A couple of months ago, Adam and I were asked to participate as a Ma and Pa couple in our stake's upcoming Faith Quest handcart trek activity in August. We will be traveling to Martin's Cove in Wyoming and pulling handcarts along the original Mormon Trail. We will be walking and pulling handcarts for three days--about five miles the first day, eight miles the second, and fifteen miles on the third day. I am so excited and thrilled and honored that they would ask us to participate. I know there are many, many people in the stake who were hoping they would be asked to go with the youth. We have been assigned to lead about ten youth in our little 'family.' They are young but seem excited about this great adventure.
I can hardly contain my own excitement at the prospect of being out on the trail again. In 1997, I, along with two friends, joined the Mormon Trail Wagon Train Reenactment at Green River, Wyoming. We walked the last 200 miles of the trail which ended in the Salt Lake Valley. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. It was also one of the hardest and most painful experiences. We walked 5 to 27 miles a day through dirt, sand, 100 degree heat, rain, wind, mountains, streams and sagebrush. My face always had a thin layer of trail dust and the scent from the sagebrush was so intense at times that it made me choke and cough. It was absolutely amazing and I loved (almost) every minute. Even now, looking back and remembering how hard it was, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. My one regret is that I didn't start with the wagon train at the beginning in Omaha, Nebraska. I would love to have the opportunity to take Adam and my kids on another reenactment. Maybe someday.
There really aren't words that capture the feeling and spirit of the trail. That probably sounds cheesy but it's true nonetheless. It was the adventure of a lifetime. There were many non-LDS people who had joined the trek simply to participate in an incomparable journey. There's nothing quite like being taken to your physical limits on almost a daily basis. I learned to rely on Heavenly Father and the strength and optimism of my friends to get me to the next hill, the next few feet, the next rest stop, the next camp site. We leaned on each other for support because who else do you turn to when you're out in the middle of nowhere, miles from civilization? We were like a traveling Zion-- a Zion on wagon wheels, so to speak, sharing and helping where we were needed, although I was usually always on the receiving end.
Perhaps I am romanticizing my experience a bit because at the time it was HARD. Really hard. The hardest thing I've ever done. Our first day on the trek we walked about 24 miles and the handcart basically dragged me into camp. My friends and I sank to the ground and cried. I assume we were all crying for the same reasons-- pain and exhaustion and relief that we had survived our first day.
There are many reasons why I loved being on the trek. I loved being constantly surrounded by nature and feeling a connection to the earth. I loved the quiet, peaceful surroundings, the sweeping vistas and views, and the seemingly endless sky. I loved the people I was with, particularly our "family" assigned to our handcart. Above all, I loved walking in the footsteps of my heroes, the pioneers. My love for them grew with each step and I gained a greater appreciation for them and the incredible sacrifices they made to journey to Zion. Their endurance, courage, strength, and faith astounds me. I hope that one day I will be worthy enough to thank them for all that they sacrificed so that I can enjoy the blessings of the gospel today.
To my little Faith Quest family, I promise that if you are spiritually prepared for our hand cart trek, you will have the greatest spiritual experience of your lives thus far. And when you find yourself struggling, as we all do, you will be able to look back on your Faith Quest experience and you will remember the spirit you felt and it will help you through those tough times in your life. You will treasure it as a great moment in your life. I am looking forward to sharing the spirit of the trail with you. Your lives will never be the same and you will return a better person.
Even now, years later, the memories of my journey are bright and I feel very blessed to have been able to participate in such a unique opportunity. I still think about the trek almost daily and the profound influence it continues to be in my life.
