Handcart Trek

I won't be able to put into words all the emotions I feel about the past week. I'll try to describe what it was like and how it affected me, but unless you have experienced a difficult trek yourself, it might just sound like hiking in the woods with barely enough water and pushing a monstrous package on a big wagon.

The trek for me started last November when Dave and I were called as Ma and Pa. We were told the dates and hopeful location: the White Mountains in northern AZ. Dave had been on a trek in Boston as the Trek Doctor, and I remember being a little jealous of him then, but I had very mixed emotions about going. First of all, I knew that every single teen who had ever met Dave would want to be in his family. I was an ancillary accomplice. Seriously, few people know who I am unless I am with Dave.

At one point I spoke with the wife of the "trailboss" who had gone up to the mountains with him to choose a trail. She said her husband was crazy! He wanted to go up and down these hills that she didn't dare go on with a 4-wheeler! I figured she had set him straight.

For the January new year youth fireside, the stake focused on promoting the trek and had all the registration materials ready for them. Parents were there, Ma's and Pa's were introduced, etc. It was a great fireside and the response was overwhelming, literally. They ran out of registration materials that night. Before the fireside, the stake was hoping to get 125 kids going, but thought that if they got 100 they were doing good. They got over 100 that night. The original estimate of 8 kids per family grew to 10. A few more Ma's and Pa's were called.

We had monthly Ma and Pa training meetings where we learned that the stake wanted to make trek as authentic as possible. A real simulation of all things 1850, except for tennis shoes, deoderant, and first aid. The trek specialists had been searching out returned missionaries and others and interviewing them about trek to see what impact it had had on their lives. They found that those who felt like their trek was extremely difficult also felt like it had a lasting impact on their lives, spiritually. Some were iffy about missions before the trek, but came away with a lasting desire to serve one. So our trek would be difficult.

As training went on, we began adding non-authentic things to our supply list, such as flashlights, etc. But the plan was to cook over fires with no real recipes. The cook would give us our rations each day and we and the kids would figure out what to make of it all. We were to stick to pioneer era songs and games. They taught us how to skin and butcher a rabbit and filet a fish. (Though we knew we wouldn't be killing any animals on trek.) I think the training was worth its weight in gold, if only we had gone camping a few times with the kids to practice.

For clothing, Elaine and I planned on making all our skirts, bonnets, aprons, and bloomers. We ran out of time, however, and THANK YOU to all who donated some of the above to our cause!

At an early training, all the activities committee were there and were brainstorming. I overheard some of their ideas and really DID NOT LIKE them. I felt they were overly artificially spiritually manipulative and cheesy. So I wasn't looking forward to them but tried to maintain an positive attitude about them. In the end, they did modify them somewhat which was for the better, and I also ended up feeling like they were completely inspired. Also we learned in April that fires would not be allowed because it was too dry so we would cook on camp stoves. HALLELUIA!

We also learned a month or so before the trek that our family size had increased to 14 kids per family. We were flabbergasted. They called a few more Ma's and Pa's.

So trek drew closer and our lives got busier with going to Cancun, baseball games, swim season starting, end of school year activities, . . . All of a sudden it was Memorial Day Weekend and time to pack! Dave and I had most of the stuff we needed but we did make a few last-minute runs to Walmart and Sportsman's Warehouse. We also threw authenticity to the wind on a few items and grabbed several large bags of candy to keep our trek kids happy!

Remember, we had just returned from a Cancun trip. (We left the kids in the care of a fabulous young couple, Jake and Maren, in our ward who grew up around here in Tucson.) For the past month I have been devoting all my spare time to writing schedules and coordinating rides for the kids to all their activities for when we'd be gone to Cancun and Trek. Dave's mom arrived Monday night to watch our kids AND their 5 cousins from down south whose parents were Ma's and Pa's for THEIR stake trek part of the same week. Thanks, mom! And thanks Leann, Jennifer and Jeremy for carting kids around!

It was a huge relief to finally be on our way on Tuesday morning! We learned that there were around 175 kids going on trek. 14 families of 12-13 kids. Plenty of kids who are of other faiths came also. The stake had chartered 3 buses. Dave and I drove up with our stuff in the back of our little truck and got plenty of stares at our rest-stops!

After arriving, we were assigned our children and divided up into companies. We did "shake-down" looking for contraband electronics, etc. and scored some Zone bars to add to our snack supply. (Thanks, Tanner!) I was still pretty nervous about getting to know these kids and wondering what they would think of me.

We practiced loading and unloading the cart and set up camp. Some of the kids went to witness and participate in the butchering of the buffalo for dinner. Pres. Wengert organized dinner for us as a company, which was great for the 80% who got to eat it. He obtained more meat and veggies from the kitchen and the rest of us ate as well. We decided portion control would be easier if we cooked in families from then on out.

After settling down we got the word that a "mob" was heading toward camp. We hid in the trees and listened to the "mob" as it moved among camp. Fortunately we didn't have to move camp. The next morning I got the kids started on breakfast and Dave and I went to our staff meeting. We came back and the kids had done a fabulous job cooking and had breakfast ready for us. (Great kids!!!) We passed around a jar of cream to make butter, cleaned and packed and headed out!

Our kids were great pushers and pullers. One girl had asked for a blessing in the morning because she was worried about her ankles. She had never been able to finish a hike at girls' camp but wanted to do the whole trek. I'm happy to report that she finished it all without a problem! She pushed and pulled with the rest. I was so pleased that we had no complainers. One girl had a hard time keeping up, but we hooked arms and never got too far behind.

We stopped for a trail lunch around 1 pm, and received a "trial". Along the trail staff would periodically hand out trials such as, "your big brother has broken his leg". We would decide how to deal with it and at some point he would be healed. Our lunchtime trial was a huge blessing. It was that we had "broken a wheel" and needed to unload, "fix the wheel" and reload. We happily complied since our tarps were rubbing on the wheels.

Elaine with her family

After lunch we cheerfully marched along and passed through an "Indian Trading Post". Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures but the "Indians" were fabulous actors. They really hammed it up. We were also faced with a "sick pioneer woman" with "twin babies" who couldn't go on and insisted we take her babies on to Zion for her. She "died". At one point we had a discussion about Moses wandering in the wilderness with the Israelites and receiving manna from heaven. Our manna was twinkies and ding dongs.

We arrived at a very picturesque campsite near a stream. We rinsed off our feet and had a meager supper of broth and bread, with no-bake cookies for dessert (which sort of negated the "meager" aspect). The Pony Express delivered letters. We had Family Home Evening and went to bed to the tune of drums beating in the distance. Most of the kids zonked in a matter of seconds.

The next morning the kids made cornmeal mush. Not a big hit. They tried frying some, but that didn't work out either. Oh well. We broke camp with a healthy appetite for our lunch when we arrived in the next campsite around 1pm. Thanks goodness for our non-authentic snacks.

Along the trail, we got the word at some point that our company and the lead company had missed a turn off. We sat around waiting for the trail boss to decide how to rectify the error. We ended up bushwhacking up a hill rather than retrace our steps. We had added 2 miles to the day's trek. Back on the trail we faced a few more "trials". Lexi was very convincing as a sister who sat down and just couldn't go on any more. She cried and looked sincerely desperate for a quad to rescue her. The kids were convinced for long enough for it to have an impact on them. She revived after we decided to pray for her.

One of our babies "died" as well. We had a good discussion about that and the hardships of that period in history. Also how we today are not immune from similar trials and can react either by hardening our hearts or by having faith in our Savior.

We pulled into camp 2 hours late, got "lunch" going, and lazed around (watching Lexi throw up repeatedly due to over-exertion ... the girl is fierce) until we were called for the activities which included making taffy, sewing little pouches, braiding bracelets, and "washing" hair with baking soda.

Following the workshops we had some family games including a buffalo chip throwing contest and tug-o-wars. After that we stood in the longest line in existence to wait for our hamburgers (still from the buffalo) and fries. The wait was worth it. By then it was after 9:30 pm and we weren't sure if we were going to have our scheduled hoe-down. We had it and the kids had a great time. I stayed at camp to do dishes so the kids wouldn't have to when they got back at 11 or later. But I finished in time to watch a lot of the dancing. "Now we all join hands and we circle the ring, stop where you are give your honey a swing . . ."

The original plan for the next day was to do some more workshops and head back on the trail after lunch, but the leaders allowed us to sleep in, so we postponed the workshops for when we arrived back at base camp, from whence we began our journey. We made pancakes and got all packed up and sent a few kids for our turn at KP duty, and got out of there around 10:30 am. We anticipated less than 4 hours of hiking, since it was supposedly only 5 miles back. Water was running scarce, but we weren't worried.

After a mile or so on the trail, we met up with a "military man" who informed us the government was in need of soldiers. Our men and boys marched off and we women folk were left alone. Deanna Lamoreaux gave us a great devotional about strong pioneer women and off we went to face what we knew was coming: a steep hill. (Sorry, no photos.)

We helped each other up a long, steep, rocky hill. My lungs were burning worse than I ever remember. I was spent. We went back down to help another cart and I had to be relieved halfway up by a high school record-holding deadlifter who still had plenty of strength. We had "men angels" helping us on the way down the other side for which I was very grateful. I was very proud of our girls and their strength and determination. What we didn't know then was that we would have to go up another hill, just as rocky and steep, but longer about 1/2 mile ahead. The deadlifter and other strong women had helped with all our company's carts and were now exhausted. I was worried about Lexi, the over-achiever, and of course all the girls because they all looked so petite.

There is no way to describe how we got up that 2nd hill. The girls dug in their heels and pushed. I tried to pull for a while but it is all a blur as to how long I lasted or what part of the hill we were on or who was helping or even what cart I was helping with because once ours was up we went back down to help with the next. At one point when I was pushing or following behind the cart I heard a collective gasp and saw the bright red fabric of one of my sweet little daughters appearing at my feet. She had slipped and fallen and the cart was pushed right over her. Fortunately she had the presence of mind (or a real guardian angel was with her) to hold completely still and wasn't hurt. Several "angels" helped push. Their feet were slipping on the rocks with the rest of ours and I'm sure they'll attest to the difficulty of the hill.

I found a way to help one cart by standing behind the girls who were pushing with my hands on their backs. I was able to help keep them from slipping, and also push a little when it was extra tough.

I should mention that the boys, using binoculars, watched us descend the first hill. I'm told that as they hiked up those hills they had a hard time climbing and where shocked when they found out we had to push a cart up, and especially without them. As soon as they had the go-ahead they rushed in to relieve us. They were emotional.

A few of my girls, including the afore-mentioned Lexi, went down to help with another cart. Lexi kept helping until I forbade her to help any more. (She threw up again when we finally got back to camp). Another of my girls had to be removed from a cart because she couldn't breathe. She collapsed to the side of the "trail" loudly wheezing but wouldn't wait for a medic. She got up and hiked up the rest of the hill. Another just kept helping until we convinced her to join us somewhere else. I was so moved by the willing spirit of all my girls throughout this "women's pull". Nobody grumbled; everybody did their absolute best.

After that, we waited and rested for awhile sharing our feelings about what we had just been through. The boys got angry at any girl who tried to help push, but some of the girls are pretty strong-willed and found a way to help. We were told we only had a few miles left, so we left with a limited water supply so we wouldn't have to wait around any longer.

After an eternity we thought we were getting close when our company captain rode by asking us to hold up. Apparently, a cart lost a wheel, for real. We waited for a while and rested.

The next few miles seemed like an eternity. We were pretty thirsty. We took a short-cut across private land (sorry, whoever you are), and finally got back to base camp. No time for workshops or lunch, it was 5:00 pm. We prepared dinner (chicken! not buffalo!) as a company, and finished eating @9:00 pm. President Kartchner spoke to us and we had a large testimony meeting for a while, then met as families and had our own testimony meeting. Our resident Catholic even participated. (Hope it wasn't too uncomfortable for you, Ben!)

All in all, I would repeat it in a heartbeat. I loved our family and the whole experience. We took off the next morning as soon as the buses arrived.

One more thing . . . I was amazed at how well our family meshed. They all respected each other and I think they all ended up loving each other, regardless of social status at school. I hope they will continue that bond and acceptance when they see each other in the halls at school.