Pioneer day is in a few days. I grew up in Utah where Pioneer Day is celebrated. Often, we would dress up in pioneer outfits and parade around the neighborhood. I had the opportunity to attend 2 pioneer treks sponsored by BYU. Both treks went along the same path and were very similar. I didn't know what to expect my first year, but knew exactly what would happen the second time. I found an entry in my journal about the second time I went.
"This past week, I have been on the pioneer trek for the second time. This time I learned a lot more. I thought about how rough the trek was and how pioneers did it. I also compared the trek to my own life. There are ups and downs. People need to help each other. There are five guarantees of their program if you participate 100%. One is an appreciation for your pioneer heritage; Two is a greater self-esteem; Three is an appreciation for your family; Four is to make new friends; Five is to gain a stronger testimony of the gospel. So far, all five have hit me and I am glad that I went a second time. My ma is Lori (Rachel) and my my pa is Mike (Jake). Lori is going on a mission. She is really excited. There were 16 kids in my family: Jammin' Jeff, Jammin' Jim, Grandpa Jim, Marvelous Mark, Super Scott, Airplane Blaine, Jumpin' Jill, Daring Denny, Tremendous Trudy, Stompin Stacey, Cool Kim, Heavenly Hayley, Marty, Awesome Alisha, Neat Nat, and Terrific Tami. All together, there is 18 members of the Treehorn family."
We met at the beginning of our trek on a Monday and started building our hand cart. Our moms and dads went through our bags to make sure that we didn't sneak some stuff in. We could only bring what was required plus one luxury item - toothbrush, guitar, etc. If that item wasn't on the list, we couldn't take it with us. We got started on our trek. We were given a barrel of water to last us through the day. We walked from 10 am when the handcarts were build until 1 am - almost 15 hours. It was great to talk to our family members. At one point, we were told that we needed to walk to total silence. After a few minutes, the boys walked away and the girls had to push the cart all by ourselves. The trail was really rough and our brothers walked alongside wanting to help but couldn't. After some time had passed, our brothers gave us some flowers that they found along the trail and helped push the handcart. We walked a little more and then paused to talk about the experience. This was just a small part of what those family members of those husbands served in the Mormon Battalion went through. We stopped and sang "Come Come Ye Saints" I remember watching the falling stars and feeling an appreciation for the pioneers. We hadn't eaten since 10 am and we still had more waking to do. When we finally arrived at our camping spot, we were given beef broth and a roll. We were so happy to have food and we quickly fell asleep. We were really tired. In the morning, we had corn mush and walked again. We didn't walk to long because our camp site was close by. We set up camp and stayed there for a week. I remember some fun activities - washing our hair in the creek, playing pioneer games, and shooting powder rifles. We killed a turkey, plucked it, and cooked it under ground. I remember walking in the woods near out campsite to find a place to read scriptures and write in my journal. We had church meetings on Sunday. On Monday morning, we packed up our gear into our cart and walked a few more miles where we were greeted by our family members to go home.
It was a great experience and I'm so glad that I remember so much of it. It had an impact of my life.
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