End of the First 'Trek' Day--Thursday

Thursday we stopped for lunch and just as we are finishing up a mob came into our camp and demanded that we "mormons" leave (silly priesthood leaders in bandanas over their faces and dress shirts) but the youth thought that it was a hoot and we packed up quickly and headed out again.  After many long hours and miles (while still running) we arrived at the camp for the night.  They had planned games for the afternoon.   But in our weakened state we all declined.  I started on dinner with the help of my youth, (Buster, showing off for the camera) (stew with carrots and potatoes and canned beef, I smuggled in seasonings to help with the flavor since I didn't pick the menu) and corn bread on the side.  We cooked all our meals except the PB&J's at lunch time in a dutch oven.  We didn't have to carry the oven, just the food for the day.   While the food was cooking we relaxed , sang hymns (the youths idea), read scriptures (again the youths idea) and visited with others.  When the food was ready we dished it up, savoring the comfort of a hot meal.  The comfort didn't last long as the heavens laughed at us and started hailing on us and continued hailing on us while we ate.  It was still so hot out, but we had wild, wicked weather.  It cleared up and spirits were now high that they had their bellies full.  Boys are so easy if you keep them full.  We were the only family that didn't have leftovers, they ate everything, even 1/2 the chocolate brownies that I smuggled in hidden by our tarp.  I think that running for hours in the sun contributed to their eat everything in site state.                            (Looks like mandarin oranges, but it baby carrots)(Visiting with the Fugates, he was the official videographer for the trip)

So off we went to the barn for a hoe down.  The youth said that they wouldn't dance they were too tired.   But the caller was great and he had everyone up and dancing for about 2 hours.  Silly pioneers.  After a fun night of dancing and skits we headed off for a family devotional.  These youth are amazing and so thirsty for the gospel, what a joy to share this family time with them.  There are no pics of our sleeping arrangements, but at the camp we paired up with another family (Crystal & Kevin Matheson) and the boys/men took their tarp to one side of the camp, and the girls/women took our tarp and we headed across the camp to sleep under the stars for the night.  We had 10 girls, Crystal and I with our sleeping bags spread out and ready for sleep, hoping exhaustion would set in.  Lights out at 10:00 pm.,  10:25 pm. we could tell the girls were asleep and then it started raining!  RAIN!  Like true pioneers we now crunch everyone close together so that we only take up half of the tarp and flip the other half over us.  I'm just grateful I wasn't one of the girls in the middle completly surrounded by bodies with tarp over your face.  I was at the fold with my head poking out (I don't like confined places).  Even with the rain it was really hot in there, so i slept (using this term loosely) on top of my sleeping bag with the tarp on top of me, and the rain hitting the tarp feeling it hit my face.  The rain would stop for 1/2 hour or so and start again for 1/2 hour for several episodes during the night.  Needless to say it was a long night and we got heavenly intervention to make sure that we got the whole pioneer, outdoor experience.  That was the shortest/longest night in a very long time.  My youth talked about the rain but they never complained about it (they were truly amazing).  The next day was truly beautiful or at least it seemed that way at 5:30 am when they got us up, no sweater needed. So I did survive my first full day as a pioneer.  And I'm so grateful that I had been asked to participate.  Grateful for my 10 kids that now call me "ma", and grateful for a new and different day.

First day of the Pioneer Trek (Thursday)

On Wed. evening July 10, 2008 we met at the Stake Center to be introduced to our family, name our family (the youth picked "The Knights" in honor of my past pioneer ancestors), make a family flag (isn't it cool), weigh our buckets (they couldn't weigh over 15 lbs. and the lid had to fit on) in preparation for the three days ahead.
We started off at 6:00 am Thursday morning, this pic is before our kids arrived (they didn't arrive until 7:30).  We had 10 youth in our family, a very eclectic group of youth from various backgrounds, but we always had a very cohesive family and they always looked out for each other, that said-- they were the best.   Our 4 boys are Buster Imbach, Mark Duncan, Russell Withers, and Josh Casper, our 6 girls, Tyaan Haslam, Adele Leslie, Katlyn Koyszyk, Sarah Noble, Beverly, and Theresa, (sorry I can't remember your last names).  I now need to comment about the two words I had never imagined myself saying on this trek that were said frequently at the beginning  "STOP RUNNING"!  I soon let them run thinking that they would tire out and stop themselves but then realized that they would be running the whole way.  Their energy level needed to run, so run the must.  We were the first handcart in our company and the others weren't so keen on running, so we would run ahead and then rest while the other companies caught up.  It was over 100 degrees that day with very little shade, I did make sure that everyone drank plenty of water and sports drink but we weren't with out some problems.  Our family had the first health issue and our family took care of it's own.  (OK new-bee problems, I want the pictures added here, but they went to the top)(Help), (oh well I'll finish up this part), our strong boys helped Katlyn into the handcart (she couldn't walk any father) and they willingly added her and began the trek again.  I watched with awe at never a complaint but happiness from both sides of the handcart inside and out.  Boy was I grateful that I wasn't riding in the back, sitting on the buckets and stuff as they pulled/pushed her over this road (while they ran).   About a mile later they put her on one of the quads that they had following us while they were taking pictures and video of this whole experience and took her to the base camp for the rest of the activities later in the day.