While at the Winds we had QUITE the adventure one day that I wanted to capture here in the blog. Because I already wrote about it in detail in my journal I’m just going to copy part of my entry over. Be forewarned that it is LONG. But this goes into our family blog book so I wanted to capture it in its entirety. I promise it will be worth the read though as it is quite the story!
“On Friday morning Adam decided to take the two older boys Branson and Harry on a day hike up to lost lake to go fishing. I was a little worried about them going that far (as its a REALLY long hike) but Adam was confident they would be able to do it. So I again made all the boys put on an extra shirt around their wastes, Mary Lou and I made up some sandwiches for lunch for them and we sent them off after having family prayer and me asking the Lord the watch over and protect them from harm.
Sister Wilding and I along with Dawson and Adalynn spent the majority of the day back at camp just talking and then cleaning up from breakfast and then we all took naps that afternoon. Sister Wilding went on a little hike while I attempted to get the kids down to sleep. After naps we discovered a cute little chipmunk that kept coming into our camp for food and after some coaxing I was able to get it to eat a cashew nut out of my hand. Then I was able to get it to eat out of Dawsons hand and finally Sister Wildings. Mary Lou got so excited about it and said it was her first time ever feeding a chipmunk in the wild. The little guy got so used to us and comfortable around us he actually climbed up our arms, shoulders, and even our heads. It was so super cute. (See pics. Below).
Walking up my arm
I think it was a BOY chipmunk! He liked to get friendly!
On my head
I had him eating right out of my hand. Pun intended. đ
Later that afternoon we decided to go and take a little hike along the lake (the same trail the boys had taken) and we HOPED that we would meet them on the trail – but to no avail. So we hiked back to camp and started getting dinner ready (spaghetti, french bread, and cucumber and tomato salad). It ended up taking us until almost 8:00 to get dinner on the table but even by then the boys hadn’t showed up yet. So we began to get a little worried.
At about 8:30 Sister Wilding said she wanted to go and take off in her truck to check the trail head but I convinced her to give them until 9:00 but I found myself checking the road that they would be coming down about every few seconds. When they hadn’t shown up at 8:50 – I began to become panicked and just had this urgent feeling to go out and start looking for them. I could just picture them cold (as the sun was down) and hungry (since all they had packed were sandwhiches for lunch and some fruit), and then I was almost positive Adam didn’t have a flashlight with him since none of ours at home worked, and the one we did have that worked was in the trailer. So without telling Sister Wilding I put together a backpack full of food, coats gloves, and hats for everyone, my headlamp, as well as a lighter (in case we needed to spend the night) and some water.
And just as she was about to get into the truck I asked her If I could go instead. Before going I put the little ones to bed and was able to be at the trail head right at 9:00. I instantly jumped out and basically started RUNNING down the trail as fast as I could. It was getting dark fast and I wanted to get as far as I could before night hit.
As I hiked I sang songs – some to comfort me and others just to keep the bears away and then I also started whistling hoping that the boys or Adam might hear the whistle. After about 20 minutes of hiking I also started calling out Adam’s name and would do that in between blowing my whistle.
It was about this time that the sun was completely down and it became dark enough that I needed a light to see and turned on my headlamp. This panicked me a little as I’ve never been out in the wilderness alone at night and fear would often come into my heart. But – I would just think of my family out there in the dark cold and hungry and without light and I would gather the will to keep going. At one point I stopped though and just prayed – telling Heavenly Father that I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t sure if I should keep going. Or stop and turn around and go back for help. But I felt a calmness come over me and the thought that came to my head was “just keep going a little further.” I knew that they just needed a light to get home and that I could be that light for them.
This reminded me of the Savior – and I thought of him as I walked – about how he is the light in our lives and even if we are on the right path (which I was certain the boys were)- that it is ONLY through Christ that we can make it t to our final destination. There is no other way. Just as I knew the boys couldn’t find their way back to camp without the light I held…We too cannot find our way back without the Savior. We can only go so far on our own and then we must rely on him to help us find our way home. It was really a precious epiphany for me and I knew at that moment I needed to be that light to my boys and that I needed to keep going. So I continued forward blowing my whistle and yelling out Adam’s name.
And then I heard it. Someone calling back. A voice in the darkness. And I stopped and listened and knew that it was my Adam. I called back again to confirm it was him and then I simply ran. Ran towards my family. Ran to hold my husband and little ones in my arms. And a feeling of such relief swept over me. And we all embraced when we saw each other and I was happy to hear my boys tell me stories of catching fish and climbing on rocks and glad to see the little smiles on their faces. We were together as a family again and that was all that mattered.
Adam then explained to me that he had tried a new way to get to lost lake but that it hadnt’ gone so well and they had become lost and we teased how lost lake really was lost. I then opened my backpack and was able to cover my little boys in coats and hats and gloves to keep them warm and then I opened up some granola bars for them to eat and both Adam and I took either Branson or Harry by the hand and we started off. Me in the back with Branson and Adam in the front with Harry. And that little head lamp of mine took us home. It was the light that helped us to maneuver through those dark paths and to see where we needed to go. And even though the boys complained over and over of how tired they were and how they just wanted to go to sleep – we continued on. As a family. Hand in hand until we made it back.
As we went we sung songs. We played games like the Alphabet game of “guess what I’m thinking of.” And Adam would say this thing I’m thinking of starts with the letter H. And you put it on your head and it keeps you warm, or shades you from the sun. And the boys would guess hat. Or I’d ask the boys questions about their day to try to distract them from their weariness. Or we’d count how many springs we passed or have the boys count to 100.
Our last landmark we were looking for was the two logs that crossed a dry river bed and we told the boys when they saw those that our hike was over and that we were home. And sure enough as soon as we saw those two logs the boys stopped. They were done. And Branson ended up throwing up with exhaustion. But they made it. 13 miles those boys hiked with their Dad that day and over 12 hours. And we all went home just so happy to be together. So happy that the boys hadn’t been stranded in the night out in the wilderness. So happy that we could tuck them into their warm beds and that they weren’t out in the cold dark night making a shelter with empty tummies – with the wind and cold cutting into them. I just knew the Lord had provided a tender mercy and that he had orchestrated my thoughts to be able to keep going to find my boys so that I could be that light to bring them home.
I just feel so much gratitude in my heart for these amazing blessings in my life. I know God watched over and protected my family that night. I know he used me as an instrument in helping to protect my family and bring them home safely. And my testimony has been strengthened that God really does know us. He Loves us. And listens to our heartfelt prayers. I know that he will guide us and help us when we need it. And that his son – our Savior Jesus Christ is HIS instrument in bringing us all back home. I know this to be true and I hope I will never take for granted this great blessing in my life. I just feel so very blessed and have seen so many tender mercies these past few weeks. God is everywhere. He is in our lives. He knows us. He loves us. He cares about what happens to us. He stands ready to help us if we will simply turn to him. I love him and with tears in my eyes I sit in humility for all he has done for me and my family – especially this week. How grateful I am for the gospel in my life.
As we drove into camp Sister Wilding came out to greet us and was so relieved we’d been found. She had started to panic as well though and minutes before we arrived she had gone up to where the Hull family was camping (a family we had met earlier that day as we were walking back from our hike) and asked them for help. Two men and one woman from their group had offered to go and search for me and the boys and she’d asked them first to go and find out if her truck was still by the trail head before they radio’ed to the forest service for help. Luckily they did as she asked and we were able to avoid having to alert the Forest Service.
Sister Wilding then came down on me for going out hiking along and in retrospect it probably hadn’t been the brightest idea. But at the same time – thats what my gut was telling me to do and thats what I felt LED to do by the spirit and I’m glad I had listened because I had been able to find my family. However, if something like this does happen again I will for sure make sure I’m with someone else before venturing out into the night on my own. Probably wasn’t the brightest idea ever – but I’m glad things worked out. I ended up hiking alone from 9:00 to around 9:30 before finding my family and then it took Adam and I another 45 minutes to get the boys home. We arrived back at camp just after 10:15.
Sister Wilding was mentally and physically exhausted by then so she went straight to bed while Adam eat some dinner, and we got boys to bed and then did the dishes. Then Adam and I talked as we prepared to go to sleep and he told me how the boys had melted down several times and how he’d had to be the strong one and keep calm and cheerful all day but how proud he was of those two boys for doing what they did. How amazed he’d been by them. Adam said he is sure they could have made it home without me (as Adam had actually taken a flashlight – but it was the wind up kind for emergencies and didn’t work so well) but that he was so grateful I had come for them. That the boys both kept saying how they just wanted their Mommy. And that I truly had been the light they needed to get home. Both in spirit and in life. We all went to bed just feeling like we’d witnessed a tender mercy and feeling very humbled to have been watched over so well.
The next morning we got up, had some cereal for breakfast and then broke camp. Then we headed to the lake to put the canoes back on Sister Wildings truck and for some final group pictures. And from there we were off. I drove with Sister Wilding as far as I could before we both needed to go different directions and she told me how much she had enjoyed her time with us. How she really hadn’t wanted to go at first being so tired from her 10 days in New York but how amazing the experience had been and how I was like family to her and how much she loved me and my family. It was wonderful to spend those last moments together like that.
We parted ways then and stopped in big Piney for burgers and shakes for lunch and then drove the rest of the way home to Payson. We got home around 7 pm – where we unpacked the trailer and truck, got all the kids bathed for church, and then Ad went grocery shopping while I unpacked suitcases and bins of food and coolers and did laundry.
Today I had the chance to bear my testimony about prayer and about Christ and how he is our light and that too I am grateful for as I once again felt the spirit witness to me that the words I was speaking were true. Adam too shared his testimony and was able to share his feelings about his Young Men now that he has been released. I could tell it was a difficult thing for him to be released from that calling but he’s really excited about his new one as ward mission leader.”
So that is the story! Pretty crazy eh? We sure do feel blessed to have been watched over and protected. Below are some pictures from our last two days at the winds. The first pics. are ones Adam took during his hike with the boys on the way up to Lost Lake. The rest are from the next day as we were breaking camp. Branson and Harry were jealous that we’d all been able to feed a chipmunk so they too set out to do the same. They both loved having a chipmunk eat right from their hand.
Hiking on the trail up to Lost. Excited to go fishing with their Dad!
A pretty waterfall right off the trail.
They sure do love their Dad!
Funny Faces!
Boys paradise. Lots of BIG rocks to climb!
This is from our last morning in the Winds. Here Harry is feeding the chipmunk right out of his hand.
Harry and Dawson waiting patiently for the chipmunks to come back to eat some more nuts.
Branson taking care of Sissy in the back of the truck (a wonderful play pen) while Adam and I break camp.
Branson feeding his chipmunk (who is just right of his knee)
Some last pictures of the Winds before taking off.
Sister playing with the rocks while Mom and Dad and Sister Wilding load the canoes.
Group Picture!
Adalynn’s awesome brothers who loved helping take care of her.
This one LOVED throwing rocks!
And Daddy taking a lake bath before heading out on the road. He NEEDED it after 13 miles of hiking! Whew-ee! đ
So although we had several really crazy adventures during our time at the Wind Rivers we truly came back humbled and so grateful for FAMILY. It gave us a new perspective on life and how fragile it can be. We sure are blessed to have these little people in our life and all the joy they bring along with them. And a huge thanks to Sister Wilding for coming with us. We sure love you and think you are the greatest!