3 days, 25 miles, 95 degrees, no shade, no shower ...

[Art Vandelay]

Heading out, for a trek with the youth. Pray for me. I mean that literally, pray for me. This is going to be a hot, stinky 3 days.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

I will pray for you.

[Green Monstah]

Our youth just did one in OK. 107 degrees most days, but they only walked 10 miles in three days. However, they did throw a lot of wrenches in the gears (people "broke" their ankle and had to be carried; broken wheels, etc, etc.)

The Stake President, however watched all of it from the comfort of my four wheeler, which he fashioned with a ponytail made of yarn in order to preserve some semblance of 19th-century authenticity.

[PaloAltoCougar]

Heading out, for a trek with the youth. Pray for me. I mean that literally, pray for me. This is going to be a hot, stinky 3 days.

You shall have my prayers, but also some envy on my part as well. I dreaded doing Trek last year, and we were the oldest Ma/Pa combo by ten years or more. But it turned out great. I did an Amos McCoy-type schtick throughout the experience and we really bonded with the kids. To this day, when our "daughters" see us as stake events, they run up and hug us exclaiming, "Pa!", and you sickos can disregard the apparent Deliverance-type vibe here. And a couple sets of parents still thank us for slapping their kids around for a long weekend.

I'm sure you'll get into it and do a fine job. I'm also sure you'll stink and be very hungry, but that's a small price for a great experience. Good luck.

[Katy Lied]

I'm also sure you'll stink .

No matter how much AV will stink, the kids will reek 10x worse.

[falafel]

Heading out, for a trek with the youth. Pray for me. I mean that literally, pray for me. This is going to be a hot, stinky 3 days.

Dear Lord, please bless our dear friend Art and protect him from the hot and stinky.

[scottie]

Can anyone here comment on how much stakes generally spend on these treks? A buddy of mine just finished being a Pa for his stake's trek last week and he overhead that the cost for buses/transportation was $30,000 (he lives in Layton and they travelled to some place in Wyoming), which doesn't count their catered meals and porta-potties.

[MarkGrace]

You have great courage, AV. There's not a chance in hell you could get me to do something like that.

[grapevine]

Our stake did it four years ago. Was do to do it this year. Didn't though. I didn't go. Heard one person passed out a few times on it. Only give you water. I would not mind trying it some time. Haven't yet. I was not born in Pioneer times.

It looks like some of the Willie and Martin survivors went inactive. Holyfetch.com talks about it. Willie and Martin was the only ones with major problems. And they could of solved them by finding a resting place and working for the winter like Winter Quarters. For most of the pioneers it was just an adventure.

[Uncle Ted]

Our stake did it four years ago. Was do to do it this year. Didn't though. I didn't go. Heard one person passed out a few times on it. Only give you water. I would not mind trying it some time. Haven't yet. I was not born in Pioneer times.

It looks like some of the Willie and Martin survivors went inactive. Holyfetch.com talks about it. Willie and Martin was the only ones with major problems. And they could of solved them by finding a resting place and working for the winter like Winter Quarters. For most of the pioneers it was just an adventure.

From holyfetch.com...

Traveling by handcart was common for Mormon pioneers

False, although it is common to do mock handcart treks

It is not exactly known how many pioneers came to Utah between 1847 and the coming of the railroad in 1869, but the accepted estimate is 70,000. It is also estimated that a total of 2,962 pioneers came using handcarts. That puts the percentage of pioneers that came using handcarts at 4.23 percent.

[GrizzledVeteran]

From holyfetch.com...

Have you traveled by train? That's riskier than handcarts.

[Art Vandelay]

I, and more importantly most all of the youth, had an enjoyable time. It was extremely hot with very little shade, but well organized by the stake(s) (we recently divided). It was literally the hardest thing many of these kids have ever done. My skinny little 13YO pulled his handcart for 3 days with his older brother Matt, who is built like an ox...oh yeah, and he also happens to be a 2012 BYU signee. He was very kind and good to my son. I already was a big fan of the Hadley brothers, but I'm even more so now.

I was trying to look like HFN and a had a pretty good beard started. Unfortunately, Mrs. V seems to be a fan of the Georgia Satellites.

each time we talk I get the same old thing
always no huggin no kissin until I get a wedding ring clean face.

Here is a nice little write up in our local fish wrap The boy in the center is from my ward. His mom offered him a $100 if he would stay home, but obviously he went a trekkin. His tale is a long one, I will have to share sometime.

[il Padrino Ute]

I, and more importantly most all of the youth, had an enjoyable time. It was extremely hot with very little shade, but well organized by the stake(s) (we recently divided). It was literally the hardest thing many of these kids have ever done. My skinny little 13YO pulled his handcart for 3 days with his older brother Matt, who is built like an ox...oh yeah, and he also happens to be a 2012 BYU signee. He was very kind and good to my son. I already was a big fan of the Hadley brothers, but I'm even more so now.

I was trying to look like HFN and a had a pretty good beard started. Unfortunately, Mrs. V seems to be a fan of the Georgia Satellites.

each time we talk I get the same old thing
always no huggin no kissin until I get a wedding ring clean face.

Here is a nice little write up in our local fish wrap The boy in the center is from my ward. His mom offered him a $100 if he would stay home, but obviously he went a trekkin. His tale is a long one, I will have to share sometime.

Warning for FM: the link mentions Mormon ancestral heritage. Read it at your own risk of higher blood pressure.

[pellegrino]

So, I'm generally opposed to the idea of letting my kids do this trek thing, not to the point of prohibiting it, but definitely not encouraging it. The newspaper article made me wonder what benefits there are to doing something like this. Any thoughts, AV (or anyone else)?

[Babs]

So, I'm generally opposed to the idea of letting my kids do this trek thing, not to the point of prohibiting it, but definitely not encouraging it. The newspaper article made me wonder what benefits there are to doing something like this. Any thoughts, AV (or anyone else)?

I would think kids would gain a lot from a trip like this, even if the historical foundation is tenuous. Obviously, you would want to debrief and correct any doctrinal infusion you're not comfortable with, but that would be true of any church outing.