Pioneer Trek

Thursday 6/11/09- Our ward met at the church for breakfast at 7! We left to meet the rest of the stake at New Harmony! We were assigned our families. Everyone was instructed to name their handcart and make a banner. United was our handcarts name. I had 5 brothers and 3 sisters!

Every family got a wheat baby to take care of. Someone in the family had to be holding it at all times and it couldn't sit in the hand cart. Thursday was the hardest day because it was mostly all uphill! We went a couple miles and then a General came and called all the boys too go join the Mormon Battalion. The girls were left to pull the hand-cart up the steepest hill yet! (Before we started i almost stepped on a rattle snake!) It was diffucult but we made it up the first hill and then noticed we still had another huge hill to go up. We started and then the boys dressed up as "Angels" helped push us to the top! It really helped! When we got to the top we stopped and waited for everyone else to get too the top. We finished the rest of the days walk and found a campsite and set up camp. We were able to eat! We had family night and played games as a family! We then went to sleep and it was freezing that night! We learned that some families wheat babies died through the night. Our wheat baby had frost bite but survived.

Friday 6/12/09- Woke up and found ice on my sleeping bag. Today before we started walking we went to a open field and played games! We played horseshoes, stick pull, tug of war, and stickball. Then went back to camp and packed up our handcart!

That day we went a mile and then there was a lady waiting for us. She read us a story about how most pioneers didn't have shoes. We had to take off our shoes and walk for a mile without shoes or socks on. Once we finished that mile there was another lady waiting. She told us about how some pioneers had to carry other people. So for the next mile everyone had to carry someone. That mile wasn't hard for me but for, Daniel, carrying me I bet it was! I felt bad.

At the next mile a lady said how the pioneers had only 1/4 of flour for the whole family to share. The men gave the women their share of food. The boys got a apple or orange and had to give it too one of the girls. We finished the walking for that day and ate dinner. We did square dancing that night and it was fun! We had family time and went to bed. It was warmer that night!

Saturday 6/13/09- Woke up and went to a sunrise devotional. At the end of that it started raining! It was windyand so cold! We went and packed up camp, then ate breakfast, then finished packing camp up. We walked the last miles and then saw a crowd of stake members awaiting the arrival holding welcome home signs and cheering for us. We pulled our handcarts all the way through the people. It was great! I got a great feeling that I was home and I made it! We then went and ate lunch with our wards! Then my real family went and stopped at my Grandmas cabin. I took a shower there! It was great!

I never realized how much sacrifice the pioneers did for our church until I went on this trek. I didnt even go half the distance they went and it was difficult! It was such a great experience! I would go again for sure! I had a great family so that helped a lot to! I hope everyone who has a chance to go on this trek will go! It is a amazing experience!