Trek July 2024

This couple in our ward, Bill and Gloria Simpson, are out celebrating their 69th wedding anniversary. Bill has been going to church for years and always supports his wife, but he's not a member.  Their daughter is driving them around in their old fashioned model T that they are so proud of.  Roy is their ministering brother and takes great care of them.

Our cute Beverly has such a sense of fashion!

Hyeji's very talented in her gymnastics

 A few months ago, Roy and I got a call from the Stake Executive Secretary asking us to come in for an appointment.  We were pretty sure it was for trek, but I was hoping for almost anything else.  5 years ago, before my release as the Stake Young Women's President, we had a vote: because of the new SFY (specially for youth), we were messed up on the regular 4-year schedule.  The question for the vote: Should we have our next trek in 202 or 2024.  I did the math and figured I'd probably still be serving as the SYWP in 2023, so I voted for 2025.  When 2025 was decided upon, I thought it meant I'd get out of going to trek again.  I was wrong! For trek 2019, Roy was such a big help with the radios and other technical things (plus I'm pretty sure I heard him volunteer for future assignments), that his name was on the radar and we were called to be "the safety committee."  Our responsibilities ended up being 1) radio caretakers and distributers; 2) pulling the refrigeration unit for the camp; 3) to handle the sound system with the mike and the music, and 4) handle the generators, and 5) jump in where needed.  

I have to admit my attitude was not the best.  I was worried about sleeping in a tent and needing to use the facilities in the night; valid concerns but I was probably over thinking it. I kind of enjoyed it the first time when I walked the trail with the kids.  Roy came along as a volunteer and helped with whatever needed done.  He also set-up and took down our tent every day, so I never had to do anything but the actual hike.  This time I was just a little worried about sleeping in a tent and the inherent problems with visiting the bathroom in the night.  I'm not a "roughing it" sort of girl.  However, by the time I started packing, I'd mostly alligned my attitude in the right direction.  

We had to get up at 5:AM the first morning in order to set up speakers for music as the kids were being dropped off.  That's very early for me.  We arrived at the drop off point in Deseret Land and Livestock, had lunch, and the kids started trekking.  

Below are some pictures of our experience:

Arriving at the campsite

We were surprised upon arrival to the first campsite (after the kids were dropped off to start their trek) to find that we were sharing the area with a huge herd of cattle.  There were so many cows.  They obviously didn't intend to make way for us, but as we moved in, they gradually sauntered a short distance away.  Unfortunately, they left their mark in the camp with huge, fresh piles of cow manure.  It was literally impossible to take 10 steps without stepping in something.  I tried valiently to avoid the "pies" but it was inevitable.  One lady said she stopped worrying about it after stepping on it a few times.  I never stopped trying to avoid it.

I told Roy he should get a picture because this was something that had never happened before, and will never happen again if I have my way.  On the left I'm shoveling cow manure out of the way so we could make a spot to put our tent.  I told one of the other women that I'd never done anything like it before.  Her response, "You're lucky!" Apparently she grew up on a farm.  Sara asked if shoveling the manure was futile.  Roy said "No," but I said, "Yes" because you couldn't get all of it and I was mostly just spreading it around.  At least this way there was a possibility it would dry!  

That night I used ear plugs to block the sound of the cows and I think it helped.  The rest of the nights I didn't use them, but probably should have so I could have slept a little bit longer in the mornings.  Most mornings we were up by 5:30 or 6.  

We didn't walk the trail with the hikers, but we think they endured dust like this. 
We only endured it in our vehicles while on our way to the campsite.

One night the dessert was hostess twinkies or cupcakes, with strawberries and whipped cream.
That was the night I easily said no to the dessert. 😀

These are the missionaries that were over us.  They're troopers.  They take turns walking with the kids on the trail.  They visited the site often and took several meals with us. 

An overview of the camping area for the youth. You can see the clouds coming in.  The only rain
we experienced during the week was a 10-minute cloudburst.  It was enjoyed because it cooled the air and dampened the dust.  We had a few minutes of sprinkling as a warning.

Here the youth are heading out on the trail for the day.  It was quite a sight with
180 youth (plus all the ma's and pa's).  

The moon was full enough on the last 2 nights that we didn't need a flashlight to go to the porta-potties.  The trip to the porta-potties became more dangerous as the days wore on because we started worrying about asphyxiation.  

 There are some who don't think trek is a very memorable experience, but it was memorable for me and Roy.  Our observation was that most of the kids had a fabulous time and memorable time, too.  There was some discussion among the adults about how trek compares to the actual journey across the plains, and of course there is no comparison.  We had plenty of food (even homemade sweet rolls), great shoes, extra clothing, and most importantly we knew we'd be home on day 4. One of the adults joked that it was much harder for our kids today because the pioneer youth had no cell phones to have to leave behind.  

The trek did make me think about all the privations our ancesters had to endure, even though my experience was short.

Our trek did happen to fall right smack in the middle of July, so it was hot, but apparently last week was a lot worse.  Also, we came prepared for deer flys and mosquitoes, but ended up seeing very few of these pests.  It did make me realized how blessed (and spoiled) we are with our hiking shoes, air conditioning, flushable toilets, and especially our showers.  I can't even describe how it felt when we got home and I stepped under the flowing water.

The leaders were fairly strict with keeping the kids dressed in their pioneer clothing and I know they talked to a couple of boys who had changed to short sleeve shirts; but I think they missed the young woman who took off her pioneer skirt for the dancing.  She had a pair of tights on, and wore her apron to make it look like she was dressed.  It looked pretty funny.  I didn't see anyone talk to her about her outfit.

We were also blessed with few injuries.  The first thing we heard over the radio was, "We've got a broken shoe." Someone had lost the entire sole of their shoe.  The group was able to move forward because of duct tape.  I'm sure the pioneers didn't have any of that.  There were also a couple of kids who threw up the first evening.  We hoped it was the heat.  Since the whole camp didn't get sick, it probably was.  One girl twisted her ankle because of all the pot-gut holes on the trail and one of the leaders stepped in one almost up to her knee.  Luckily she was unhurt.  The worst injuries were probably sunburns.  Our bishop's wife's hands were sunburned, even after using sunscreen.  We saw a bad burn on the lower leg of one of the girls.  She must've had tights on that didn't go all the way to her sock.  

Overall we had a great time.  It was especially nice to get to know some great people from our stake.

When we got home on Saturday, Roy dropped me off at 2:30, then he went back to help with the unloading of the leftover food, etc.  He gave some of the extra food to some Relief Society Presidents to distribute, and the rest was dropped off at the food pantry.  After getting rid of the last of the food he made a 30-minute drive to West Valley to return the refrigerated truck.  He didn't get home until around 5.  

We were both so tired, but I was able to nap for an hour.  I was scheduled to teach the gospel doctrine lesson on Sunday morning and it's a good thing I prepared early in the week because I was way to tired to study that evening.  I did get up early Sunday morning to go over my lesson and catch up on grading my institute students weekly assignments.  

 

I loved studying for the lesson this week that was on Alma 30 and 31.  I find the story of Korihor so interesting and so pertinent to our world today.  It strengthens my testimony further because I know that some of the great prophets of the Book of Mormon knew our day--so much so that they could give us lessons on how to avoid deception.  President Ezra Taft Benson said, 

"The Book of Mormon exposes the enemies of Christ.  It confounds false doctrines and lays down contention.  It fortifies the humble followers of Christ against the evil designs, strategies and doctrines of the devil in our day...The type of apostates in the Book of Mormon are similar to the type we have today.  God, with his infinite foreknowledge, so molded the Book of Mormon that we might see the error and know how to combat false educational, political, religious, and philosophical concepts of our day."

One of my students commented that it sounded like the Zoramites are praying to Satan when they say, 

"Holy, holy God; we believe that thou art God, and we believe that thou art holy, and that thou wast a spirit, and that thou art a spirit, and that thou wilt be a spirit forever. 

 Satan is a spirit and will be a spirit forever.  

I love the Book of Mormon and I feel it's truthfulness in my whole soul.  I'm so grateful for the words of the book and its teachings.  I'm so grateful for my calling as teacher for both gospel doctrine class and institute because it helps me to study more intently.  It also helps me to pray more earnestly because I have the desire to give good lessons and bring the Spirit into the classroom, actual or virtual.