Not my finest hours . . .

I feel that enough time has elapsed that I can write about the TREK without sending myself into cold sweats. After three and a half months of PANIC and DREAD, and then four days of actually BEING THERE, it is now safely in the past, and for myself, and proof to everyone who knows me, the pictures must be shown. I was ACTUALLY there ;) and it wasn't just some horrible nightmare!


When I was released from YW's a year ago, the ONLY thing that made me feel even a LITTLE okay with it, was knowing that it also released me from any connection to the TREK. Yet, in the back of my mind, there was a little tickle that wouldn't go away. A small "yeah, you're going anyway." I tried to ignore it . . . but at the end of March when the 1st counselor in the stake presidency needed to "talk to me and my husband" I KNEW. And the panic/dread set in immediately! So, I paniced and dreaded myself into a complete, frantic tizzy! And poor TR, he'd wanted to go from the start - - so he tolerated my panic and dread fairly well! Why the panic and dread? Well, for someone who HATES to camp, the thought of spending 4 days and 3 nights in the middle of nowhere, with only a 5 gallon bucket for your ammenities, sleeping under the stars (that's a whole DIFFERENT panic attack in and of itself) with no water/flushing toilets, topped off by a 6 hour school bus ride, JUST TO GET THERE. . . NOT PLEASANT. But, wah-wah-wah. You do what ya gotta do when you know The Church is true! And I would spend 24/7 with the youth if I could - they're GREAT - even if it means ROUGHING it. Which we definately were!


Thank goodness for the wonderful pioneers. Reason #8,732 I would not have made a good pioneer . . . I do not like things tied around my neck! That is why the tie is where it is! I spent A LOT of time holding on to that tie so my bonnet wouldn't fly off! It is VERY windy in Wyoming. And yes, that IS a forced smile!

Our cute "family"! They are/were the ONLY reasons I made it through! Don't get me wrong, I'm a pretty tough chick. And the 25 miles of walking/pushing a handcart were pretty fun! But the no-shower-for-four-days-sleeping-in-your-own-filth-under-the-stars-in-the-dirty-dirt. . . not for me. But our kids (ALL the kids, for that matter) were SO great! And so CUTE, and willing to do ANYTHING! And only a couple complained a couple times, but it didn't last long and the complaints were far outshined by their happiness and complete goodness! LOVE them all! TGFY (Thank Goodness For Youth!)


I'm SO glad the pioneers kept going and didn't stop in Wyoming - 'cause there's a WHOLE lot of nothing in Wyoming! Other than wind. I'm grateful for the wind because it kept us cool - but there was dust blown into places dust has NO business being! And the more we saw and did, the LESS I could comprehend HOW they did it. Absolutely Amazing. And the fact that those pioneers picked up and did it again and again, day after day . . . FOREVER GRATEFUL am I.

"On this side, you'll see sagebrush and nothing . . . and over here, sagebrush and nothing." This is what we said, pretending to be tour guides, on more than one occasion!

We were lucky enough to be joined by Oscar, the TREK dog! He's a ranch dog that lives about 10 miles away, but comes to the Martin's Cove area every summer. He picks groups to follow, usually favoring groups with kids. AND HE CHOSE US! Even one of the missionaries commented how lucky we were to have been chosen by Oscar! He followed us to Martin's Cove, every now and then BOUNDING away to chase a jack rabbit, then waited for us to come back for lunch. He was a huge dog, but so kind and gentle and patient! I think he chose our group 'cause so many of our kids shared his demeanor . . . kind, gentle, and patient!

And so went the trek. The parts that I thought would be bad, were bad. (Although the outhouses surpassed my expectations! They were clean and non-stinky. But a hole is a hole, no matter what you set atop of it!) And the parts I thought would be good, WERE GOOD!

Am I more convinced of the truthfulness of The Church? - nope. It was TRUE when I left, and it's STILL TRUE now! Am I more grateful for the pioneers? - nope. I was VERY GRATEFUL when I left, and am STILL grateful now. (I AM more convinced, however, that Heavenly Father was watching over/protecting them because I believe even more now that it's a miracle ANY of them survived - even the ones who left when they should've and didn't encounter snow and wind and frozen rivers.) Will I do it again? -nope. PLEASE nope! (Why would I be so greedy as to take this EXPERIENCE from someone else?!) Am I more grateful now for a bed, shower, flushing toilet, and a home? YES! Am I more grateful for friends who love me enough to slip me some HEAVY DUTY sleeping pills that actually allowed me (coupled with ear plugs and prayers) to sleep? YES! Am I certain that the world is in good hands because of the valiant youth in whom our future depends? YES - All is well, ALL IS WELL!