The morning of Trek was terribly painful, because we were meeting at one in the afternoon. And my dear friends, if you don't know this already, I have no patience. In the track season, meets in the afternoon were torture, and this was the same way. Waiting anxiously, double checking my bag over and over, taking my last shower before the days without. But it was worth it. So worth it. :)
I read an email from a friend before I left, and she reminded me, Cherish every moment. I told myself that with every step I took, and I'm glad I did. Because every moment was worth remembering.
Our youth met up at the bus barn, all dressed up and ready to go. We loaded our buckets and sleeping bags into the cargo of the buses and before we knew it, we were on our way. I handed off my cell phone and gave a few last hugs, and even then my life was already changing.
Not the best picture, but my bucket was John Wayne style - with Duke quotes scattered all over it. That bucket was my best friend!
We arrived at the stake center with the rest of the stake and found out our families - something I'd been dying to hear. A lucky few were told their families ahead of time, but I left my home completely ignorant. Not to brag, but ... I think I had the best family in the stake ;) Four brothers and four sisters, including me. Our family name for the trek was Stewart.
Heather (my sister) and I :)
Before we boarded our buses, we were each given a name of a person to walk for. Mine was Eleanor Grant Ord. The stake had a few copies of a book, Tell My Story, Too, that gave the histories of each of our pioneers.
Eleanor was born on June 14, 1828, and was converted to the gospel at the age of 18 - against her father's will. A few years later (1856), she married Thomas Ord, and their honeymoon was a six week trip overseas in the direction of Zion. She and Thomas pulled their handcart together as husband and wife, helping many who needed it - including an eight year old who died and an ill man who couldn't make it alone. At times, because of their service, they ran short of food and had to mix flour and water for a meal. Despite any difficulties, they reached their goal, and helped settle Nephi, UT.
Eleanor was a lot like me :) She loved to sing, teach, speak, testify, and especially loved temple work. I was honored to walk for such a wonderful woman.
The bus ride to Bing Canyon, WA was six hours (with one rest stop in the middle). Thank goodness for the old-fashioned fun of passing notes to keep my sister and I from losing our minds ;) Heather and I had a notebook constantly moving from us to our brothers, James and Galen. When I came home and realized how much we'd written and passed that book, I understood why one annoyed girl had threatened to chuck it out a window ;) But at their expense, we were able to get to know two siblings fairly well before we even made it to camp.
When we did get to camp, we ate a surprise dinner (we'd taken sack dinners with the expectations of going straight to bed), and then we had to set up camp. Our awesome brothers and Pa set up our tent for us the first night, while we women held the flashlights. I would have much preferred to be setting up the tent. The bugs and gnats were so thick, they were swarming our arms that held the lights. We wound up coating our flashlights in bug spray before the night was through! And the next morning, when I opened my journal, I realized there were bugs smashed between the pages.
Not complaining, because it was only like that for one night, but eek ... gross. Haha
We mostly just got to know our family that night, which was easy and fun. Our parents told a couple stories and talked about how important it is to have a good attitude, and all was well :) But before I end Day One, I have to share an embarrassing story ;) Because I know you all love to hear those!
On my way out of the house for Trek, my bloomers decided to give way and fall to my ankles - which caused a problem of rushing to find shorts when I was already late. That was bad enough and it was only at home. But at camp, while we were brushing our teeth in the dark, another guy from our ward came to haunt us. Haha And as we said hi to him, I realized my pajama pants had fallen down. *Facepalm* Never been so grateful for the dark in my life! I had a pants curse. That's the only explanation. Thank goodness it didn't persist.
I'll tell you guys all about the rest of Trek and the many spiritual experiences once I get it all together :) But that's a good start! Have an awesome day everyone!
Bonnie Gwyn
awesome start!!! anxious to read the rest :)
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