Back From Pioneer Trek

Mitchell made it back from Pioneer Trek early this afternoon. I was disappointed when I pulled up to the stake center, with my camera out, and not to see him still dressed up like a pioneer. However, don't you think he looks more mature in this picture? The reason he wasn't dressed like a pioneer anymore is because at 3am this morning it started raining. Everything got wet. His sleeping bag was not only soaked, it was also covered in sand. Mitchell said that he slept in a creek because the sand would be more comfortable. I guess no one thought of possible flash floods and you don't sleep in empty washes!

He said the trek was pretty good. He was a member of the Smith family. He said that there was another family that was the Mitchell family. That would be kind of funny for him to be Mitchell Mitchell for a couple of days! There were 7 kids in his family: four boys and three girls plus a ma & pa. On the first day he pulled a handcart 16 miles. They pulled the cart well into the evening (more like 1am). He was super tired that night and didn't feel the cold. They pulled the handcart half has far the next day. He said it wasn't that hard to pull the cart. I'm guessing they needed to put some more weight in it :)

Mitchell isn't one for divulging the whole story all at once. I get little pieces here and there. I'm sure when I teach the teenagers in his class for Sunday School tomorrow, I'll get more of what happened for the last three days. Then I'll fill you in too.
Update: Tonight we had a post-trek fireside. It was wonderful! Afterwards they had all of the lost and found stuff on the stage. This is where we found Mitchell's hat. It is hammered! It is completely destroyed. Mitchell said that it was pretty windy and it kept blowing off. So he stuck it in the handcart. He blames the handcart for ruining his $3 Goodwill hat.