Trek 2011...

I must say that Summer 2011 will be remembered and cherished partly because of Trek 2011.  Or mostly because of Trek 2011.  

My testimony was strengthened by leaps and bounds and my view of the Gospel and life was opened  up in deeper  more meaningful ways.    

We prepared to go all Summer.   We asked ourselves, "what motivated these people to leave all behind,risk so much to go to Zion?"  

And the answers began to come... 

We read the Book of Mormon again through new eyes...the eyes of an early Saint in search of the truth.  And, I swear anytime I have been obedient to a request by a priesthood leader to read the Book of Mormon, the experience has been richer and significantly more meaningful.  

As I read and studied, I began to "see" why the early saints were willing to do what they did.  In reading the Book of Mormon, they came to know the Gospel had been restored in its fulness and that a living prophet was on the earth once more.   They loved the Savior and they knew the Book of Mormon was another testament of Him.  

We also saw the movie "17 Miracles" and read many pioneer stories of faith..especially those of the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies.  I also finally read the book, "Fire of the Covenant."  We  went to see the new Joseph Smith movie at the Legacy Theater. 

 I felt those early Saints urging us on....  to understand and remember.   Those feelings began to come soon after accepting the call to be a Ma and Pa in Trek. I love it when that happens.  

Steve and I walked just about every day  to prepare.... and we would talk about everything...It was like taking a mini vacation everyday with him. And we loved this!   This was great preparation for Trek..what a great experience to serve beside my husband in this capacity. 

All of this added up to a great Summer...unforgettable... as we prepared to be a Ma and Pa in Trek.    

Needless to say, I am so grateful that we had this opportunity to be a Ma and Pa on Trek 2011.  

This is the morning we left for TREK.  We were a Ma and Pa to 8 kids..3 girls and 5 boys!  We prepared all summer for this event, reading, getting in better shape.  

We were so lucky to have two of our kids go on Trek this time.  What a tremendous wonderful experience it was...

On the bus...excited to work with and beside my best friend and partner.... as a Ma and Pa..

One of our daughters, Marissa Lott..  at Independence Rock

One of our sons Jacob Westover.  What a fine young man!  One of my favorites!

Brandon.... another son...Mr. Helpful.  We met him for the first time on trek and immediately loved him.

This is our wonderful Trek Family... 5 boys and 3 girls..each one amazing.  

The first night after dinner, we had a big square dance.  Everyone loved this.  It was a beautiful evening.... the Wyoming Prairie truly was beautiful in this spot.

Ahhh...those amazing Wyoming Sunsets...  and three darling girls....  unforgettable. 

The next day, we set off for Martin's Cove and Sweetwater.......

 Everyone was happy with anticipation!

  First, we arrived at the Visitors Center.  There was a short introduction with a speaker and a video with music that brought us all to tears.


There was a chart in the visitors center listing the names of every person in the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies...  


I was completely overcome with emotion when I saw the names of Steve's great great great grandparents and their two little girls there.....

  

Their names are Thomas Eccles 37, Alice Eccles 36,  Mary Ann Eccles 11, and little Martha Eccles 8.  I believe Thomas' name is in red because he died.  He died about a year after reaching the valley due to the exertion of the trek West.  He just never fully recovered from the experience. 

 My heart swelled with love and appreciation for this little family who set out from England for Zion with hope and faith in the hearts, facing the unknown.   Words can't really fully express the respect I have for these faithful, good people  who demonstrated such faith allowing us to have what we have today.  

It was a special few moments of Trek for us....  and to be there and walk where they walked!  I just took it all in....

At Devil's Gate. So happy to share this Trek experience with our good friends The Wheats.  Here I am with Holly.  I love her!   

So great to be here.... here in the Martin's Cove area..by Devil's Gate where so much happened.   

Carl and Holly Wheat...our dear friends.  We were so happy that we ended  up in the same company!  Hooray! 

We went to Martin's Cove..."The Temple of Wyoming."  And felt of its sacredness.  

Ahhhh Martin's Cove.....  the Temple of Wyoming.   We were quiet and reverent as we walked through this area where so many died and exercised their faith in the face of tremendous trial. 

Our three girls, Brittany Estrada, Jenni Zackrison, and Marissa Lott  at the Sweetwater Crossing monument. 

Joe.... 

At the Sweetwater.... where we learned about the Valley Boys and their selfless rescue of hundreds of weak and starving saints.  

Each one of us got to experience a "taste" of what it meant to be "rescued" as each of "our" Valley Boys carried us across the river.  There was a quiet, reverent spirit with us as we contemplated what it means to rescue and be rescued ...  ultimately by the greatest rescuer of all....our Savior, Jesus Christ.   

These were our Valley Boys.....  We watched them struggle and shake with exertion as they carried all of us across... It was humbling.  


We could only imagine what it must have been like for the real Valley Boys standing in near freezing water all day...all day...carrying hundreds of poor, starving, sick people across the river.  They saved hundreds of lives and offered comfort and help to people who were in desperate need.  

This was quite the emotional experience.  Everyone was touched.  There is no way to explain it....you have to experience it for yourself.


The last part of the day, we listened to a very entertaining and inspiring dramatization about Ephraim Hanks, an amazing man who through inspiration and a call by a prophet to help the people of the Willie and Martin handcart companies, saved lives and assisted in miraculous ways to rescue them...  Everyone really enjoyed that.  And, Ephraim Hanks great great grand daughter just happened to be married to the man presenting the story !  

 That night we arrived at Sixth Crossing... the camp where the Willie Handcart company was rescued.  

Before dinner each night, we blessed and cheered by music played by this little band.  It was so great!  

All of our meals were wonderful.  We had the best support crew!  They fed us, cleaned up after us and cheered us on! 

We had a special Ward Night Fireside at Sixth Crossing.... with our wonderful bishop, Bishop Paul Salisbury.  This night was one of my favorites on trek.  

Talking about the difference between "clinging to the rod" and "holding fast to the iron rod."  It was awesome.  

Ahhhh... the end of another awe-inspiring day..... so grateful...inspired.....loving the experience.  

Each night before bed we would gather our trek family around us and have a little bit of family time.  Each day we had a "thought" and encouraged the kids to share their thoughts.  It was a joy to just listen to the kids ... to take in all that they had to say.  We had amazing kids in our family.  I loved listening to them talk...   

The next day began the hard core trekking.  We were set to trek 16 or 17 miles this day... It began with a good breakfast, prayer, a cheer and off we went.   We were set to experience another great day and to do hard things....while we lifted, loved and supported each other.  

Jon's answer for dealing with the Wyoming wind and sun....

I didn't take a lot of pictures this day....  So here's the highlights:

• Steve was sick today... rare for him.  He had an electrolytes issue......  so I was alone quite a bit with our family... and I experienced what it must have been like to lose a husband as a pioneer and to worry about your spouse...  
• Our cart broke down.   It literally came apart.  We pulled together, fixed it and kept moving forward.
• The Woman's Pull.....   what an experience.   Another sacred, moving experience that is best understood through personal experience.  
• Then with my three girls -- we pulled our handcart up this huge hill.      

My three amazing, strong girls... Bittany Estrada, Jenni Zachrison, and Marissa Lott.  

Boy, were we tired after this day.... but we had one more day to go...and 16 more miles!  How did the pioneers do this day after day, with only a cup of flour to eat, in extremely cold temperatures?  We decided that it was a miracle that any of the Willie and Martin handcart companies survived at all.  

After dinner, we sat our aching bodies down to watch Ward Skits...which were very entertaining...especially our ward's.  Hilarious!   

Then, we played games....

Followed by a very sweet family time... with our great trek family and then off to bed...sweet bed. 

The next day, we were off on another 16 mile or so Trek!  How did those pioneers do it?  

Today we had many water crossings!!!

Pushing, Pulling, Working Together!

Pa Knudsen... the mighty man.... watching over things...

Ethan...

Jenni...

Joe

Marissa...

Parker....

This was our hardest day...We experienced relentless Wyoming wind with blowing dirt and dust.... seemingly endless walking....glaring sun... but also witnessed the kids learning to do hard things, helping  and supporting  each other and small miracles along the way.

 After awhile with all that Wyoming wind, we all wore that Wyoming dirt...in our hair, ears, on our teeth.  Here you can see that dirt caked into Jacob's eyebrows, ears, and face, in his shirt collar.   

This was a day of quiet endurance...quietly helping one another... taking step after step toward the next camp.    One of our girls, Britanni got so dehydrated she had to be put on a horse and taken to the front of the group to the Medical crew.  It was just a hard day of endurance.   But, we learned ....we experienced...and we gained understanding.  Grateful for it all.... 

This is us walking into our camp...after a long 16 mile day....amid the cheers of the support staff.  Can you see how tired we were.... can you see my tears of relief and joy....mixture of emotions...appreciation for our pioneer heritage ... and so much more?  

We did it!  We made it!   38 miles in 3 days...and here we are walking into our last camp amid cheers from the support staff.  It brought tears....of relief.  

That night we had the testimony meeting of all testimony meetings..... lasting about 3 hours...a spiritual feast. 

It began with amazing music......   

Jon sang a song "Bring Them In," with an ensemble group.  What a great song...
If there was a theme an overall lesson we all took from Trek 2011 it was echoed in the words of this song.  We all need to be on the look out to rescue others.   And we need to never forget the greatest rescuer of all ...our Savior, Jesus Christ.

This music was followed by wonderful talks... and then deep, stirring testimonies..one right after the other... full of faith, lesson and insights learned.  I was on the edge of my seat amazed at what I was hearing.  The kids took so much away from this experience.  There was such a spirit there with us in every place and in every step of this journey .   


And, our last night, we got a "taste" of what cold was on the trek.  It got so cold, we woke up to ice on the ground the next morning.  All night I couldn't get warm enough to fall into a deep sleep. Crazy as it may sound, I appreciated this experience too...  

Gathering for lunch on the way home... 

Trevor and Jonathan...

John and Mary Ann Curtis...  another couple in our blue company.  Love this couple... 

  

Trek was an  absolutely wonderful experience.  I will count it as one of the great experiences of my life.  I wanted to go home, but I didn't.  Coming into the Valley on our way home, I felt a little sick and very sad to be leaving the trek experience behind.  It was similar to how I feel as I leave the temple.  I am somewhat relieved to be done with my work at the temple, but then I have to take off those temple clothes, put my street clothes on, and go back into the world...  That is exactly how it felt to come home from trek.  There was such a spirit out there...  a spirit of love, unity and cooperation.  There was a spirit that abided with us to help us see and understand what the pioneers must have felt.  Our testimonies were strengthened.  Small miracles were witnessed.  I didn't want to leave that behind to return to our world of self-centeredness and worldly distractions. 

One of the best parts of trek for me personally, was that I got  to work with and beside my sweetie Steve... my partner and best friend.  I love him so much.  I got to know him even better and I really liked what I saw.  I fell in love with him a little more.

Blessed...that is what we all are ..so blessed.  

I loved Trek 2011.  I look forward to doing this again with Michael and Jacob in 4 years.