*WARNING* This is going to be a VERY long post without pictures but after this one I have lots of pictures to catch up on so ya.... Our stake went on a pioneer trek during October Break and I am journaling about it. So since I already posted about the weekend before I shall start at Monday.
MONDAYWrote and essay and went to work. The End.
TUESDAYWrote another essay, went to my lovely friend Katiebudd's for a girls movie party. The Proposal was so stinkin hilarious! Why is it that movies have to have those scenes in them that make them bad?? UGH!
WEDNESDAYWent and did baptisms with Anna banana at the temple. Then I went and played softball with a bunch of my friends. It was supposed to be girls and guys but I was the only girl for the first 30 minutes and then two others showed. It was slow pitch because they couldn't take my speed :) haha jk Came home showered and ran to Ned's to get some chips. Came home and finished last minute things for the trek and went to bed. Oh and my goal this past week was to completely memorize and get up to speed "Waterfall" by Jon Schmidt... I did it :D
THURSDAY!I definitely woke up multiple times during the course of the night. I couldn't sleep. It was like Christmas!! So finally I got up at about 345am and got everything ready and then hopped in the shower. We met at the stake center to leave for the trek at 4:30. I was so excited! So we get there and my awesomepossum friend Haley Thomas braided my hair (which by the way stayed in all 3 days and didn't look horrid at the end!) Then..... WE WERE OFF!!! I drove up there with a car full of my girlie friends and our amazing YW President. What a car ride... haha So we get up there and wait for a bit and then they begin to announce our companies and our families. I was put into the Leavitt Company and in the Packer Family. My parents were Bro and Sis Walters but for the 3 days they were Ma and Pa Packer.
My group didn't have the strongest kids in our stake and we went through many family trials. Even though my family wasn't perfect they were perfect for me. Before the Trek started, I prayed that this would be the best thing that had ever happened to me. I wanted it to not only test me physically but also mentally and spiritually. Being in the family that I was in did just that for me. There were 4 girls and 5 boys. We were the first company to leave on our journey. The first mile was pretty good, some rough spots but we managed. We then got to a place in the journey known as the "DREADED ROCKY RIDGE" It took a lot of the kids from different families in our company to move each wagon up this hill of big rocks. There were 3 segments of this ridge and it took everyone to help each individual wagon. It took us about 3 hours to clear these ridges and then we stopped for lunch. While eating lunch the news was brought to us that we still had about 8 miles to go until camp.
While eating lunch a boy in our company, Seth Rios, started neighing like a horse. And boy could he neigh. It really sounded like a horse it was so funny! Our trail boss who rode with us and led us the right way was up on a horse. The horse started neighing back at Seth and they kept going at it. Then our trail boss brought the horse closer and the horse was so confused because this sound was coming out of a human. It was the funniest thing!
So then we started on our multiple miles left to go. After about a mile, we got nailed with a hardship. My pa came over to me and said, "Here Hannah, this is for you." It said while pushing the handcart, the wagon rolled over your ankle and severely sprained it. You cannot put any weight or pressure on it for 30 minutes. Through your faith and prayers you shall be healed. I suddenly thought oh crap. What the heck am I going to do. I hate the feeling of being utterly helpless and pretty much that was what hit me. So I started hopping by myself which turned out to be a dumb idea. We tried probably 5 different methods for helping me along, none of which did a whole lot. I tried hobbling between people with my arms around them, I tried hobbling along by myself, I tried being carried in a arm seat, I tried being carried piggyback style by 6 different people. One of the boys in my group tried to cover some of the ground that we had lost by running with me on his back. And yes he did eat it. Luckily enough that even though he hit his face and I didn't, neither of us was hurt. So one of the camera man who happens to be in my ward came over and said hey I'll put you up on my shoulders. So if you don't know, I don't do too well with heights but hey it was a free ride and I already felt helpless so whatever. So he bent over and I had to pull my skirt back (speaking of which piggybacks and shoulder rides in skirts ain't easy!) but as I got on and he stood up, his pants split down the back. I felt really bad but i was crackin up! He probably carried me for about 1/4 of a mile and then couldn't anymore so then we went back to the hobbling. Finally that was over and all was well.
We then received an orphaned baby that we were to care for for the entire journey and treat as though he was a real baby. His name was Thomas Pedersen, the name of a real baby of the Treks of old.
So here is where the fun began... can you sense my complete sarcasm?? So one of the girls in our group got dehydrated and was barfin all over the place. Another girl was so little and weak that she couldn't do much. One of the boys in my group had asthma and every 5 minutes needed his inhaler. So pretty much there were 5 of us kids who were really able to do stuff plus our ma and pa. It started to get dark and we heard that there was only about 3 miles to go so our spirits went up and everything was going pretty good. About 2 hours later it started to feel as though we had gone about 3 miles and we still weren't seeing anything so we just kept trudging along... One more mile. I think I heard that phrase about 509,297,831 times that night. I almost could've thrown a rock. I was starting to get a little frustrated. We then heard that there was about a 1/4 of a mile and we would see some power lines and then there would be about 300 yards until camp. My rear end. About a mile and a half later we finally got to camp. Turns out... guess what??! Ya I was in that company. Yup it was I. We took a wrong turn, the scenic route they liked to call it. Yes indeed we did hike an extra 4 MILES! I KNEW IT! It was more than 11 miles we hiked that day. 15 STINKIN MILES! ARGH! Oh well... we did it and I never complained once :) I am so proud of myself! We were the first company to leave and 3 out of us 6 families turned wrong and were almost the last ones in that night. :D So we get into camp and one of our boys starts to go into hypothermia. Go figure. Sweat and cold... DON'T MIX! He received a Priesthood blessing and was better the next morning. We made some stew that was 100 percent dee-lish and I made some brown sugar biscuits and boy were they yum! We then went to bed and I slept so bad but at least I slept.
FRIDAYWe woke up made breakfast and started out on our way. We hiked about a mile and then came to a stop and realized that we had caught up with the first company. We were asked to stop and wait for the third and final company to arrive. Once they arrived an officer from the army stood up and explained that they needed all of the boys and men to go with them for the Mormon Battalion. We, All of the women and girls, were going to be left to pull the handcarts by themselves. A mile... all straight up hill and this was no little incline. I knew this was going to happen but I guess it didn't hit how difficult it was going to be until I saw them start to walk away. They all had guns and we had to sit and watch them as they marched up the hill and disappeared. We started singing Come Come Ye Saints as they were leaving and I lost it. Having 4 girls in my group who were the way they were I didn't know how we were going to do it. My ma had had double knee replacements and did everything that she could. One girl was sick and faintish, another sick with a sprained ankle, and the other girl had nasty blisters. Ya I was scared out of my mind. I had to put my sole trust in the Lord. We said a family prayer and then we waited. We were the 2nd company to go and we were told that we couldn't help other companies and that we were supposed to help just our individual families. As we watched the first company go, it hurt me so bad to watch them struggle and know that I couldn't do anything to help. We waited and my adrenaline was shooting up so fast I thought I was going to die. They then told us it was our turn and so we were off. The first probably 500 yards weren't bad but then it hit. We had an extra girl from another family come help us and then my ma sent her to a more struggling family. The two most injured girls we put up front on the ropes pulling, I and the least sick girl were in the yolk and our ma was on the back. About 10 minutes into the pull I was looking around trying to keep my mind off of it and I saw the boys in the side of the mountain. I kept telling myself I can't cry I will not cry. I kept yelling out to all the girls we can do it you guys keep it up be positive. Not soon after it suddenly felt like I was bearing the whole burden of the cart. The girl next to me kept saying she was going to pass out and I believed her. The girls in the front were fading and I couldn't see my ma. I prayed harder than I have ever prayed in my life that some how we would be able to finish. All of the sudden, Angles came out of the bushes on the sides and came and aided us. I'm not sure we would've made it if they would not have come out. I lost it once again and kept saying thank you thank you thank you. When we got to the top of the hill and saw that we were done, I could see two of our boys sprinting down the side of the mountain to come help us. They got in the yolk and told me to get out. I can honestly say I have never been more excited to see boys in my whole life. I just cried and cried and I couldn't even talk. Our pa went and got some jam from another family and they made us jam and bread. They told us to not do anything for a bit and so for about a mile we walked beside and regained our thoughts. We had a few more miles to go and they were pretty good until about the last mile and half which went up hill and rocky. We finally got into camp and got to do some activities and just rest. We made butter and ate good that night! Our trail boss came and ate dinner with us and he brought us a cantelope. I was so happy about that cantelope haha. Later that night we had a dance and it wasn't so fun but then our tent was broken so we squished in with a family that was next to ours and it was SO WARM. I slept so good towards the end of that night! haha ... oh and that night I started to get sick.
SaturdaySo Satureday we get up, I felt terrible, but continued to push through. haha we made a delicious breakfast, and started on our way. We had to bury our babies that day and I definitely did not get attatched to that thing at all. But when we started to bury it, I thought of Caleb (my little brother) and I got a little teary. We finally after about 4.5 milesish reached "The Salt Lake Valley." We had a feast and it was the best meal I've ever had. We then had about a quarter mileish to go and we were done! It was the best experience of my life and I would do it again if asked to.
Then that night the cute boy came over and we talked for a few hours and I basically relieved my account again. Just a week ago I was asked to speak in the stake fireside for the trek and I got to relive it again for everyone. It was absolutely incredible and my talk went better than I would've hoped. BOMB STAT! :)
Well anyways, haha Sorry it has taken so long to post about this. I have been really busy... but tonight I am going to try to update my picture post... things from photoshoots to halloween and homecoming. Its all coming soon :)
