Pre-Trek...(some background)

As most of you know, I was asked to be a Ma and Curtis a Pa back in April, and we were also part of the activities committee. Being a Ma and Pa is a big job, but not as huge as many of the other jobs that made our Trek amazing. Many worked for a year or more, free of charge, to make this a great experience. I am grateful for their service and how what they did mae my job so much easier and enjoyable! Most of the pictures I am putting up were taken by church members who were asked to go as photographers.

Background: If you are not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (aka the Mormons or LDS), you may not know a lot about the legacy of the Mormon Pioneers. The church was formed in 1830, and was almost immediately met with pretty significant persecution. The freedom of religion we are used to today in the United States, where people are allowed to worship how they may, was not afforded to early members of our church. Mobs came and burned down homes, tarred and feathered leaders, forced whole communities of Latter Day Saints out of their homes and pushed the church from place to place.

After Joseph Smith was killed, Brigham Young led the church away from the constant harassment and literally out of the country into the West. The earliest Mormon groups went by wagon train, and though they faced hardships, many arrived safely to start a community in the Salt Lake Valley. As the church was still small, they needed new members to strengthen them and new members outside Utah were asked to come out West to build up the church. By 1856 there was a large increase in members overseas, and the members that were settled in Salt Lake arranged for new members to come out by handcart.

This was faster and much less expensive for these new (and often very poor) immigrants from places like Denmark or England to get across the plains. Instead of having to get oxen and horses and large supplies for animals and more expensive wagons, they just packed bare essentials and were re-supplied as they went along the way at stopping points the church would keep stocked.

The first three handcart companies did just fine. The church knew their number, they were well supplied, they moved quickly and efficiently across the plains and for the most part, arrived safely. However, there were two groups of new converts from Europe who were excited to come to Utah, and a number of things made their legacy particularly poignant.

They left late from Europe, they were delayed in New England, when they arrived to gather handcarts, the church didn't know they were coming and the carts had to be made...from green wood-which complicated things as they broke more often. They could have stayed in Winter Quarters but decided to head to Utah...leaving in July. It is a long way and Utah did not know they were on their way...there were no supplies being sent. So a number of circumstances all aligned and the Willie and Martin Handcart companies were on the plains in Wyoming in October and an early winter was on its way.

The place where we would be walking on our Trek, was that very trail where those handcart companies ended up suffering, dying, struggling and eventually being rescued by members from Salt Lake who had heard of their plight by returning Missionaries who were traveling much faster on a horse drawn carriage. It is also a section where the Mormon Trail, the Oregon Trail, and the Pony Express Trail overlap, so a lot of history both successful and tragic would be under our very feet. And we would only be walking 35 miles compared to 1400 or so.

Not that Wikipedia is always right, but here's a decent map of the trail, to give you an idea.

Just as the pioneers only were allowed 17 pounds of personal belongings, we had a limit of 19 pounds excluding our sleeping gear, and that didn't count our food...so we were really spoiled.

First pictures...Me, Curtis and Brynna clean and prior to weigh in.

We had to meet on Tuesday where the kids brought their bags, weighed, and left all their things at the church so we would have all our things in the morning. We met early, 5:30 and left by 6 a.m.

My car, stuffed with gear and 4 adorable girls and on to Day 1!