. It was a great experience!