Trail Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving I was on the Trail. I love being on the Trail for holidays. Something about being with others who are away from their family is very comforting to me plus it gives another TW a chance to be with their family. I will begin on the wednesday before turkey day in which I climbed to the top of long mesa, which I am sitting on the edge of in the picture above. It was a strenous 5 mile hike up 2000 feet of elevation. We started at the base of Squaw Butte (a sacred place to Anasazi because of the box at the top containing letters from both YWs and TWs since the beginning of the program) which you can see in the lower right corner of the picture above. There is no easy way to get on this mesa, but I lead a boys group to the north end in hopes of finding a pack trail to make the uphill ascent easier (no one from Anasazi had hiked the trail in 3 years so we weren't sure if it still existed). We arrived where the trail should have begun, but I could not find it and by this point it was only a couple hours until dark. I discussed with my fellow trailwalkers and we decided to head up the ridgeline that the trail should have been on. I had prayed earlier in the day that I would find this trail and the Creator heard my prayers because halfway up the first ridge, we found the trail. Even with the easier path, it was still a strenuous climb and we got to the top a little before sunset. My legs were feeling like jelly as we crossed the mesa to the cow tank we would be camping at. The final little hill did my legs in and both my quad muscles cramped up. It was the worst muscle cramp I have ever had; I was on the ground crying because of the pain, completely unable to move my legs. One of the camera guys who was following this particular boys band took my pack which he did not have to do (I made him a soapstone bead for his remembrance pouch as a thank you). The others in the band were giving me water, tang, and ibuprofen to reduce the cramping. Well the muscles eventually loosened up to where I could walk and my little leg issue caused us to get into camp after dark, but that band was so awesome that none of them complained even though building a shelter and busting in the dark is tricky.

Turkey day was fun. All the bands layed over on top of Long Mesa which lived up to its reputation of being cold and windy. I got to take in the holiday treats to each band which consisted of a yam, real bacon bits, craisins, cookies and a cornish game hen for each person. Because it was cold I was wearing my capote, a blanket coat, and my fur beanie and mittens; when one band saw me they called me a russian. The game hen was amazing! I boiled the body with my produce and made a spectacular soup. The wings and drumsticks I roasted on the coals. The craisins I saved for later in the week and made two perfect orange cranberry muffins. The yam I ate on potato sunday and the bacon bits I used in various dishes throughout the week.

Friday morning, the cow tank surface was frozen and I had to smash a hole in the ice to get water which isn't uncommon in winter on the Trail. What was funny was watching another TW climb along the fence to the middle of the tank which was not frozen and lean over a cable to get non-grass water. I was impressed that he did it without falling in.

Friday and Saturday I hiked with the girls band and other boys band down Trap Canyon which the picture below was taken in. I had an excellent talk with the girl YW about lessons I had learned from my parents deaths. I did not intend to talk about that but it just came up and I feel I was lead by the sacred wind as to what to say. It was an uplifting conversation for me and I hope for her as well.

I found huge amounts of watercress in Trap Canyon. It tastes like a radish when eaten raw but when its cooked and combined with the powdered cheese, it tastes like broccoli cheese soup. It had been years since I'd last made it and I had forgotten how good it is.

Sunday morning as I sat by the fire making a muffin it began to snow. Just a little popcorn snow and it didn't really stick but its still weird seeing snow on the Trail in November. Since I couldn't do anything to get out of it, I just laughed and caught the flakes on my tongue.

Final D was relaxing. I bounced around between bands teaching skills. It was in the teens both nights that we were there and when I woke up wednesday morning, the part of my beanie that had been exposed to the air had frozen as well as my canteens.

The final night I spent in a lone camp which wasn't bad until some horses from the nearby ranch decided to visit in the middle of the night. Scared me to death. In the morning, I sang songs to myself as I got my fire going and ate breakfast not realizing the boys band down the creek from me could hear. I was a little embarrassed until the TW told me it was a nice way to wake up. It was a wonderful morning as I read from the ensign and my patriarchal blessing; I got great awakenings from both.

As I mentioned earlier, there was a camera crew from MTV filming one of the YWs experience at Anasazi. At first it was a little weird having them filming but after a while you got used to it. This YWs dad died earlier this year and I'm glad I was able to share with him my experience of losing my dad. I know how much it means to have someone who has gone through what you have been through. He is an amazing YW and will do very well.

One more thing. I love shemaghs (the thing always wrapped around my head in my hiking photos). It keeps my head and face warm in the cold, my face covered in the sun and when I get it wet in the summer my head and face stay cool for hours. Those bedouins are smart when it comes to desert living.