I recently got back from trek. For those who don't know what that is, it is an activity my church does. We dress up like pioneers and walk 27 miles of the
exact same trail the pioneers walked. It seems pretty pointless but it's not. I thought it was pretty pointless myself, and I
did not want to go. I spent hours crying about it and dreading it. But, if I've ever made a good decision it was deciding to go on that trek. It was honestly the best experience of my life.
We did something called the woman's pull. The men "died" and lined the edges of a very steep hill. They then had to watch the girls struggle to pull their handcart up the hill. They weren't allowed to help us at all. They had to sit and watch. As I was helping pull my "family's" handcart up the hill, I noticed that most of the men were crying. That was so touching to me. I did not know that they cared enough to cry about not being able to help us. I can't help but wonder if that is how our loved ones that have passed on feel when we are going through rough times. After it was over, they came back and said "You girls are not allowed to lay a finger on this handcart the rest of the day." I felt more loved at that moment then I have for quite a while. I'm not one to say things like this, but the Spirit was very strong during all of this.
Another thing we did was we walked Rocky Ridge. If you don't know what this is,
look it up. It is a part of the trail that stretches 5 miles and it is the hardest 5 miles of the entire trail. It is very steep the entire time and there are huge rocks jutting out just about everywhere you look. We did this part of the trail with good health, and in fairly good weather. However, when the pioneers did it, they had snow up to their knees and were already exhausted. I had no idea how much they suffered before I went on trek. I have so much respect for them.
Before we go on trek, we choose some to trek for. Usually an ancestor. I chose Bodile Mortenson. She is a direct descendant of mine. She was nine years old when she left her home and started on the trail. Her family was too poor to go so they sent Bodile with another family. Her job was to gather firewood everyday so they could have a fire at night time. The night the worst storm of the season hit, (that storm killed 13 people) she was trying to fulfill her duty and went to gather fire wood. All she could find was sage brush so she gathered it up in her arms and walked back to the handcart. She was tired and needed to rest. She only stopped for a single second but that was all it took. The next morning she was found frozen to death, standing up, with the sagebrush still in her arms. I wish so much that she could have just made it through that one night. I know that if she did she would have made it to Zion. I felt her spirit with me the entire time and I know for a fact that she was incredibly strong. I feel like I know her and love her. I almost feel her sorrow. Anyway, I saw her grave and that alone made trek the best experience of my life. To me, seeing where the 13 that died that night were buried made the whole thing come to life. I felt so close to all of them, but especially Bodile.
I wish everyone could have the chance to go on Trek. It was definitely challenging but by far the most amazing experience of my life. If i could do it over again, I would in a heart beat. I will never forget the things I saw a learned while I was there. And to think that I didn't even experience a fraction of all the hardship and sorrow they went through. The pioneers are truly remarkable.
