Our Great Trek Adventure!

Press Forward-Trek 2013

The Jorgensens were so creative with their bucket pads!

We are ready for fun!

We're all so clean at this point!

Here come the buses!  I was so happy to see them all.  Due to Bus 7 breaking down they were delayed because they went back to pick up everyone on that bus and to squeeze them into the other buses but they made it!

Time to set up camp.

We always had great food to eat during Trek!  And aren't they all so cute?!

We gathered at the amphitheater the first night for family cheers, songs and then on to the square dancing.  Thankfully, we finished all that before the wind kicked up.  It wouldn't be Trek without a little (or a lot of) wind!

Here is the South Family lining up for the first day of trekking.  Hand cart loaded and ready to go!

This first river crossing was a very special experience.  

And they walked and walked and walked and walked!

Here you can see the Jorgensens red shade in the back.  We had "Queen April" under there.  It was a hot day and we wanted her to cool off.  She was so cute riding on that cart.  

Here the Bishop is talking to the young men before the women's pull started.  

Here you can get an idea of how far the women had to pull those carts up the hill.

"As Sisters in Zion we'll all work together..."

Here we had passed the point where the young men were allowed to help us if they felt compassion and they ran to our aid.  

And we walked and walked and walked and walked!

Mormon Trail and Oregon Trail marker.

Candance and Griffin were chosen to reenact the Jens and Elsie story.  Jens got sick along the trail and his wife, Elsie, pulled him in the handcart.  Candace was so strong.  But when she struggled and could go no further, as Elsie did, angels were sent to bless her.  Our youth sprinted down the hill they wanted to help her so much.  They ran that cart up the hill and there had a special moment together that none of us will forget.

I brought a game called Set.  We had some spirited games of this!

This was some version of pick up sticks!

Thursday night the youth received letter from home.  We also had a story about a young brother and sister who didn't have much food to eat.  We had little Nilla Wafers and chocolate milk after this story to help us remember the little bits of food they shared.

Thursday night Bro. Graham went to the medical tent for something and noticed they had some Ben and Jerry's ice cream.  There's no medicine like cold ice cream on a hot and clear Wyoming night after trekking all day!

Kiana and her awesome Ma Rebecca getting ready for another day of walking.

We were incredibly blessed to have the Grahams, Bascoms and Shermans feeding us all week.  They were amazing!!!  

Here we have just arrived at Martin's Cove and are preparing our handcarts.

The landscape at Martin's Cove was impressive.

In memory of the young men who rescued the Martin handcart company during the early winter storm our young men carried the young women across the Sweetwater River.  

After a ward picture, where we tried to keep straight faces like the pioneer pictures of old, Emily and Pablo lead us in a song.  Then we had a testimony meeting.

It was a majestic sunset that night.  What a priceless experience to share our testimonies with each other there.  

Then we judged the beard growing!  Katrina decided to jump in with some facial hair of her own!

Everyone got many cheers, but I think Bro. Rollins came out ahead.

Then a huge thunderstorm rolled in.  I wish I'd had my camera with me!  It was so fun!  The rain and wind had us all standing under the canopies holding on to them so they wouldn't blow away.  We were laughing so hard!  Most of the youth ran around in the rain having a great time.  It was hard to go to sleep that night.  We were wide awake after the storm!

And here are the 12 buses lined up ready to go Saturday morning.  We never could get the 13th bus fixed completely. 

Now that's a great way to enjoy the ride home Tristan!

There was a fatal accident in Echo Canyon just an hour or so ahead of our buses and the freeway was closed for a while.  We were blessed to be able to stop at the Port of Entry with about 80 other semi's (instead of being stuck on the freeway)! There the youth could get more water, use the restrooms and walk around if they wanted to while we waited for about 2 hours.  We also had some of our medical crew with us and they checked on everyone.  Eventually we were able to head home.  Others had transportation troubles too.  One blown transmission, a blown tire or two.  But the Lord watched over us and we were blessed to get everyone home safely.  

These are strong, special youth.  They had good attitudes.  They helped each other.  They were fun to be with.  We had miracles every day.  This really was an adventure we were blessed to have together.