Trail Life Troop AL254, 2200 Briarwood Way, Vestavia Hills, AL (2026)

06/08/2026

Please click on the date of the linked post 👇 from Yakama Nation Cultural Center and ❤️ it to help Sacred Road win People's Choice for their Treaty Days parade float!

06/06/2026

For the first time in the history of Trail Life Troop 254, a team of Trailmen traveled across the country to serve on a mission trip.

Over the past week, our fathers and sons worked under the desert sun of the Yakama Valley, helping restore a local home through scraping, caulking, taping, and painting. In the afternoons, they partnered with Sacred Road Ministries at KidsClub, building friendships, leading activities, sharing the love of Christ, and discovering that ministry often happens through simple acts of service and presence.

Along the way, our Trailmen learned lessons that cannot be taught in a meeting room. They learned that service is not always exciting or comfortable. They learned perseverance when the work was hard, flexibility when plans changed, and compassion when opportunities to serve appeared. Most importantly, they learned that following Christ means loving their neighbors with both their words and their actions.

We worshiped together, prayed together, laughed together, explored the beauty and history of the Pacific Northwest, and built memories that will stay with us for years to come. We arrived as a group of dads and sons on an adventure. We leave as a team that has shared in meaningful work and witnessed God at work in ways we could not have anticipated.

Thank you to Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Sacred Road Ministries, Brick Derby, our supporters, and everyone who prayed for this expedition. Your encouragement and generosity made this journey possible.

The work of this trip is finished, but we believe its impact is only beginning.

06/06/2026

Yakama Expedition Journal

Day 8 – Final Entry

Today defied easy description.

On our way to Paradise, we paused beside the Naches River for a group photo. We then continued upward into the clouds, where the Corps engaged in a snowball fight on the slopes of a volcano—a sentence that would have sounded improbable only a few hours earlier.

At Mount Rainier, we hiked the Trail of the Shadows, crossed boardwalks through old-growth forest, encountered several remarkably cooperative marmots, explored historic structures, and shared lunch beneath the shadow of the mountain itself.

The troop flag was carried to Myrtle Falls, where it overlooked a landscape unlike anything we have at home.

As evening approached, we returned to the Yakama Nation for Treaty Day. The boys witnessed a powwow for the first time, joining hundreds gathered to commemorate the Treaty of 1855 and celebrate the culture and traditions that have endured ever since. The regalia, drumming, dancing, and sheer scale of the gathering left a lasting impression on all of us.

Now the expedition draws to a close.

Outside, the desert sky has erupted into one final spectacular sunset. Reveille sounds at 1:45 AM. By sunrise, we will be on the road to the airport, and by afternoon, Alabama will once again be home.

Over the past week, our Trailmen painted houses, served children, worshiped alongside fellow believers, learned from the Yakama people, explored mountains and rivers, endured long workdays, laughed often, and discovered that service is rarely comfortable but is always worthwhile.

We arrived as visitors.

We leave with new friends, new memories, and a deeper appreciation for the people and ministry of Sacred Road.

The expedition is ending.

The lessons will travel home with us.

06/05/2026

Goodnight, friends. Tomorrow: Rainier. 🏔

06/05/2026

Just wrapped up an amazing week of Kids Club with Sacred Road Ministries in White Swan, Washington. One of the highlights so far has been bringing Brick Derby to kids who love but often can't afford LEGO. We had free-build days on Monday and Tuesday then built a custom track and raced cars yesterday and today. We were able to give a LEGO kit to all 60 kids.

Thank you to everyone who has donated, supported, and prayed for our troop and this mission trip, and especially to Briarwood Presbyterian Church, PCA for their support of Trail Life USA.

06/05/2026

Yakama Expedition Journal – Day 7

The final workday of the expedition found the Corps reassigned from paintbrushes to the wood pit. Having successfully completed the restoration of the house entrusted to our care, the men and boys spent the morning splitting, hauling, stacking, and organizing what appeared to be approximately seventeen million pieces of firewood. Fortunately, a pneumatic splitter was available for much of the operation, preventing several Trailmen (and dads) from discovering firsthand why frontier surgeons were so important.

Before beginning our labors, the expedition paused for photographs beneath the Sacred Road sign. The desert hills stood watch in the background, and on this unusually clear day, mighty Adams appeared on the horizon as if posing for the occasion. Fathers and sons took turns documenting their presence in this distant land, creating the sort of photographs that will likely reappear in future slide presentations and embarrassments.

Upon completion of the morning's work, the leadership informed the boys that the next assignment would involve laying sod. Morale immediately declined. After a long drive, however, it was revealed that this intelligence had been intentionally fabricated and that the true destination was a shave ice stand. The resulting celebration suggested that the strategic deception had been highly effective.

The afternoon brought the long-awaited conclusion of the Sacred Road Brick Derby. What began as a track lost somewhere in the vast transportation network of the republic ended with dozens of races, fierce competition, dramatic finishes, and much excitement. Nearly sixty children participated throughout the week, and every one of them departed Kids Club with a LEGO set of their own.

The Corp was rewarded for a week's work with a feast that would have been difficult to explain to Meriwether Lewis: salmon, venison roast, rice, potato salad, and all the accompanying provisions. The Corps unanimously agreed that it was an excellent way to celebrate the completion of the mission.

As the sun sets on Sacred Road, the work projects are complete, the derby champions have been crowned, the prizes have been awarded, and the wood pile is considerably larger than it was this morning.

Tomorrow we conquer Mount Rainier.

06/04/2026

Yakama Expedition Journal – Day 7, Entry 1

The final day of labor has arrived.

Having successfully completed our assigned house-painting mission and earned the approval of the homeowner, the Corps has been reassigned to a new task: processing a formidable quantity of firewood. Fortunately, modern technology has spared us from splitting logs with axes. A pneumatic splitter now performs the most strenuous portion of the work while the men and boys stack, haul, and organize the resulting timber.

This evening marks the culmination of KidsClub and the long-awaited Brick Derby Championships. After four days of designing, building, racing, repairing, and occasionally rebuilding LEGO racers, today's champions will be crowned. Prizes will be awarded, gifts distributed, and farewells exchanged with many of the children who welcomed us so warmly this week.

The expedition has confirmed several important findings. First, service often looks less like adventure and more like showing up faithfully day after day. Second, children become remarkably invested in small plastic race cars. Third, the Yakama Valley remains one of the most beautiful places any member of the Corps has ever seen.

Tomorrow's objectives include hiking@ Mount Rainier, a feast of elk and salmon, the Treaty Day Powwow, and preparing for the long journey home. For now, however, there is wood to split and a championship to run.

Pahto (Mount Adams) stands watch over the valley as the final workday begins.

06/04/2026

Yakama Expedition Journal – Day 5, Entry 2

The replacement Brick Derby track, constructed from local materials after the original was lost somewhere in the vast transportation wilderness, hosted its first full day of competition today.

Young engineers spent the afternoon designing, rebuilding, testing, and occasionally completely reimagining their creations. Aerodynamics were discussed. Weight distribution was debated. Several competitors appeared convinced that adding increasingly improbable structures to the tops of their vehicles would somehow improve performance.

Despite fierce competition, the atmosphere remained joyful. Trailmen and local children worked side by side, sharing bricks, ideas, and encouragement. The race track became more than a race track—it became common ground.

When the dust settled and the final heats were complete, today's champions emerged.

🏆 Scarlett claimed victory with a pink and purple racer.

🏆 Damien earned top honors in his division after a series of impressive runs against a field of highly creative competitors.

As the sun dipped lower over the Yakama Valley, the sounds of cheering, laughter, and rolling LEGO wheels echoed across the field. The cars may have been made of plastic bricks, but the friendships being built were considerably more durable.

The expedition continues.

06/03/2026

Yakama Expedition Journal – Day 5, Entry 1

The Corps awoke this morning to an extraordinary sunrise over the Yakama Valley. The sky appeared to have been painted in layers of orange, crimson, and gold, silhouetting the teepees against the eastern horizon and providing a reminder that even before the day's work begins, God's creation is already at work proclaiming His glory.

Today's assignments have been issued. Russ, Rob, Ryan, and Asher will continue the restoration effort by painting trim on the house our team has been working on this week. Meanwhile, Jeff, Mason, and I have been tasked with a mission of equal importance: constructing a replacement Brick Derby track after the original was lost somewhere in the labyrinthine logistics network of the modern age.

Last night, while I was away procuring supplies for this endeavor, Jeff stepped in and picked up my slack by leading the evening devotion. One of the blessings of serving alongside godly men is knowing that the mission continues even when one member is temporarily called elsewhere. Leadership is strongest when it is shared, and Jeff served our team well.

Our scripture for today is Colossians 3:12–17, a passage that calls believers to compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, love, peace, thankfulness, and unity in Christ. As we paint, build, teach, play, and serve today, that is our prayer: that whatever we do, in word or deed, we would do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.

06/03/2026

Yakama Expedition Journal — Day 5, Entry 1

The Brick Derby situation remains unresolved.

The racing track we ordered, dispatched from our homeland many days ago, appears to have become separated from the expedition and is currently wandering the American West under the guidance of the United Parcel Service. Reports place it in several locations simultaneously, suggesting either a logistical error or the discovery of faster-than-light shipping.

Rather than surrender to circumstance, the Corps has elected to construct a replacement track. This evening, a procurement mission will be launched to acquire the necessary materials. Tomorrow, the expeditionary force will divide. One contingent will continue restoration work on the dwelling, while another will undertake the engineering challenge of designing and building a functional Brick Derby racing course from locally available resources.

The younger citizens of the Yakama Nation have already begun construction of their racing machines. Additional builders are expected to arrive tomorrow, and if all proceeds according to plan, competition shall commence shortly thereafter.

As night falls, morale remains high. The men and boys are preparing to join local teenagers for youth group, an opportunity to build friendships and learn more about the community we have come to serve. While houses and race tracks are important, these connections are among the most meaningful parts of the journey.

Artist's renderings of today's Brick Derby engineering efforts are attached, as expedition regulations prohibit the publication of identifiable likenesses of local children.

Trail Life Troop AL254

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