Trek 2009 (Tammy's Take)

What do members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do for fun in the summer? We dress up like Mormon Pioneers and reenact one of the most trying moments in their history, the trek from East to West in the hope of gathering and finding peace.

Pa Beeson and I were outfitted with 15 strong capable teenage oxen to pull and push as we made our way across the "plains". Different in many ways, our trek lasted 4 days not 3 months. We walked the first day and into the second, while the real Pioneers sang as they walked and walked and walked every day but the Sabbath. I pressed on, knowing that if anything horrible was to happen we would be taken care of by the ever present but never seen backup camp. The real pioneers had no such comfort.

Despite all the differences, I believe many of the emotions where the same. We laughed, we cried and our testimony of family and heritage were strengthened.

Once our rest was obtained in "Zion" we partied like only pioneers can, with taffy pulling, field plowing, hair washing (my favorite), rifle shooting, axe throwing and a good old fashioned hoedown. Sunday was filled with spiritual enlightenment, family time and dutch oven cooking. Cooking is not one of my strong points and dutch oven cooking doesn't even enter into my vocabulary. Thanks go out to my trek daughters for their knowledge and willingness to teach me all they knew.

When the sun rose on the fourth day I found myself torn. Part pulling for a warm shower and clean clothes and part pulling to stay put and enjoy the simplicity of pioneer life with my new Trek family.