Our Pioneer Trek
Day Three
Well, the rain came just as we were getting to sleep (about midnight), but it wasn't the typical Southern storm. It was a thunderstorm that stalled over our area for 5 hours, raining buckets most of the time. There was a fair amount of lightening too. Most of us had just pulled plastic tarps over the top of our sleeping bags and were waiting out the rain.
I spent the first half-hour or so under my plastic thinking that surely it couldn't rain much longer, so I'd just wait it out. After a while, I started praying earnestly for the rain to stop. Then when it just seemed to fall harder, I prayed that it would just let up a little, so I could get out and check on other people. It did let up a bit, so I jumped out of my bag, put on my poncho and saw Fawn getting up at the same time. It was still dark, but I could see that we were all a mess, to put it mildly. The young women had gone to a large tent one of the support people had set up and the young men had taken cover elsewhere. Fawn and I also managed to find a tarp to sit under. (We found out later that a few smart(?) ones had stayed in the Porta-potties during most of the storm.
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Last Updated 6 January 2005
Sometime later the rain stopped and I was able to get our lantern lit. Our family members returned from wherever they had been and we started hanging up everything so it could at least start drip drying. We also set up a shelter with a tarp and some of the people were able to put on dry clothes. Then, just about the time we felt we were getting a handle on things, it started raining hard again and kept raining for another two hours. It was bad, but at least we were together under the same tarp this time.
Well, you can imagine that by the end of the second rainstorm, we were a pretty tired, dejected and demoralized group.
We didn't know it at the time, but the Red Company was even worse off. We were in an area protected by a lot of trees, but they had been totally exposed to the storm because they had camped on top of a mountain. The lookout tower (fortunately with a lightening rod) about 100 yards from where they were, had been struck by lightening twice during the night. No one was hurt, but you can imagine how frightened they were by the thunder, the lightening and especially the mild 'buzz' they got each time the lightening went into the ground near them. Now that would humble a person.
We also found out later, that the leaders at the base camp had discussed and prayed about our situation all night. They had even considered bringing the Red Company off the mountain in the middle of the night, but the Lord helped them know that it would be too dangerous and that is wasn't necessary at the time.
Finally, when morning came and it started getting light, we began to realize what pitiful shape we were in. Most of us had slept only a total of about 4 hours in the past 40 and everything was soaked. At this point, most of the youth and at least half of the advisors (especially in the Red Company) thought we should think seriously about going home. But, the Lord had a different idea. After praying about it, the leaders felt strongly that we shouldn't go home and that everyone would be safe. (One thing's for sure, the original pioneers couldn't just pack up and go home!)
It was at this point that the trek became one of the greatest spiritual experiences of my life.
About 6 am, the leaders at the base camp got the word that another string of thunderstorms was coming. Now they knew we had to go up on the mountain to help bring the Red Company down--to save them. When one of the leaders came to our campsite and asked for young men to go with him immediately to do that, it was only a matter of minutes before over 30 young men had volunteered to go.
We also had agreed with the Park Service that we would do a project to help pay for our use of the park--the 'Mormon Battalion' was going to put a washed-out bridge back in its place. So, at the same time people were volunteering to help save the Red Company, another adult leader sought more young men to volunteer for the Mormon Battalion. It wasn't long before he left with about 20 more young men who had volunteered.
Meanwhile the rest of us were told we needed to make room for the Red Company so they would have a place to camp when they came off the mountain. Half of us were asked to move our campsites--we did it without hesitation. The other half were asked to help us move--they did that without hesitation.
During the time of all this activity, a miracle happened in our lives. We were so busy saving our friends and serving others that we completely forgot about our own problems and discouragement.
Then, the highlight of the morning came when our leaders were inspired to set up a welcome for the Red Company. I can't think of anything in my life that was more amazing than seeing that welcome take place. We clapped and cheered and cried tears of joy for our friends because they had made it through a 'night of hell' and come out OK. We were so glad to see them safe, and we welcomed them back as heroes and heroines for making it through the storm. It was wonderful to see the joy on the faces of the 'saved' and those doing the saving. I know there were many people touched by the welcoming scene. One of my friends told me that he even saw the Park Ranger--not a Church member--with tears in his eyes.
(A side note--the same Park Ranger went to the base camp later that day and told the leaders that, after all we'd been through, he certainly wouldn't require us to fix the washed-out bridge. I sure would like to have seen his face when he was told that the project had just been completed!)
Well, the rest of the trek was one big Spiritual high. We spent Friday morning drying out, resting and marveling at how we'd been protected by the Lord.
In the afternoon and evening, we had log-sawing contests, tug-of-wars and a great local group who sang songs from the pioneer times and played period instruments. That night, the many prayers for good weather were answered and we all slept well.
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