We sure look clean.
Day 2- Our Family
We had a "little" rain along the way.
We also had some hail.
Day 5- Our family plus our handcart decoration.
Well, we are home and made it through our stake pioneer trek. It is hard to describe the experience. I guess it is like having a baby. Very hard during the experience, but once it is over, you would go through it all over again.
Our first day was a twelve mile hike that ended on top of a mountain. We gained about 2500 feet in elevation, most of it during the last few miles. I got a little heat exhaustion, but managed to work through it. That night we enjoyed a cool rain and lightning show.
Day two we hiked 5 miles to our next camp. It was mostly down hill and the rain held off until we reached camp. Then it unloaded on us that evening and night. I ended up digging a moat around our tent and that kept us mostly dry.
Day three we hiked 6 miles to our final camp. Again, it was mostly down hill, but very soggy and muddy. They sent out a party the previous night to dig ditches that drained the bigger lakes on the road. We had a few puddles to skirt, but it was passable.
Day four was Sunday. We enjoyed church among the trees and had sacrament meeting around the fire. After church, we got hit by a round of hail. That evening we had our alone time and then a testimony meeting.
Day five we packed up and rode the buses home. We got home around 3 pm.
We had a good family with fun kids. Most run cross country and it was all I could do to keep them slowed down on the flat parts. At times they would run with the loaded hand cart. They did whatever we asked them and always had good attitudes.
All in all, the days were wet and the nights were cold (40 degrees), but the spirits were high and our hearts were warm. Whenever we traveled, or needed to do something important (church) the skys opened and we had no rain. When we were at camp and had shelter, the skys closed and the rain began. Often only five minutes after our tents were up. The Lord took very good care of us.
It was interesting, as the weather got worse and things got wetter and colder, I was thinking how can I do this. By day four and five, we had been through it all and I started thinking, I can do this. I had made it through tough times and kept going. I wonder if that is how the pioneers felt as they neared the end of their trek.
Pa Zirker
