Winter ended not long ago and the summer heat has arrived! Monday was our preparation day and after getting the laundry done we fixed a picnic and headed up to the top of Green Mountain to enjoy the trees, the view and the wild horses.
If you look closely you can see the colt.
Monday evening for FHE Sister Brandon taught us the history of and how to use the Deseret Alphabet. She and Elder Brandon served for several years at the Church History Museum and this is one of the classes she taught.
I found the alphabet very confusing but then people who learn English as a second language say it is a very confusing language.
Tuesday morning Elder Lindsey and I spent the morning using weed eaters to clean the area behind the shops where we store equipment. My arm didn't stop vibrating for hours! After lunch we checked the drip sprinkler system on the willows we planted last year. We stopped about 2:30pm when the temperature approached 90 degrees and it was just too hot to work outside. We were worn out by then partly from the work but mostly from the heat.
Wednesday we were up and out the door by 5:30am as we had RRA and needed to clean the restrooms on the trail and at Staging before the trekkers arrived. After we finished I made us brunch and we took a much needed nap. In the evening we went to Jackson Campground to meet our trek leaders and talk about the trekking schedule for the next day.
Thursday was our first very own trek and we had a great day with the Colorado Springs Stake. We had 250 trekkers whose leaders were well prepared.
This lovely young woman played hymns while her Stake did the river crossing.
Cute?
One young man on the trek was very into reptiles and I had to talk long and hard to convince him that going off the trail to find himself a rattle snake was NOT a good idea. He decided to be content with this little garter snake which he released back into the grass.
The cacti on the trail are in full bloom.
Friday we spent the morning continuing to check and repair the drip system on the willows.
It's amazing to us how fast these willows have grown...just a year ago they were sticks in the dirt.
After lunch we did our assigned cleaning job with Elder and Sister Schmidt. This week we were assigned to clean the Trek Center where we have church on Sundays and where all of our treks start out from during the week. Its a big job moving 300 chairs and sweeping and mopping the floor then putting everything back. Friday cleaning assignments are how we keep our main buildings (Barn, Trek Center, Office, Gathering Room, Chapel and the Pavilion at Missionary Village) clean. The assignments rotate through the missionary pool weekly so we don't always have an assignment. To accommodate the assignments work crew is usually done by 2:00pm on Fridays.
Saturday we were assigned to Handcart Parking. The day was slower than the last time we were there with only two small scheduled treks, one a family and the other a boy scout troop from Lander. We did have at least five other families trek out from the Visitors' Center so we met and visited with a variety of very nice people and we each even got to tell a story. In the evening we visited with Elder and Sister Taylor Jr, a couple we served with last year who came to visit. We 2nd years gathered at the Pavilion and had a good time sharing stories.
Sunday was great. In Sunday School one of the Sisters shared a quote about the Atonement that I really loved; " It wasn't nails that held him to the cross, but his love for you and me." After potluck we had a fireside with the Pay Sisters aka Doreen Lloyd and Joanne Barrette, Sister Hinckley's younger sisters. They shared the story of their families (Gobel and Pay) who traveled with the Hunt Wagon Company and they shared the touching story of finding the grave marker of baby Edith Gobel who died at just six weeks of age on the trail in Wyoming. The Pay Sisters are my favorite Fireside speakers both seasons here because they are so fun and because they have such a goodness about them.
Doreen and Joanne.
The thought of burying a baby at the side of the trail and continuing on is one that breaks my heart every time. It happened so often and yet they had the strength to push on keeping sight of the eternal picture.
The summer seems to be flying by. The days are hot but the air is clear and beautiful and we are so busy the time speeds past. You are in our thoughts and prayers always.
Love,
Elder and Sister Lindsey
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