Approximately 200 youths and 90 volunteers from Redmond, Sammamish, Carnation and Duvall recently re-enacted a pioneer trek in the Roslyn/Cle Elum area — about 80 miles east of Redmond.

The educational trek was organized by volunteers from the Redmond Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

The pioneer “families” — consisting of 10 youths and two adults (as ma and pa) — left last Thursday morning on the two-day, 10-mile trek. Each family pulled loaded-up handcarts, filled with food, water, sleeping bags and tents. Along the way, the group stopped to tell pioneer stories, participate in a good old fashioned hoe down and play pioneer games.

“Many of these kids are descended from mormon pioneers so this was a chance for them to have a glimpse into what pioneer life might have been like for their ancesters,” said church member and volunteer Tallee Whitehorn. “The trail from Nauvoo, Illinois to the Great Salt Lake Valley was approximately 1,300 miles long and would ultimately lead 70,000 pioneers of the Latter-Day Saints church west. Ten miles isn’t quite the same but it did seem to have quite an impact on the youth involved.”