Well the highlight of my week was the pioneer trek. I took off three days. This trek could be called our mud march. It rained the first two days. We arrived at the staging point, and rain was really coming down for a while. However Sister Harvey had a poncho for me, so I eventually got out of the car. We did a short skit there in which I portrayed the mean uncle who didn’t want his nephew to go with the “Mormons.” I didn’t go with the trekkers for the first leg. They were divided into 18 families. I met them at the bottom, after getting a ride there, and the Bank’s did a reenactment of losing their shoes and wrapping their feet in burlap. We let everyone try this. I then did the next leg of the trip. So the first day I did 4 of the 8 miles. I only had to go in the bushes to relieve myself once.
I walked with Mark and Dianna and that is where I tented as well, as the guys were to stay on tarps under the stars. The weather didn’t permit that. It was cold, but I had your stuff bag so did great in that regard. Dinner was a stew which warmed everyone up. At devotional the first night they let me tell pioneer stories, so I told the Langley and Isaac stories.
Second day started with hot chocolate and then breakfast of French toast and ham. I left with them this day, and we got to the division point and did another short skit in which I pioneer died and I sang the first line of “Come, Come Ye Saints” and then everyone joined in. Bishop Ekland played the harmonica. We then had a calling of the Mormon Battalion. The women went one way, and the men up a fire trail to the top of a hill, where the men lined an even steeper hill, and this was called the women’s pull. Hey women’s pull was incredible, as the women had to pull the carts up a 36% grade. Many returned to help more and more carts. They would have 9 women or more to a cart and away they would go. Guys were prepared to jump in, but the insisted it was a women’s pull. However guys did jump in at the top when they were at their limit. SO the result is, this Mormon women are pretty tough stock and you could marry any of them that were there. I walked up that women’s pull hill after they were done, and it was steep. I had to stop several times to catch my breath and went very slow. I could not have helped with that pull had I been asked.
Then sandwich lunch at the top next to a nice meadow. The ranger, not a member of the church but Battalion historian then told the story of a Battalion member and his wife. I didn’t walk the next leg, but got in 5 of the 8 miles this day.
Back at camp there was square dancing which I watched. Devotional came from the stake President. Dinner was taco salad. Mark and Dianna went to stay in a hotel, so I had the tent to myself. I got up in the night to go to the restroom. Since the sky had finally cleared there were plenty of stars. There were also city lights on the horizon from what must have been Sacramento. We were on the Mormon Immigrant Trail, about 40 miles up in the Sierras behind Jackson.
Again hot chocolate the next day, and breakfast burritos. Also taking down camp. I didn’t do the first leg, as we went ahead to get ready for a reenactment. We portrayed the rescue. Sister Poole portrayed Brother Poole’s great grandmother, and we also added the Sister Jackson scene, and then the men coming into camp. I climbed up to the place we started from there, so in all I walked 11 of the 20 miles. I didn’t pull or push any however.
Then yesterday, Sunday was testimony meeting with only the kids and stake presidency testifying. It was very inspirational.
Pretty fun time.
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