Wayne and I were parents to a family of 8 teenagers at our stake's recent youth Trek. Christina and cousin Michael went as well....we all had an amazing journey that will stay with us forever.
Christina and Michael started off with the rest of the youth at the Boston temple where our stake President reminded the youth how the saints were driven from Nauvoo and directed by the prophet, Brigham Young to go west to the Salt Lake valley. The tree-lined path down the center of the temple parking lot was lined with pioneer quotes about the journey west much like you find on Parley Street in Nauvoo. The youth walked silently down "Parley St.," read the quotes, and boarded the buses heading for the trek trail.
Meanwhile Wayne and I were up at the trail head. We worked with the other Ma's & Pa's to get our wagons, coolers, and food bins prepared for our families.
We were directed months prior to pray for our trek kids, and we were anxious to learn who they were! People were at the park where the trail began and we did a little missionary work there too. One girl from the Ukraine wanted to join us on trek....maybe someday! The youth arrived, and Trail Boss McQuivy divided the families.
We immediately bonded with our kids...Christina, Moises, Brian, Bryn, Jessica, Jeffrey, Talia, and Conor. We were the Allred family. 
We spent some time getting to know the kids who came from all sorts of families and environments. We had lunch and a mini devotional. Wayne talked about why we chose the Allred surname. He shared the story of his ancestor, Reddick Allred who was one of the few who heeded the prophet's call to rescue the Martin Handcart Company and brought saving supplies to the destitute, suffering saints at the Sweetwater River. We knew we'd be doing a river crossing and wanted the kids to be invested. We felt like we got off to a good start as a family.
Christina was in our friends', the Lund's family. She really clicked with her big sis, Carmela, and with her whole Trek family. They walked behind our handcart for the first leg of Trek and it was so great to hear Carmela honest kindness toward Christina. Christina was glad that I was there to document her Trek ...not!
Some highlights from our Trek:
- The scenery. We were on shaded trails much of Trek. Both campsites were beautiful, esp. the second night where we camped on private property with a manmade, trout-filled lake, and beautiful waterfall.
- Inspired leaders. There were so many prayers and much fasting for this Trek to be meaningful for the kids. To hear leaders tell the kids how they spent hours on their knees on their behalf, you couldn't help but feel of their genuine love and concern for the youth. I was so impressed and learned much about leadership on Trek.
- The food! We were far more pampered than the original pioneers in an effort for the kids to focus on the spiritual lessons Trek has to offer. We marveled at the time, thought & effort that went into the menu and feeding 120 youth + dozens of adults.
- Families. One of the great lessons of Trek is the importance of families. We had to work together, we had several family devotionals, and as we talked along the trail, we all tried to mentor one another as it became clear that there were some among us who came from difficult environments. It's been days since Trek ended and I'm still thinking of my Trek kids and I'm sure I'll always love them and pray for their welfare.
- Fun! We talked and talked, played tag (Michael started it), played Pioneer games like the stick pull and leg wrestling, started Team Michael, braided hair, and told funny stories for much of trek. We square danced Friday evening. It was such a long day on the trail and I could have easily gone to bed, but we had a blast dancing with the youth. By the time we were done, we were really ready to sleep on the ground. again.
- The Women's Pull. This is the part of Trek where the men are called to serve in the Mormon Batallion. The boys double timed it along an off shoot of the trail and we women gathered around our wagons and said a prayer of gratitude for the men in our lives who sacrifice and teach us mercy and faith, for US to have the strength to pull through this leg of Trek, and for our Savior who is our perfect Example of mercy and strength. We worked hard, and as we began hearing the cheers of the men, our girls started RUNNING! Sis. Rollins and I thought the handcart was getting away from us, so we pulled on the break rope. When the girls yelled, "Don't break!!!" we realized they were running and we dug in and ran along with them. It felt great to pull together as women & honor the courageous and strong pioneer women who led their families for thousands of miles while their husbands and sons were part of the Mormon Battalion.
- Continue The Rescue. "CTR" has another meaning now for our Trek group. We did a symbolic reenactment of the Sweetwater River crossing. We focused on the meaningfulness of the rescue, on many levels... obedience, mercy, courage, trust, faith. Everyone was silent or spoke in whispers as family by family crossed the little creek helped along by a few young men. Wayne carried me across on his back. One of the women was helped across with her newborn baby in her arms. It was a beautiful experience. One YW said of the experience, her CTR ring reminds her to "continue the rescue."
- Coming HOME. I felt such anxiety as we approached "the Valley" and could hear the cheers of family and friends. I was dying to see my kids! We all ran that last leg of Trek and it felt so good! We were supposed to stay with our handcart, but I saw my sweet Caroline and had to run to her and squeeze her tight. I found all of my kids and our friend, Neal brought Wesley to me. Wes didn't know what to think, poor thing, but I was overjoyed. Like others I couldn't help but relate this to our reunion in heaven. I spoke with one of the ward members later and she shared her special perspective on the welcoming side. She said, "It was a privilege to be there early and help prepare for your arrival. Helping with the food tables- cutting up watermelon for you was a joy! We couldn't help but cheer you on as you arrived. It felt like a heavenly homecoming."
Tug of War at the Stake "Welcome to the Valley" reunion.... Grace isn't one to shy away from a challenge. She marched right over to anchor position and dug in. Wesley looked at me like I was crazy while I kept yelling at him to "PULL!!!" Gosh, it was great to see him!
As hard as trek was, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. We worked hard, loved our families, got to know lots of youth and leaders in our stake, strengthened testimonies, and came away grateful for the experience.
We were SO thankful to my brother, Adam, his wife Mari & "baby Des" for taking care of our crew so we could do Trek. It was nice knowing our kids were spoiled with fun & love while we were away.
We love our crazy bunch!
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