Heath and I were called to be Trek parents this year. I have never been to trek so this was both exciting and nerve wracking. Both Kenzie and Hunter were also going this year. Kenzie was nervous and her anxiety was kicking in high gear when she was first told about trek. We found out her favorite neighbor Katie Cobia and her husband Jordan were going to be her trek parents. This eased her fears quite a bit, although she still wasn't looking forward to all the walking. I was most nervous about Hunter and his diabetes. Heavenly Father was looking out for him because he was assigned to Brie and Robert Phelps. Rob is a nurse and quickly assured me he would be looking out for Hunter. We had a few Trek Family activities before trek to get to know all the kids in our families. Heath and I had a pretty great group of kids.
On the first day of trek we packed all our stuff into trailers and then parked near the trailhead. We then took our day packs, water, snacks and loaded them into our handcart and off we went. We pulled and pushed that cart up a hill for several miles before coming to a clearing where they fed us pasta, bread and salad. It was delicious. We then continued for another mile or so to the campground. The trek directors wanted for this to be both a spiritual experience and an enjoyable experience for the kids. This meant they tried to feed us well (they did) and tried to keep the kids as comfortable as possible (no pioneer clothing). I think everyone appreciated that. Each of the three days we made loops around the campsite so that we only had to set up camp one time. That was great. Hunter did loose track of his insulin before dinner and I was a frantic mess trying to figure out what he did with it. He thought they put it in the cooler, but it wasn't there. Turns out when one of his leaders had to go home for a family emergency, the insulin was put into his day pack. It got quite hot, but I am glad we found it. I think I had all the medical personnel freaked out for a bit. I'm just glad I was there and could watch over things. All the groups in our ward had tents very close to one another's.
The second day we walked for a little bit and once we got to the base of the mountain that was quite steep they dismissed all "parents" to head up the hill so the kids would be on their own. I must admit I was nervous for them and got a little teary eyed that they would be doing this hard thing on their own. I shouldn't have worried. They were Rockstars. I was just doing my best to keep up with them when they reached us and continued on to the top. Along the trails there were signs talking about the handcart company's travels and trials. It was heartbreaking to read about all the things they endured. We were able to cross a river at the end of the trail the second day and it felt great. The night ended with a fireside with focusing our light on Christ.
Day three was where it got a little dicey for me. Early that morning I was getting out of my tent and I caught my foot in the doorway. I landed face first onto the ground. It hurt so bad. It was all I could do to just lay there on the ground for a bit. Once I got up I noticed that I couldn't quite see different areas very well. I was nervous I gave myself a concussion. It probably was a small one. I took some medicine, got some breakfast, and felt a little better after wearing sunglasses for a bit. I was nervous that I wasn't going to be able to finish out the day. The hiking wasn't as strenuous this day but everyone was already tired. The great news? They had Costa Vida waiting for us back at camp. Yay! It was overall an exhausting few days but I am so glad we got to have the experience.
