The Big Event: The Trek!

Wow! Was it hot on the Trek! Well, that is what you get in June in the southeast! It was still a lot of fun. The actual Trek route had to be modified a bit because the river was too high to cross safely with the handcarts. Instead of crossing the river with a full handcart, the families got the option of taking the handcart across the river empty. Some families did. Other, just decided to go in the water to cool off!

Here are some pictures.

This picture was from the first night of the Trek. The families just left Nauvoo, but haven't really started the long walk yet. You can see some of the 5 gallon buckets each person got to hold all their belongings, as well as the fact that all teenagers are a bit messy!

Almost all of the journey was uphill or downhill! This is a picture of one of the few sections that was flat!  This picture was taken near the start of the journey on the first day.

Some sections were quite muddy! It took some planning to figure out how to get the carts through the mud.

There was also a steep uphill section that was a 'women's only' pull. This was to represent the time when all the men left the train to go fight in the Mexican-American war (1846 - 1847).  The only way the women (and children) made it was for all to stop and help wagon by wagon through the difficult sections. It really was a miracle that those women made it across the plains by themselves! This time period is known as 'The Mormon Battalion'. Here is a picture of our girls starting off at the bottom of the hill.

Here is the biscuit stop. We came out on the trail to handout the biscuits. In this picture, you can see a bit of my blue dress in the middle of the group.

Here is the river crossing. This picture was taken standing at the top of a hill. You can see the kids below getting ready to go into the water.

Just a few more pictures...

All I can say is it was such an amazing experience! This is something that you can read about in history books but honestly, the history books can't really put into words all the trials and hardships our ancestors had as they crossed this country. The only way to truly get even a small taste of what it was like, is to go yourself!

I feel very blessed to have had just a small part in such a wonderful experience! I know I will never forget it!