Imagine you live in a mountain cabin in North Carolina.  Your family works very hard each day to grow and preserve food and make provisions for winter by gathering wood, weaving fabric and sewing clothes.  You are only 12 years old, but you are expected to help your parents with the daily chores.  Right now it is the end of July and you have heard your father talk about the harsh winter your family must survive.

Just the other day you overheard your mother talking to your father about a better opportunity for the family in a territory about a three-month journey from your North Carolina cabin.  Your mother seems reluctant to move, but your father is a very wise man and he makes very informed decisions.  In the western territory, land is plentiful and there is no persecution for your beliefs.  Your family will have the opportunity to be more prosperous in the unsettled western territory.  However, leaving behind the life your family has established can be risky.

A couple of weeks have passed since you heard your mother and father discussing the possibility of moving west.  Your father comes in for dinner tonight and says your family must pack up.  You, your mother, father, and two brothers will be leaving in two weeks with the next wagon train headed west.  You start to think about everything your family will need.  In your mind a list forms; food for a family of five for three months, including meat, flour, vegetables and cornmeal. Pots and pans for cooking and clothes and blankets to keep your family warm while sleeping in the covered wagon.  Supplies will also be needed for the wagon in case something breaks, such as an extra wagon wheel, axles and boards.  Some extra items that would also come in handy are candles to use for light and your favorite toy for comfort.

That night you fall asleep wondering how your family can possibly prepare to leave their cabin forever and take all of their belonging in just two short weeks.  You also wonder about the harsh winter ahead; will the weather be milder once you get into the Tennessee territory and if it snows while you are moving west, will there be enough supplies to get through.  Your mind spins on and on…until finally you fall asleep, on the hay, in the loft of your cabin with two blankets to keep you warm.