When I got home, I immediately posted pictures on facebook for the kids in our family to see. We had such a wonderful family! Our kids were:
Ethan Winegardner (14, 1st ward)
Fiona Fuller (14, nonmember participating with 3rd ward)
Cody Smegner (15, 3rd ward)
Abbey Clayson (15, 4th ward)
Addison Litton (16, 2nd ward)
Afton Philbrick (16, 3rd ward)
Nathan Murphy (16, 3rd ward)
Aubrey Decker (17, 4th ward), Big Sister
Jesse McCoy (17, Mammoth-and his name is pronounced Jess), Big Brother
My Aunt Corine saw my pictures and messaged me with some questions. When I wrote her back, I realized that I had written so much of the trek experience while it was still fresh in my mind and I saved it to paste into the blog for later. So here is my response to my Aunt Corine:
We did this trek only a couple of hours from Ridgecrest. We prepared for it by learning accounts of the pioneers as well and some of them are so very painful. I had never heard about the toddlers wandering off or being snatched by wolves though and that is just horrible! All of the people who went on the trek dedicated their trek to someone. It was a very difficult experience but very spiritual as well. The goals of our trek were:
1. Gain a stronger faith and testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ
2. Gain a stronger appreciation for the pioneers and all they sacrificed
3. Gain a stronger appreciation for the priesthood.
4. Gain and greater love and appreciation for our families at home
5. Gain a greater appreciation for womanhood.
The first day of the trek was the hardest. There was a huge hill right at the beginning called "Heartbreak Hill" and we went for 12 miles. A little over half way on the first day we did what was called the Women's Pull. All the men had to stop helping and the women had to do it alone. It was a hill that was very rocky and we went for about a mile. Noone was allowed to talk. The men couldn't touch the handcarts or the women but they were allowed to give us water or put the blocks under the wheels when we stopped. It was very hard and very emotional. We ended up leaving some carts and all helping with the first few carts. Then we all had to go back down and get the other carts. Then we did it again. When they finally told the men that they could help, they literally ran as fast as they could to the carts that were left and pulled them up for us. There were a lot of tears. Then we talked for a few minutes about why we did this. It was the hardest part physically but ended up being the most powerful part spiritually and I heard many girls say it was their favorite part.
The next couple of days were much less strenuous. We only went 2 miles the next day and we did lots of fun pioneer games and then crafts. We did stick pull, leg wrestling, hoop rolling, gunnysack racing, candle dipping, taffy pulling, rope making, and so much more. We ended by learning and dancing some old dances at a hoedown. It was so much fun! Then the last day we had a spiritual devotional followed by some alone time. The kids got letters from their parents and wrote letters to themselves about goals they have for the future. We ended with a powerful testimony meeting. Then we walked about 5.5 more miles to the ending place. The kids were amazing! They were singing, joking, and laughing as they walked! It was such a joy to see their attitudes while they pushed these handcarts. I just felt like a beaming parent even though I wasn't going to be their 'Ma' for much longer.
At the end, the parents were waiting with signs, balloons, and huge cheers to greet their pioneers. I wasn't quite prepared for the emotion I felt when we saw them. I hadn't expected it but I just felt such joy and I started to tear up. The first family we saw was the little children of one of the other 'Ma and Pa' couples on the trek. This couple was right behind us so we watched their reunion as their children ran into their arms. It was such a tender moment. The whole thing was very hard physically but I feel so grateful that we were given the opportunity to do it because it was so rewarding spiritually. I have definitely set my own goals as well and I know that it has changed Daren and I for the better. I adore the kids that were assigned to our family and I know they will now be a part of my personal prayers each night as I have grown to love them dearly.
We are having a fireside on the 28th and a sister in our stake is putting together a video of the experience. I can't wait to get see it and I am hoping we will be getting a copy. If so I would love to show it to you!
A couple of things I didn't mention in my letter to my aunt: I dedicated my trek to two people. Ann Rowley and Ann Parker. Ann Parker is my relative and Ann Rowley is Daren's. It was really neat because both of their stories were shared during the trek. Ann Parker's story (the red shawl) was included in the pioneer stories packet given to the ma's and pa's. Brother Bebee shared a piece of Ann Rowley's story after the women's pull and one of her quotes was in the trek journal. The second thing was that I felt like the Lord was really giving me strength during the women's pull and I don't want to fail to mention it. I know that I did not prepare as well as I should have physically for this experience. I put it off to the last minute and then when I tried to do my Jillian Michael's workout DVD I was in pain for a few days after. I was doing fine on the hike though and even helping push and pull the handcart. But my hip started to hurt a bit and I was getting nervous about it because I knew we still had to do the women's pull. I kind of backed off helping with the handcart hoping that my hip would stop hurting so I could push my hardest during the women's pull. It didn't really stop hurting completely though until the women's pull. Sometime after we finished and started going again and it started to hurt a little again, I realized it hadn't been bothering me one bit the whole time I was pushing and pulling the hardest.
The women's pull seemed to be a part of the trek that affected the youth the most. So many of them brought it up in their testimonies during the testimony meeting and have continued to bring it up since then. So I thought I would go into this part of the trek in a little more detail. There was no talking during the women's pull. Not from the women or the men. The men were allowed to walk beside us and help in any way they could except for touching the handcarts or the women. They got us water. A few of them that had instruments (a recorder and a ukelele) started to play church music. The road was so rocky. Sometimes the cart in front of us couldn't get over a large rock. So some of our girls in the front would help push the back of that cart and then get back on our cart and pull it over the same rock. I was so impressed by them and how they helped others without even being asked. Eventually, we left the back 3 handcarts behind and all the women helped pull up the first 3 handcarts until they got to one spot and then we went back for the other 3. We thought we might be done as we rested there for a few minutes. But we still had more to go. So we started moving the first three handcarts back up the hill. It was so hard and I kept thinking, "We still have to go back and get the other 3 handcarts and do this again." But just as we got the 3rd handcart up, Brother Bebee (the trail boss) said it was over and the men could help us. They literally ran as fast as they could to the handcarts to relieve us of the burdens and took the other three up by themselves. It was very touching and just the reaction of the boys brought us to tears. We felt so loved by them as we could see in their eyes their encouragement, and yet the pain that it brought them to helplessly watch from the sidelines. Not only did the girls feel a great love from (and for) their brothers, they were also proud of themselves for not giving up, even when it got really, really hard, and for the love and help they showed each other. Brother Bebee had prepared a handout for all the boys with a tiny red stone glued to it and the scripture Proverbs 31:10, "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies." He forgot to give it to them right after the women's pull so we did it later during family time.
The hard things are usually the most worthwhile (take childbirth for example!) and this was no exception. I won't say it was easy but it was definitely worth it and I feel so blessed to have been able to experience something that I know really made a difference in many of these youths' lives. It was so neat to see it. I can't wait to attend the fireside this Sunday to hear a few of them bear their testimonies.
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| Ready to head out! Our color was orange so our kids chose our family name to be "Hobbes Family" and our cheer was "Tigers are Grrrreat!" |
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| Taking a little break. |
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| These snow flowers are normally pretty rare to see but there were tons of them this year. We even saw a bunch of seven growing together but I missed getting a picture of it. This one is starting to die but it was still pretty. |
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| Abbey |
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| Fiona |
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| Ethan and Jesse |
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| There were some beautiful views at times. |
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| The Women's Pull |
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| The Women's Pull |
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| Ma and Pa Cannon taught us a super fun game called "Steal the Gal." If the guy in the middle winks at you then you have to run to him before the guy behind you catches you. |
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| Then we switched it to "Steal the Guy" and let the guys have a turn getting chased. |
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| Due to some blisters, Ronelle got some spa treatment courtesy of Brother Miles and Brother Kimbler! |
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| Me pulling taffy. (Ugh with my glasses on but I didn't dare try to wear contacts in the mountains.) |
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| The Hoedown |
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| Daren had some crazy hair in the morning. It was noticed by some of the other guys and even got him into a picture that none of the other pa's were in. :) |
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| Daren's candle and quill that he made during the activities. |
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| My candle-it bent. :( |
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| Afton |
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| Aubrey |
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| Fiona |
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| Abbey |
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| Ethan |
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| Cody |
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| Jesse |
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| Addison |
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| Nathan (he was so proud of his candle!) |
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| Our family just before heading out the last day. |
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| Jesse and Cody came up with a 'swordfighting' game with their pointer fingers. |
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| Heading home! |
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| The kids sang the whole way home! |
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| The Hursts started splashing us and yelling "Cloudburst" but we didn't get nearly wet enough! |
The incident of the Parker child lost on July 1st, which is mentioned in both the Walters and Bermingham diaries, is given elaboration in the recollections of the Parker family. Robert and Ann Parker were traveling in McArthur's company with their four children: Max, 12; Martha Alice, 10; Arthur, 6; and Ada, 1 year old. One day little Arthur sat down to rest, unnoticed by the other children. A sudden storm came up, and the company hurriedly made camp. Finding that Arthur was not with the children, an organized search was begun. It continued a second day, but without success.
Ann Parker pinned a bright shawl about the thin shoulders of her husband and sent him back alone on the trail to search again for their child. If he found him dead, he was to wrap him in the shawl; if alive, the shawl would be a flag to signal her. Ann and her children took up their load and struggled on with the company, while Robert retraced the miles of forest trail, calling, and searching and praying for his helpless son. At last he reached a mail and trading station where he learned that his child had been found and cared for by a woodsman and his wife. He had been ill from exposure and fright. But God had heard the prayers of his people.
Out on the trail each night, Ann and her children kept watch and, when, on the third night, the rays of the setting sun caught the glimmer of a bright red shawl, the brave little mother sank in a pitiful heap in the sand...Ann slept for the first time in six days.
Ann Jewell Rowley, Willie Handcart Company:
"Before our first child was born, we were privileged to hear a man named Wilford Woodruff proclaim a new gospel message....We all wanted to hear this astonishing man. We had only to hear him once, and William and I knew with all our hearts that he was offering us a priceless treasure. We accepted his offer and were baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints....We dreamed of going to Zion, where we could be among the main body of the Saints....William was never to see Zion....I was left a widow with seven children under 12 years of age and the step-children of William's first marriage....The children had to be fed and clothed, but the big taks and the one I must accomplish is to get us all to Zion. I must be among the people of my faith, and I must get the temple work done for us."
P.S. I really enjoyed Brother Kimbler's blog post about the trek. Since it isn't private, I thought I'd share the link for others to enjoy as well. Kimbler Blog
1 comment:
I remember going on trek 9 years ago! It was a crazy experience but I have some fond memories of it! Looks like you had a great time. I think our stake is doing trek next year and I hope they ask us to be a Ma and Pa.
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