A Pioneer Story-the finale

Our last day started early as always. I felt so bad for the bugler. The poor guy took a lot of guff from the hostile teens who just needed a little more sleep. I was thinking next time they should give him a mask to wear and keep his identity hidden. He sure did a great job though! We met early in the meadow for a brief morningside. They gave us some time on this morning to break out of our family units and visit with the kids from our own wards. It was so great to see them. They were tired and dirty, but they were a sight for sore eyes! It was so fun to visit with them and hear some of their experiences.

After that, we each had some solo time to go off in the woods a bit and reflect on our trek and write in our journals. Then we met back in the meadow for a few more instructions before we returned to our camps for breakfast. I kept looking around for Brycen, but he was nowhere to be found. He was not one to run off without telling us where he was going. It was strange indeed. Our suspicions were confirmed when we found out that all of the big siblings had met together that morning for a few minutes and in that brief moment in time they were all trampled by a stampeding herd of buffalo. Can you believe that?? Buffalo--of all things. We were devastated. But once again, there was no time to mourn. We had to move on even though it would be hard. We repacked our cart and prepared for the last leg of our journey.

This time, the trail really was all down hill. Remember yesterday? When we stopped at prayer hill for that last plea for help? Everyone kept telling us that we were only 1/4 mile from camp? There was no way that we were only a 1/4 mile from camp! Guess what? We really were only a 1/4 mile from camp. Unbelievable! We seemed to get there so quickly on that morning of the third day. We were stuck behind a slower cart and we were feeling particularly energetic. At one point the path split for just a few feet. We seized the opportunity to pass. It was so funny to see the kids running with that cart as fast as they could. And then the woots of joy as we successfully maneuvered around the other family. Everyone was in such a good mood.

We turned off the main dirt road and headed down a much steeper and narrower trail. It was barely wide enough for one cart. It was even difficult to walk beside it. We put the ropes and handles in the back to slow down the effects of gravity on our little cart. There were big ruts and rocks to navigate around, but the speed was much much faster than the previous two days. I was amazed that our cart was holding it together--there was a lot of strain on those wheels! At one part of the journey we entered some very sacred burial grounds. Our trail leaders asked us out of respect to hike in silence. Just as we entered the grounds one of our daughters fell suddenly to the ground facedown in extreme pain. Luckily I was with her. We had both been walking behind the cart. I knew we were supposed to be silent, but our family was leaving us in the dust. I had no choice but to yell up to Pa and have him stop the cart. Her knee had dislocated and we needed the trail doctor immediately. Pa ran back up the trail to see if he could find someone with a radio. While he was gone I tried to get our daughter to roll over off of her face, but she was in too much pain to move at all. Finally Pa came back. We had the most amazing experience there on that trail. It's a little too personal to put here on a blog, but suffice it to say that miracles still happen! She was able to get up and walk and finish the journey. Her brothers were amazing--in fact, the whole family really pulled together to make sure we all made it safely to the valley. The boys would carry her across all of the streams, and the rest would manage the cart--pulling more than their fair share.

It's hard to describe the feelings I had as we arrived at our destination. I think I experienced the whole emotional spectrum--from pure joy to relief to sorrow for those we left behind. It was very surreal. It even had some parade-like qualities as friends and loved ones lined the path and cheered as we passed by to welcome us to our new home.

Here we are crossing one of the streams.

Some of the kids. Looking a little worse for wear but at least they are happy!

And here is the whole family
(minus Brycen, plus a stranger that poked his head in--
I have no idea who that boy in the back is!)

I think the hardest part of that day, was saying good-bye to these kids that we had come to call our own. We knew that we probably wouldn't have too much opportunity to interact with them again. Their real parents should be very proud of them! It's times like these that give you hope for the rising generation.

After several more hours we trudged into our real home. It was so wonderful to see my folks and the girls. Thanks to everyone that made this experience possible. It's one I won't forget anytime soon!