BEFORE LEAVING BACK HOME
I know he took at least one
change of clothes with him but it sure looks like he still has the ones on when
he came home that he had on when he left? I am sure that is not just a coincidence.
Yes, it is true that it is difficult to
explain TREK to someone who is not from Utah. Even in Utah there are some
people who raise an eyebrow when you try to explain TREK to them.
For example consider this situation, which
may happen several times where ever there is as LDS congregation. You are out
to lunch with a friend, a customer, or an acquaintance and you casually mention
that you need to stop on the way home and pick up a few things because you are
going on a TREK next week.
So they look at you and say,”Oh, you mean
like a Jeep safari to one of those beautiful Utah Red Rock canyons?” And you of
course have to answer, “No, I am taking a bunch of young Men and women from our
Church, and we are going to walk 38 miles in 3 ½ days pulling hand-carts with
all of earthly possessions in them.”
They kind of look at you but do not say
anything for a few minutes. Then he says, “About this TREK thing, you are just
kidding me, right”? Then you realize the moment has come that you have to
rationally explain TREK.
I have a Grandson who just got back from
TREK a few days ago so I thought I could try and explain it very easily. --- “NOT SO.”
At this point let us just say you did
explain it to your friend but as you did a lot of things come to mind that you
had not thought of before.
Well when I started thinking about them (I
being an amateur blogger) I decided to do a blog about TREK, even though I have
never been on one and I am sure I will never go on one.
Since I am 83 years old I felt I need some
help from the point of view of some younger people. I picked P.J. as my cohort
in this adventure. A lot of input in this blog comes from him, but I also
talked to some other young people about some of it.
So, if so many people go on TREK each year
it must have a purpose and it must be a good purpose. In my opinion, for a
young man or woman to even consider a TREK experience there must be
spirituality involved to incite them to want to go. For example P.J. did not
make up his mind until the last minute. I asked him when he really made up his
mind and he told me “on the bus as it was pulling out of the parking lot.” Now
that may be an exaggeration and maybe not?
So what is the purpose?
So why would anyone, especially vibrant,
busy young people, want to go pull a Hand-Cart, over hill and dale, sleep in
the dirt, never shower, wear “weird clothes (buy the way they all serve a
purpose), get sunburned, tired, and heaven forbid—not use an electronic gadget for
four days of their busy lives?
FIRST- It is a very family
orientated experience. The large group of people on a TREK, are assigned to be
in a family group, perhaps with people they do not even know. However when TREK
is over they are as close as any family There will be a MA and PA and several
children. P.J.’s MA and PA even came and visited him when he got home and TREK
was over.
NEXT – Each member of the
group are asked to walk in Memory of a real Mormon Pioneer. In this there also
may be a family connection. P.J. chose Levi Savage as his pioneer. (Wiki)—Levi
Savage Jr. is a prominent figure in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter Day Saints. He was one of the earliest LDS missionaries to Asia, and
was one of the leaders of the “Willie Handcart” Company.
ALSO – Then as a family
group, during the whole trip, you find yourself helping each other, being kind
to each other and you find yourself actually enjoying each other’s company. You
also have family prayer together and also group prayers. This reminds me of a
talk given by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf when he said. “when one wagon gets
stuck in the mud, God is much more likely to assist the man who gets out to
push than the man who merely raises his voice in prayer—no matter how eloquent
the oration.”
I imagine that everyone who reads this Blog
will have at least heard of an LDS Youth TREK or perhaps been on one.
The experience is obviously different for
different people. Some enjoy it and have a great time and wish they could go
back. Some do not enjoy it and wish they had never come. However P.J. loved it
and said he hopes he can work it out to go again if he has not gone on a
mission, when four years rolls around. (You can only go on TREK once every four
years so he will be cutting it close.)
After listening to the youth I talked to, I
would love to go myself but I guess the only way I could ever do it would be
vicariously like the pioneers whose name they carried with them.
There are a few other things about these
youth TREK’S that make it considerably easier than the real pioneer ones. A lot
of things are done for them in advance to make it a lot more enjoyable.
ONE- They do not have to cook their own food
and the food that is prepared is actually “Gourmet” according to P.J.. Just
think for a minute about the cooks and the logistics of preparing three meals a
day for 400/450 people. It is almost a miracle that each TREK seems to always come up
with a magnificent cook.
TWO- Even though they hauled their tents,
ground cloths, sleeping bags, five gallon buckets of “Necessities” or
“essentials” in the Hand Carts, the toilets and large drums of water, cooking
utensils and other bulky things were loaded up after camp was broken in the
morning and was waiting for them in the afternoon and the next camp spot.
THREE – There was a medical truck (for
emergencies), that was used mostly for cuts, bruises, blisters, minor scrapes,
bunions and sunburns. With the temperature 96 to 100 every day I am sure there
were plenty of sunburns.
After only one day I think all of them
realized that the weird clothes all served a purpose. The wide brimmed hats and
bonnets were obvious. It would soon be realized that the wide dresses and
skirts for the girls helped keep away the ticks, and being wide made them much
easier to walk in. Then of course I am sure there was a LOT of sunscreen.
So at what point do we realize what the
purpose of TREK really is? Does it take one day on the trail, or two days, or
perhaps we really do not know until we get home and think about it for a few
days.
I imagine it would be a spiritual experience
if each person is walking in the name of an original pioneer. I am pretty sure
that the small talk with each other and with their new MA and PA had to give
them some new perspectives.
There are other purposes also and one of
them has to be physical accomplishment. “I can do hard things.”
Another thing would be mental toughness, and
I am sure that varies for each person. Feelings might be all the way from, “I
wish I had stayed home” to “I am so glad I went. I learned so many new things
about myself. I also met new friends and I hope I can go again.”
How did the TREK families compare to the
families at home? The comments seem to cover a whole range of situations. Some
got really close to their new Ma & Pa and some said they hardly ever talked
to them. I suppose that is just like at home in many cases.
I was interested in the interactions of the
people on TREK so I talked to P.J. about some of the specific things I wondered
about.
WB-Were you more willing to help other people
on TREK than at home?
PJ – Yes I was willing to help but for the
most part most people were quite self sufficient.
WB –Did you know Ma & Pa before the
TREK?
PJ – No but they were great on TREK. I did
know their daughter from Seminary.
WB – Did your thoughts about the girls
strengths, and stick to it attitude, change on TREK.
PJ – Not really I think most of them were good
before—maybe more spiritual on TREK.
WB – Were family prayers different on TREK
than they are at home.
PJ --
We do family prayer at home, but there was a different feeling on TREK than at
home.
While they were on the TREK they got a good
start in the morning with a bugle call of Revelry, the same thing that has
awakened soldiers, sailors, boy scouts, and yes even hand-cart TREKERS for
years.
The majority of people I talked to agreed on
at least one thing. The final Testimony Meeting or devotional was awesome. Some comments were: There was a spirit there
that was hard to explain--- I have never heard so many sincere testimonies,
especially from the Youth of the Church--- Tears were flowing from the majority
of the people there --- I wish I could keep that feeling I had.
Both adults and youth say it was one of the
most spiritual feelings I have ever had.
Well while our TREKERS were gone I thought
the first thing they would want when they got home was a shower and food. Well
I was right on one—the shower. If they all went home at the same time it is a
modern day miracle that the South Jordan sewer/water lines did not plug up? Of
course the reason they did not want food is because they ate gourmet food all
while they were gone. As I said a hot shower was 1st place, a soft
bed was next and a lot “wanted” a soda.
It was strange to me that they did not
mention any electronic gadgets as something they missed the most.
So to wind up this Blog, it was hard for me
to imagine the amount of organization it must have taken to put it together. It
is hard to even think about the food needed and the miracle gourmet cooks they
had to cook the food. Someone had to arrange for the hand-carts, some tents,
toilets, buses, and all the other, what we like to call, background work that has
to be done.
It is also hard to imagine the youth would
take off four days to hike and pull a hand-cart across a high mountain plain,
without showering, while getting blisters and sunburn on any part of their body
that was not covered up. I am sure the second day some woke up to muscles that
they did not know they had.
Then maybe the most amazing thing is that at
the end they told everyone they had a terrific time and would like to do it
again.
I hope that everyone in the background, the
support people, and especially the MA’s and PA’s who were on the front lines
every day found it was well worth it.
God bless them for their effort. I know P.J.
says he had one of the most spiritual and fun times of his young life.
W.R Baldwin
3 July 2015
