TREK 2010

Ma nd Pa Brown and Ma and Pa McKinnon

My boys sleeping!



My kids
Ma VanTassell

Kiddos from my ward!

Beautiful Girls!
Look at those strong boys!

Our family!

Josh and Jordan
Ali, Erica, and McKinley


Cos, Angie, and ME!
Clint, Keith, and Jeremy
Jordan playing!?!?!?
First company leaving.

VanTassell Family!

MA and PA Brown!

Our BOYS!



Mark and Clint all CLEAN!


Clint and I were ma and pa's on our stake Trek this year. What an amazing experience. If they asked us to go again we would do it in a hear beat. There were so many amazing experiences, learning about and living on some small level how the pioneers lived, being with the most hard working youth, and feeling the spirit every step of the way. I am not going to lie, it was hard, but the more we walked the less I felt the pain. I know Heavenly Father was with me. Our kids we so great. Never once did I have to ask them to push or pull. They were running around helping everyone else and then would come back and make sure the rest of us were taken care of.

The first day we walked 6 miles without pulling a handcart around Martin's cove. It was beautiful and heart wrenching knowing that so many people died right where we were. I don't have any pioneers in my family that crossed to salt lake at that time, but I now have a greater appreciation and a stronger testimony for the pioneers. They sacrificed so much so that we could have the gospel in our life.

The second and third day is when we walked around 13-16 miles each day pulling a handcart at Rocky Ridge. I did not know this until we got there, but there is like a 10 year waiting list to do Rocky Ridge, so it was a privilege to be able to do this. The second day we did the womens pull and I think it was harder for the men than the women. It was probably one of the steeper areas and we were a little nervous. But like I mentioned earlier by kids were not afraid to push themselves. The girls just pushed through it. They were so tough, so strong, so determined. I am so impressed with these youth. I was not that strong when I was there age. It was such a blessing to be around them.

The third day was tough to start. Our feet hurt and we were feeling the affects from the two previous days. Unfortunately, the day before I started getting a blister on my heel which meant that the last day was going to be just a little more PAINFUL than the earlier days. Oh well, no whining. There were tons of people with blisters. One of my young women from my ward and tons of blisters, plus her family was not pushing or pulling very much leaving her to do most of the work. She is so strong, she just pushed through it! We had several mud/ water crossing this day. The first one was like crossing chocolat pudding, no lie. The boys told the girls to get on the cart and they pushed and pulled us through. There was about a 3 foot drop off in the beginning tipping are cart almost over, but we held on and the pushed. It took about 10 guys to get each cart through the mud. After that the girls did not want to be in the cart they wanted to push through the mud and water.

We could not have had a better family or a better experience. Clint kept our spirits high and help the kids push through. I am so lucky to have such an amazing husband. I realized on trek how much I really do rely on him. I am so grateful for this experience I hope that I will have the opportunity to do it again!