Well, I didn’t think it would happen this year, what with moving and it being the year of the TREK [duhn, duhn, duhn!]…. But it did. I am missing Girls Camp. I guess it’s pretty hard to deny 14 years. [7 years as a youth and 7 years as a leader.] It was a big part of my summer every year – from tween years to being a married woman with my own child. And the last 2 years my sisters and I had all been together… a rare feat when you think of the 14 year span between me and Lizzy with Christine sandwiched roughly in the middle. But not this year. This year, Chrsitine is livin’ it up as a BYU student in Utah while I relish in my new role as stay-at-home mom in Washington, leaving Lizzy to represent on her own.
And this year is different because this year… is… the TREK [a pioneer handcart pull in the mountains with the girls in long skirts/bonnets and the boys in non-jeans and hats]. It only happens once every 5 years in the Springfield stake [since it started in 1995] and I have been on all 3 of the previous ones – as a shy 13-year-old, a know-it-all high school graduate and the last one as a newlywed with the hubs. The last one was a little rough on me. Without going into too much detail [read, you really don’t want to get me started!] I had a hard time not having the same leadership responsibilities I was used to and was told years later by the mother of a girl we had in our TREK family that she described me as being very “women’s lib”. Ha ha ha!! Love it.
Fast forward to just weeks after last year’s girls camp. I told Shelley [our then Stake YW president] as we began to make plans for the TREK already, and I quote, “I plan on either being pregnant, having a new baby or having moved… so count me out!” Well, I’m not pregnant and obviously don’t have a newborn to attend to, but we most definitely have moved. Don’t get me wrong [and a lot of people do when they see I can get pretty passionate on the topic of the TREK], it’s not that I am anti-TREK. I think the TREK is a wonderful program and that all of the youth should experience it at least once and I even welcome the addition of the young men. What I am passionate about is Girls Camp, and I am 100% a firm believer that the TREK should not completely replace Girls Camp. The girls need it every year, even if it is just a couple days instead of all week on the years that they have the TREK. And I think the TREK should be co-ed, but as a youth conference for only a couple nights rather than all week.
Ok, I am stepping off my soapbox now.
So Lizzy went off on the TREK this week and I was determined to attempt to walk as many miles as they did. Granted, she was pushing a handcart loaded with gear while I was only pushing a stroller, loaded with, well, just with Ethan. And she wore a long skirt, apron and bonnet while I trekked down the bike path in work-out pants and a t-shirt. Still, I was with her in spirit. Unfortunately, even the best-laid plans don't always work out. I did 10miles between Monday and Tuesday, but was basically in Oregon Wednesday, Thursday, Friday [post to come on Ethan and I's fun a.m. in Salem] and Saturday and it proved to be too difficult to get out for a specific walk, so maybe next week I will try tackling beating the TREK mileage!!
Oh, and in case you were wondering... Yes, it is 100% completely necessary to capitalize the word TREK whenever you are referring to the TREK. Glad I could clear that up for you!!
And this year is different because this year… is… the TREK [a pioneer handcart pull in the mountains with the girls in long skirts/bonnets and the boys in non-jeans and hats]. It only happens once every 5 years in the Springfield stake [since it started in 1995] and I have been on all 3 of the previous ones – as a shy 13-year-old, a know-it-all high school graduate and the last one as a newlywed with the hubs. The last one was a little rough on me. Without going into too much detail [read, you really don’t want to get me started!] I had a hard time not having the same leadership responsibilities I was used to and was told years later by the mother of a girl we had in our TREK family that she described me as being very “women’s lib”. Ha ha ha!! Love it.
Fast forward to just weeks after last year’s girls camp. I told Shelley [our then Stake YW president] as we began to make plans for the TREK already, and I quote, “I plan on either being pregnant, having a new baby or having moved… so count me out!” Well, I’m not pregnant and obviously don’t have a newborn to attend to, but we most definitely have moved. Don’t get me wrong [and a lot of people do when they see I can get pretty passionate on the topic of the TREK], it’s not that I am anti-TREK. I think the TREK is a wonderful program and that all of the youth should experience it at least once and I even welcome the addition of the young men. What I am passionate about is Girls Camp, and I am 100% a firm believer that the TREK should not completely replace Girls Camp. The girls need it every year, even if it is just a couple days instead of all week on the years that they have the TREK. And I think the TREK should be co-ed, but as a youth conference for only a couple nights rather than all week.
Ok, I am stepping off my soapbox now.
So Lizzy went off on the TREK this week and I was determined to attempt to walk as many miles as they did. Granted, she was pushing a handcart loaded with gear while I was only pushing a stroller, loaded with, well, just with Ethan. And she wore a long skirt, apron and bonnet while I trekked down the bike path in work-out pants and a t-shirt. Still, I was with her in spirit. Unfortunately, even the best-laid plans don't always work out. I did 10miles between Monday and Tuesday, but was basically in Oregon Wednesday, Thursday, Friday [post to come on Ethan and I's fun a.m. in Salem] and Saturday and it proved to be too difficult to get out for a specific walk, so maybe next week I will try tackling beating the TREK mileage!!
Also, I had the best of intentions for scanning 2005 TREK pictures [can you believe that was pre-mainstream digital?!] when Sean and I were just baby-face newlyweds, but the scanners on both our printer and my parents' have conspired against me and, alas, I am unable to scan at this time. But, please enjoy the above picture of Lizzy and her friends looking very clean before the start of the TREK on Tuesday.
And this picture shows the handcarts that get loaded up with ALL of their gear [each camper is allowed a 5-gallon bucket and a sleeping bag] and food for the week. I think they are close to 800-900lbs. Also, in case you're curious, besides pushing and pulling those bad boys [the handcarts] across the wilderness for hours on end each day, in years past they have also enjoyed some traditional (stick pulling, lassoing, tag and the like) pioneer games; killing and cooking a chicken from start to finish; bread-making from scratch; dutch-oven cooking; taffy, butter and candle making; Mormon Battalion-type re-enactment and singing along as they walked and walked and walked and... walked! [My Mormon readers will get that little Primary song reference!]
Anyway, Lizzy is home now. Showered, napped and with Dickie Jo's in her belly for dinner. I think she will sleep well!! Also, if you wanna check out previous (non-TREK) Girls Camp years pics and commentary... Click here for 2008 or here for 2009.
Anyway, Lizzy is home now. Showered, napped and with Dickie Jo's in her belly for dinner. I think she will sleep well!! Also, if you wanna check out previous (non-TREK) Girls Camp years pics and commentary... Click here for 2008 or here for 2009.
Oh, and in case you were wondering... Yes, it is 100% completely necessary to capitalize the word TREK whenever you are referring to the TREK. Glad I could clear that up for you!!
4 comments:
I'm wondering if the TREK hadn't been my first year of girl's camp if I would have liked girl's camp more. Was I alone in hating it?? I guess I can say I appreciate more not being born in the pioneer days?
Like I have said many times, "Brother Brigham, Iowa, looks pretty good - I bet we could grow some good corn here"!
Nothing about pretending to be homeless has ever appealed to me.
Dad
Hey Jennifer. Okay, I'm not really a blog stalker... but I do read your blog. I had to comment when I read your dad's comment. I remember him not wanting to 'smell like smoke' after being around a campfire. I don't see him as the camping type but his comment is priceless.
I miss girl's camp too. Fun memories...
I hear you about the importance of girl's camp. When we moved to Puerto Rico when I was in high school I was looking forward to having camp on the beach or in a rain forest. No such luck they didn't have girl's camp, or youth conference, seminary, firesides, etc. I think that is why my testimony really had a hard time. Those experiences are what firm you up for the rest of the times.
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