Trek

This summer Geoffrey got to participate in Trek, a three day re-creation of the Mormon Trek West. I was also able to participate as the person in charge of the food. It was a HUGE job but very rewarding. Here's our adventure.

For me, the adventure started months before Trek--deciding on how to cook everything, what to cook for dinners, breakfasts and lunch, snacks, how to pack everything, how to keep things cool, buying all of the food, etc. Half of my basement was taken over by Trek food.

My decisions:
How to cook everything-Each family (2 parents and their newly assigned children~8 youth)will cook their own meals together as a family. They used Dutch Ovens and camp stoves. My goal was for this to be a bonding experience for the family. It was so fun watching the families work together as they cooked their own food.

What to cook-If food talk bores you, just skip this section. I decided to not go the completely authentic route. The authentic part was cooking their own food.

Lunches—Ham or Turkey Sandwiches on Homemade Whole Wheat Bread with Cheese and Lettuce, Chips, Brownies, Fruit (Apples, Oranges)
I had several wonderful women in the stake make homemade bread ahead of time. They ate their lunches on the trail. Each family had a food bin and a cooler on their handcart.

Snacks- Beef Jerky, Crackers, Trail Mix, Dried Fruit. Also available any time—Peanut butter and Jelly on White Bread.

Thursday Dinner-Cross the Plains Chicken with Potatoes, Onion and Bacon, Corn on the Cob, Milk or Water, S'mores. The chicken dish was made in the Dutch Oven, the Corn over a large fire.

Friday Breakfast-Steel Cut Oats with optional toppings-- Dried Fruit, Cinnamon, Honey, Brown Sugar. Muffin, Orange Juice. I made the whole wheat muffins ahead of time.

Friday Dinner-Boston Baked beans with Ham, Corn Bread with Butter and Honey, Green Salad, Dutch Oven Apple Cobbler, Milk or Water. I made the beans ahead of time and had some friends make the corn bread ahead of time.

Saturday Breakfast-Dutch Oven Breakfast-Sausage, Egg and Biscuits, Cantaloupe, Orange Juice.
Everything turned out great and I received a lot of positive feedback. I am pleased to have had the opportunity to be a part of Trek.

Now for Geoffrey's experience. Here we are in our Pioneer Trek clothing.

The first night we stayed in an open field which seemed very prairie like.


The second night was a very beautiful site. The bull frogs in the pond kept me awake but Geoffrey slept soundly. He got to sleep on the ground by his handcart with only a tarp over him. They hiked several miles every day and had firesides with their family and as a group.
They let out the dam for us to get a great picture and so they could re-create the Sweetwater River rescue. Here is Geoffrey getting ready to cross the river with his family. Geoffrey really enjoyed his Trek experience.