Trek 2013 Revisited

We finally got the pictures from the Stake Youth Trek and it's on my mind ALL the time.  Probably this is because Tyler and I were called to be the Trek Directors for our ward family trek next summer.  In just one year we'll be back there - but this time with our kids!  I am so excited!  Just thought I'd share a few of my favorite photos although there are so many more.  

Here we are upon arrival when we got our families.  We had been riding on a bus for 12 hours and had just had a good little walk and breakfast and were feeling much better about life.

Here is our family the morning of the "flour cakes".  I love the looks on their faces because they were all trying SO hard to be good sports about it.  That morning at devotional we talked about how to do hard things and how attitude really can make or break us.  They were so awesome!  I LOVE the kids in our trek family.

 This was when the men left us for the women's pull.  I didn't know what they did so seeing the pictures was fun for me.

 I told you about the wind right?  Well this picture proves it!  I have never experienced such wind!   It truly was overwhelming to think of that wind, paired with snow and ice and freezing temperatures.

This picture was one of my favorites.  You can't see my face, but I'm crying - pushing the back of our cart up the women's pull.  Words just don't express the emotions that this picture brings to the surface.

I had forgotten that I unwisely challenged my husband to a stick pull.  He's not one to let me win and quite easily threw me over.  It didn't hurt my feelings though - he threw everyone he pulled.

This is us at the END of trek - pulling into the visitors center.  I don't know who started running, but we crossed the finish line laughing and running together.  

This is us at the beginning of trek  Look how clean we all are!!!  What a great family.  I loved that Bishop Lathrop (one of my all time favorite people) was one of our Company Captain's and stuck with our family a lot of the time.

This is the view from where we had our devotional in the evening.  It was so beautiful!  It is quite fitting in my mind that this place is dedicated - untouched since the time the pioneers crossed it and just as they left it.  It's like you can feel them there, you can feel the sacredness of what they did and where we were.  I can't wait to go back!

Just as a P.S. - if any of my faithful readers (are you there?  is anyone out there?) are curious about our trek, we've started a blog to help us prepare for the journey.  It is www.cedar11trek.blogspot.com and ya'all are welcome to stop by and check it out, do some reading, watch some videos and learn a little more about the Pioneers who crossed the plains as part of the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies.  It's an amazing story.  They were amazing people.