Onward Christian Soldiers, part two.

When the Mormon battalion left, all us women were left to ourselves and a hill that suddenly grew more Hill-ness, with lots of rocks and plenty of ruts. I watched Joseph and the man part of my trek family march in a line that got smaller and smaller, and then camped on the top of a hill beyond the one that we were about to take on.
It was very hot, every twenty minutes our trail boss rode on his mountain horse from front to the end of our company, reminding us to drink. My big sister, (Ester) didn't, and the result came very quick, in a punishing manner.
She blacked out, and was taken to one of the trail doctors.

NOTE: For this blog I will give my trek siblings different names,



ELDEST sister: Ester (for her courage)         
SECOND oldest sister:  Faith (For that quality)
THIRD oldest: Constance (for that quality)
YOUNGEST sister: Tali, (plain Me)

ELDEST brother: Captain ( Moroni)
SECOND brother:  Helaman (for those qualities)

YOUNGEST brother: Alma (for those qualities)



Ester, Faith, Constance, Ma, and I plunged into the great struggle over the hill, which at the time seemed more like a mountain. On and On, next one after the next, we pushed and pulled those carts up. All helping with each others carts I pulled my canteen out of our cart as some of the other women got it over, and took a fast drink, then caught up with the cart and stuck it back in.

Then I set myself to pulling one of the carts in the front. I was surprised how much that cart weighed. There was no way, I thought, if I was an orphan all alone on the prairie, that I could do this myself.
In fact I was frustrated and  a little angry with myself. This was what I was here to do, push a cart, and I gave so little compared to the taller girls. The way a handcart is built, it's a leverage thing. The handles aren't low enough for a shorter person to throw her weight into it effectively.

But I wasn't about to let go. I pulled as hard as I could, then another girl came to trade places with me, I guess she decided I'd done enough. I decided there, that I wouldn't overwork myself at the front, I would push at the back with whatever I had. Just because they were taller didn't mean  I couldn't work harder.

 There was no pausing. Every one was moving. But not too fast, the rocks were big enough to brake the cart wheels. Still, as fast as we thought our wheels could take. We wanted to be over with that hill as soon as possible, and some of us were wondering how the rest of the terrain was like.
Was it rocky, and bone jarring? Was it one hill after the next and energy eating? Or was it flat and foot killing?

I glanced up at the Mormon Battalion, standing at a far off hill, watching us. What a good time they must be having. Standing there, watching us down here, struggling with what must be much easier for them.

Oh, I could imagine exactly what  Joseph was thinking. He always compares girls camp to his scout camp, telling me all the work and physical fitness things they do at boys camp, and when I told him about the candy bars and cookies I had for dinner at girls camp and the huge tarantula that crawled into my tent one night, he scoffs, "Girls are so girly and silly. A tarantula? Come on Tali, it's completely harmless. You know that."
Eh em. Tarantulas are scary and hairy, and they trespass too many times. That is not harmless.  ;)
Well, I just knew the guys were all jeering like that up on that hill.

And then finally we got the last cart up, and we took our own carts and continued on a smoother old  trail. As we passed the boys, I was surprised how quickly they came to us.

In fact, they ran to us.

All my brothers took the front 

and pulled us all the way to the first of the line. Fast.

We didn't say anything, however. It was time for work.  All though I was wondering just what they has been doing up there. I was sure Joseph would tell me.
Easter was now back with us, but  she wasn't the only one having blackout problems. It was hot. Highs in the humid, humid hundreds were normal this summer, and the weather out here was more of the same.  We had been told to prepare physically for a lot of exertion for this trip. You had to watch your body signs, drink enough, eat right...and be lucky, I guess.  I counted like 8 girls in three hours. That's why we traveled with a trailing medical team.

Ma began to get really worried, and told us to "Drink!"
Faith, my second oldest sister, began to get as bossy as I was at home.
"Drink all of that Tali, and then refill, Captain you too." she told my Eldest brother and I.
For a second, I might have been worried about over drinking, but it wasn't long until I didn't need encouragement. And for the record, I never blacked out. ;)