Pioneer Trek 2011

Chris and I got called to be a Ma and Pa for the stake trek this year. For one I did not know it was a calling...I just figured people volunteered to go. I wasn't really sure if it was going to work out and if we would be able to go, but I really hoped that it would, and it did! Neither one of us had ever gone on a church trek before so we really didn't know what exactly to expect. A few people shared their experiences with us and they all varied quite a bit but one thing was constant--everybody said it was an amazing experience. Chris' parents came down to watch our kids (THANKYOU!) for the four days we would be gone. The first day we trekked 10 miles, the 2nd day we trekked 5.5 miles. The rest of day two we spent playing pioneer games (soap making, rifle shooting, tug of war, toy making, hair washing (my favorite part) scone making and eating! Seriously the hair washing felt so great---we were so filthy from hiking. I thought I was getting tan until I washed myself off--it was disgusting! That night we had a mini concert and ice-cream and cake. The next day was our mock Sunday. Sunday was an amazing day. All of the speakers were wonderful and you could feel the Spirit so strongly---it was truly amazing! We had 8 kids in all, four boys and four girls. Their ages ranged from 14-18 and they were all awesome kids! I haven't had much time with the youth, as I have been in primary for the last few years, but I was so impressed with most of the youth I met there. Our family members all got along really well. We were able to talk, work, and play together happily. The only part I did not like was getting eaten by the bugs. We stayed pretty bug free until the third day then we all got bitten up--it was horrible. Our last day was our hardest. We trekked 7 miles and it was pretty much up hill the whole way-except for the home stretch that was downhill. The funniest things was when we passed some campers and they started taking pictures of us. I am wondering if they were LDS or just thought we were a crazy sight to see. The trek was truly an amazing experience and I am so grateful that Chris and I got to be a part of it.