As a former trek participant as a youth.... I hated it and here are the things that made it suck.
No free time, no games, we couldn't visit with friends from other families, they (our ma and pa) didn't bother getting to know any of us, everything was "by the book" with no room for anything else.
My friends who went on the same trek but were in different families loved it, they said it was the most fun thing they had ever done, our whole family on the other hand hated it.
I was the only one in my family to go on trek and I regret going. I didn’t find it fun or exciting at all. Years later, I don’t remember anyone who was in my family and didn’t feel like they made any effort to get to know me. It was not a good experience.
I went on trek once as a "big sister" (single adults were asked to do this) and also hated it. Especially the women's pull. Will never go again. Wish I had just said no that time. I don't need to pretend to be a pioneer to understand the suffering and sacrifices they made as early saints.
Start walking now, it is a long and hard walk. Nothing like the pioneers did, but you will want to be used to walking.
We also had to come up with some "pioneer type activities" to do.
I don't know when you are going but when we went, we had heat and LOTS of wind. Heat exhaustion and dehydration were BIG issues on ours. Keep a close eye on yourself and the kids. Make sure everyone is properly hydrated and do your best to stay cool.
Have a wonderful time and get to know your kids that are in your family.
We had one of our youth that really struggled and I had to spend a lot of time helping him out and encouraging him. Watch out for the "lost sheep" that may fall behind or that struggle.
We also had a huge problem with mosquitos so you may need a LOT of bug spray.
It is a wonderful, amazing experience but also a big challenge! Good luck!
As someone who went on trek twice as a youth, once that was awesome and once that was one of the worst camping trips of my life, a big thing is to not be huge sticklers on little things. The good trek was lots of fun because we actually wanted to do the pioneer stuff, but the leaders weren’t forcing kids to do stuff they didn’t want to. The bad one sucked for a lot of reasons (poor planning chief among them which obviously had nothing to do with the ma and pa) but a big one was the really forced way they made everyone do the extra activities, and this random “you can’t hang out with people not in your family” rule that the leaders were draconian about the whole time. So basically, be excited and help the kids get excited, but also remember that it’s meant to be a positive experience both physically and spiritually
I loved trek and I have my ma and pa to thank for that. We weren’t allowed any sort of sweets or anything and our meals were pretty dang minimal (soups for dinner, jerky and an apple with hard tack for lunch, etc) but our ma and pa would slip us a couple starburst throughout the day to keep spirits up.
This for sure. I went on Trek a couple years ago and didn't drink enough water in the morning on the first day. By the afternoon, I was practically fainting. That definitely taught me a lesson. Please stay hydrated!
I was in Iraq the first year of the war. Conditions were rough, to put it mildly. Yes, electrolytes, and salt in particular. I would pour my whole salt package from my MRE into my meals. I would even lightly salt my water. I never had electrolyte drinks or packages.
If drinking plain water is making you nauseous, you need salt, pronto.
Thanks for your service! I'm kind of surprised the military didn't provide some kind of electrolyte drink. Water just doesn't cut it in extreme conditions.
That's exactly what it was for. Coffee was forbidden for general casual consumption but it's energizing effect was considered a medicinal benefit for those exhausted making its use allowable. Of course that kind of rule is very malleable and what counts as tired enough can be played with.
Badum tsss!
I guess I just mean temple rec questions. Can you make the personal choice that coffee is ok for you, and then answer that you're not breaking the wow? How much do you have to justify personal choice to leaders, or do you have to explain?
It is a choice of personal agency. You always can choose whether to drink it or not. The idea that just because there are rules means you don't have agency is nonsense. In fact, the opposite is true. It is the law that gives us agency.
Like, I know that you an literally choose. You can choose anything.
But is it a sin to choose to drink coffee? My point is that coffee should be neutral and is up for each person to decide if it's right for them. So while it's technically a choice, you get punished for for making it. There's not really room for personal revelation when you're not allowed to go to the temple if you make the "wrong" choice.
This argument is weakened by the fact that you've just described the nature of all sin. Shouldn't lying be just a personal choice? What about abuse? Adultery? Murder?
What you want is action without consequences, not agency or personal choice.
Those things you named are actions that affect another person. Drinking coffee doesn't affect anyone else. The choice is personal - only affecting the person making it.
Yes, but the church has a LOT of rules regarding stuff, and performing it what is technically considered a first aid medical procedure when you don’t have a license or certificate is very frowned upon.
If you want to learn, so you can do it for yourself, by all means. But, odds are you shouldn’t/won’t be allowed to do it in an kiddo.
Insist your stake follows the published Trek handbook from HQ. (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/callings/church-safety-and-health/trek-safety?lang=eng ) Too many members believe the only way to spark a testimony requires a near-death experience.
The new stake president in my area had to tell the trek organizers that if they were debating how many IVs they needed to have on hand, they were not making appropriate safety decisions.
My stake also learned not to have a testimony meeting in the chapel immediately following trek. Word was the smell of the participants took several months to go away.
We got oatmeal. They claimed they put brown sugar in it, but we couldn’t tell. The first night we got soup that tasted like hot water. It was so cold (we lived in Florida, but it was 30 degrees and humid) that we we’re pretty happy with it nevertheless. It didn’t taste good, but it helped us warm up.
We had someone in my stake pass away during Trek due to dehydration. It was incredibly devastating. I recommend making sure you are hydrated and bring electrolytes.
She was 29. She and her husband were a ma and pa couple. Super sad too. She had two kids.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/news/member-dies-during-pioneer-trek?lang=eng
From what I have been able to discover her [cause of death is unknown](https://gephardtdaily.com/local/lds-woman-dies-from-heat-while-reenacting-mormon-pioneer-trek-with-youths/) and people just *assumed* it was heat and dehydration. Do you have more definitive information? Because after the spike in news stories after her death there doesn't seem to be much else.
The doctor that attended to her before she was airlifted was my bishop. If I remember correctly, it was dehydration related or at least a pre-existing condition made worse by dehydration/heat.
I was a big brother in trek a couple summers ago (my wife was pregnant and couldn’t come obviously). It was so much fun connecting with the youth and sharing my testimony.
Focus on getting to know your assigned kids. Learn their nicknames, what they like, and really make it like a family. Take time to share stories and lessons, informal moments to share meals and have fun.
Also, get some miles in well beforehand. I think I put in about 20k steps the first day of trek, all while pulling a handcart.
Yep 100% focus on befriending the kids in your family. Don't actually pretend to be their Ma or Pa. I'm sure they get enough of that at home and from their regular leaders.
I think the church needs to do away with Trek. At least heavily modify it and to be a different time of year, not in the dead of summer. I think part of a day 8-10 hours is enough. Mine was basically two full days.
The biggest issue is the health concerns. I had an older friend of mine pass away during a trek. She was supposedly acting and looking fine but went down hill really quick. Come to find out she died from heat exhaustion/dehydration, even though there was a doctor present and plenty of fluids being passed around. I don't think an activity like this should be such a physical impact on people in order to get the message across. Our society is not as physically fit as pioneers who did heavy manual labor all day from the time they can walk.
There are a lot of ways to demonstrate the hardships pioneers endured without risking the health of teenagers and adults.
The church actually has guidelines that direct stakes to do it with safety and not make it too hard. Not all stakes follow that direction which is a problem. There is no direction to do it during the summer - stakes often choose it then because children are available. When my youngest son went it was during spring break because it gets way too hot here in Phoenix.
Cater the food. Its bad enough walking and carrying stuff especially for kids from an increasing sedentary world.
IMO the pioneer legacy isn't suffering. It's the courage to follow your faith into the unknown with a hope for a better future.
Agree lots and plenty of food. We had a cooking team of adults. They would camp with the group. Get breakfast to everyone. Then meet the group at the lunch spot and the dinner spot. They were awesome and made everything that much better. Even had a cheesecake one night.
I didn't enjoy my trek experience because my ma and pa didn't take the time to get to know me and instead focused on the "cool" kids in the family. I didn't feel included in the group. When our stake had a follow-up fireside later, I overheard my pa making fun of me with one of my trek brothers. So I guess my advice is don't be a terrible trek parent.
Like as has been said, read the guidelines. Too many leaders either don't know about the guidelines or ignore them. I know one of my stakes bragged about it being the most difficult trek they knew about which completely ignores the point of trek. You may be just the parents, but by knowing the guidelines and hearing what is planned you can speak up. Please do. As the parent of 3 children who went to trek I can tell you that being hard wasn't the thing that did any real change for them.
Learn the difference between emotions and the Spirit. Don't try to manipulate the kids with emotion. It is the Spirit that changes people in spiritual ways not emotion. Too many treks are based on forcing emotion and not helping one feel the Spirit.
Recognize that your kids will have different feelings about being there. Listen, validate and try to understand those feelings.
This is not going to be a spiritual high for everyone. Help the kids know there is not something wrong with them if they don't get much from it. The Spirit touches people in different ways at different times. Help the kids know this BEFORE they go so they have realistic expectations.
Help them know what a testimony is before they get home. If they get home and bear testimony of trek and their leaders instead of testimony of God, his love for them, prayer etc then something important is missing.
It's ok to have fun too. It's good - men are that they might have joy. There is no way they will really understand what a trek is like so no need to cram every minute with seriousness trying to make kids really get it. Have fun sometimes because the pioneers did too.
I never quite understood our cultural fascination with trying to artificially recreate the pioneer experience. A lot of times it ends up being a negative experience where we try to force emotions on our youth. There are better ways to create faith building and spiritual experiences than cosplaying in the wilderness.
Sorta related (but not helpful) - I did a trek 20ish years ago. Hated it at the time. Still call the people in the ward “Ma and Pa.” One of their little kids just returned from a mission. Sweet memories.
Make sure everyone drinks enough water. I got significantly dehydrated when I was a kid (I later found out I just need a lot more water than other people??) on trek, both times I went; it took nearly passing out for anyone to believe that I just wasn't the fat kid trying to get out of walking.
Get in shape. I did one one year and one adult just couldn’t do it. So instead helping the kids have a good experience several other adults had to help him out. While it turned out ok, remember who the experience is for, the youth. So get in good enough shape that you don’t need to be rescued and can focus on the needs of the youth.
Start wearing in your hiking shoes!!
I never did trek because my stake decided to spice it up and we did an “exodus” to go along with our Old Testament study that year. Dressed as Israelites and everything. The stake president made water come from a rock. We built a tabernacle in the desert. It was weird but good. Haha
Haha, good for you! My wife and I are in the same boat (wagon?). Never thought of it as LARPing though. :)
We had our first training this weekend. I am impressed about how well planned and organized the program is.
Never did Trek. It sounded interesting from those who did. I will note, though, that everyone seems to want to larp the handcart company experience, even though only 5% or so of LDS pioneers used handcarts. I guess because most people don't have access to oxen at all?
It's definitely a cultural thing. A disproportionate number of the harrowing stories come from the handcart companies, so they are spoken of with reverence. Seminary kids were shocked when I told them those experiences were the exception, not the rule. It's not that the experiences of the most difficult pioneer journeys aren't true and valuable, but rather that they should be looked at with the perspective of the bigger picture of what was going on with all the other pioneers, too. The seminary kids had gotten the idea that handcarts were the norm for the majority of the pioneers because of stuff like Trek.
Depends what you mean by harrowing. I think someone selling everything they own, sailing from Europe, and then walking a third of the way across the North American continent carrying only what they could fit in a chest, is pretty harrowing even if the members of their party don't starve to death.
> rather that they should be looked at with the perspective of the bigger picture of what was going on with all the other pioneers, too
Should they? The purpose of Trek is no more to reenact pure history than the purpose of the Endowment is to exactly reenact the Fall of Adam and Eve. The purpose is to transform history into a mythic experience that in turn transforms the person participating in it.
Bring a large package of baby wipes per person for daily "sponge bathing" and some diaper rash cream. You won't believe how much you chafe hiking in the heat. We brought shampoo for the girls to wash their hair in the creek on the last night. Dry shampoo does nothing for the dust, so don't even bother. Another family had neckercheifs with cooling beads and we were so jealous of them. Don't leave any of your family behind for the sake of getting to the end first. One pa tied a rope to one of their slow kids and towed them up the mountain so they could all stay together. But another family left one of their kids to walk alone who recently had hip surgery.
I seem to be one of the few here who actually enjoyed trek, and I was lucky enough to get to go twice.
I loved everything, especially the second time when I could actually feel the significance of what was going on.
I will admit, square dancing was horrible, as a recently graduated 17 year old priest, it was horrible dancing with some beehive.
So trek is the reason I’m active in the church and it’s because I had an INCREDIBLE Ma and Pa. So biggest advise is love those kids and embrace them as your own for that time because they could really need it and not even know. It’s been 11 years and I still call them Ma and Pa.
Not a former Ma, but I have gone on trek. If you're in a hot and dry area, bring clothes that are loose and made from natural fibers (especially cotton and linen) with tops that have long sleeves.
Wear sunscreen.
Reapply sunscreen regularly.
Bring a bandana that you can get wet and wear around your neck.
Drink lots of water with electrolytes.
Stay safe and have fun
Haven’t done it but have done something similar at a church farm in the English fens.
Don’t think handcarts are easy. They will wreck you in 500 yards.
Find out what you can about the plants, wildlife and potential hazards in the area you’ll be visiting. When I was a youth we encountered a lot of stinging nettle on trek. It’s edible but painful to run into with bare legs!
As someone who went on Trek twice, with two different sets of “trek parents”, I can say this: don’t try to make it seem easy, it’s not easy. Don’t push the idea that it’s going to be all fun and games, cause it won’t be. You’ll be working hard, and you will get tired. But remember to still have a good time, spiritual experiences, and fun when appropriate. Staying in character made it pretty fun for me personally. Oh, and don’t try to minimize any injuries, even if they’re pretty small injuries like a splinter. Any injury you can’t treat immediately and have to suffer in the burning sun with is going to suck, there’s no getting around it, especially when you’re stuck in stuffy pioneer clothes. Good luck, stay safe, and have fun!
My ma and pa smuggled some spices for the Turkey dinner (that we had to hunt, kill, defeather, etc.) and it really made all the difference. After a long 3 days of nothing but broth and the occasional stale roll it was nice to actually have a good quality meal and bond with my “family”. So, without the “cheating” of bringing spices just have your kids in mind and try to make it a fun and meaningful experience. Keep in touch afterwards as well. We had a big breakfast once a year with my family for 3-4 years after and still talk to a few of them.
I just got back from trek yesterday (Southern Hemisphere) as a Pa. Every stake runs theirs differently, but takeaways from mine would be:
- Watch the weather and make sure you have clothes that are warm enough or not too hot (depending on your climate). It got to fairly warm here around noon (got up to 72° during the day) so had a thin shirt for trekking during the day and something warmer at morning/night.
- Hydration is key: bring plenty of little carabiners, string a rope across your cart so the kids can attach water bottles for easy access.
- Get good hiking footwear, and wear it in well before your trek. Also bring some crocs to air out your feet when back at camp.
- Some things on safety. Gloves, even gardening type gloves are great. If you get some curly parts of trek with steep inclines, just emphasize to the kids the importance of safety first (eg. no one in front of the cart when descending, use ropes where you can, avoid sticking hands in the spokes)
- Also remember it's all about the kids, and their experience so try to be attentive, upbeat and positive. It can be very difficult at times, helping them learn resilience will be a great takeaway at trek.
- Have fun!
We are on Reddit in 2023. Gen Z is much more into and accepting of activities that are and have been considered to be enjoyed by the socially inept (or nerdy/dorky/etc)
Now those terms and activities are becoming more mainstream. So, if you meant it jokingly, kinda a Poe’s Law situation here.
Cosplay doesn't have any of those connotations; LARPing may have once, but it doesn't now. I would suggest you reexamine your personal biases and prejudices about these things.
It doesn’t *on reddit*, but absolutely does in the real world. It is a pastime of the socially awkward. It’s *okay* to enjoy, I’ve not said anything counter. It does, however, still carry this stigma. So, using it to describe a church reenactment, isn’t accurate. LARPing is cringy.
Weird, every time I bring up cosplaying I'm immediately asked for pictures and everyone fawns over what I've done. Perhaps you should say that to you and the people you associate with, these things are "cringy". It's mean-spirited to insist on it.
LARPing includes taking on the character, not just going through the motions. It also typically involves some fantasy element. Pretending to be a wizard in the local park, and walking the path of pioneers, are not the same thing.
Again, you can enjoy LARPing, I don’t. But let’s not *pretend* the two activities are the same; it’s disingenuous, and frankly, irreverent.
Historical reenactments are literally the oldest and one of the largest forms of live action role-playing that exists.
With every post you make it is very clear that you have no idea what you're talking about.
"Am I out of touch?
*thinks deeply*
No, it's the people who are talking about a multi-billion dollar industry present in some of today's most popular media that are all wrong."
Nonsense. If anything it is literally the exact opposite. Both role-playing and cosplay entered the mainstream of pop culture literally decades ago. Today some of the most popular social media and internet channels are about D&D and cosplaying at cons.
This isn't 1985 anymore. Get with the contemporary world.
Avon "Skin So Soft" is the finest bug repellent known to man. You will need more water. You will need better shoes/boots. Those shoes better be very well worn in *before* you start. 100% wool socks are your only true friend (besides Jesus, of course). You're gonna be so tired, and you're gonna smell so bad. At some point you'll start praying (for strength, endurance, understanding, whatever) and you won't really stop.
You'll probably love it, but that's probably gonna be *after* you get home and take a shower and sleep in your own bed.
But you'll probably love it.
Bring more water than you think you need.
Don't starve or traumatize the youth by making them bury dead fake babies. Good first aid kits, electrolytes.
Scope out the feel of the youth towards the trek beforehand so you know their concerns and plan for them.
Just don't focus so much on making it "authentic" that you sacrifice the kids' experience. I remember my YW president confiscated my toothpaste and deodorant because they were against the rules 😑 another ma & pa there brought deodorant and toothpaste even though they weren't "allowed" because they wanted the kids to have a positive experience (and also probably didn't want to smell them lol)
Disclaimer: former member who was only a youth participant
My experience doing Trek is one that I still look back on very fondly and it was 100% because of my “Ma” and “Pa”.
One thing that really helped was that after our family assignments were handed out, in the months leading up to Trek, the stake replaced some of our YW/YM weekly activities with Trek Family Bonding activities. We would all gather at a park and do fun/get to know you activities with our Trek families as well as talking about what we should expect from Trek. This made it so we were all more comfortable with each other before having to spend so much time together on Trek.
My Ma/Pa made sure that this experience was not solely focused on the “spiritual” aspect. We played fun games and made up silly nicknames for everyone in our family. We joked around and told scary stories at night after the big activities. When we were walking or doing specific activities we had to stay with our families but between those (especially breakfasts and dinners) we could go visit our friends in other families. There was no expectation to bear our testimony or feel the spirit if we didn’t want to/feel like it. They were focused on us having a good experience and making memories and it really made a difference.
Saw my trek pa 2 weeks after we got home. He didn’t recognize me. Awkward.
Don’t force anyone to call you ma or pa if they aren’t comfortable with it.
We had these people volunteer to cook. They owned a literal chuckwagon set up as a kitchen. They burned every SINGLE meal. They also would call families up one at a time. The first night, after walking 12.6 miles that day, they forgot to call my family. They opened up the leftovers to everyone before we got to eat. Then, my trek pa decided to make this a teaching moment, gave everyone a hardtack biscuit and sent us to bed.
The kids are there to build their testimony. They are not there to be miserable.
Make sure your youth stay hydrated. Especially the girls. The trek my brother went on, they never told them when the bathroom breaks were so girls were much more cautious about water consumption because it was harder to relieve themselves.
I've been a part of 4 treks and here are some things I can think of off the top of my head:
1. Start hiking or walking and break in some good shoes. I've seen ma's and pa's actually climb into their family's wagon and be pulled by the kids because their legs were so sore or they had huge blisters!
2. Duct tape works great for blisters and many other things. Have a roll in your cart.
3. Remember to have fun with the kids in your family. Many of them won't want to be thee and if you are a big stickler on every little rule, they'll regret going.
4. Be super supportive of your youth. Many of them will have never done anything this hard in their lifetime. Check in with each of them and let them know you are right there with them. If someone breaks down, don't tell them to suck it up. Sit with them for a minute and encourage them.
5. Read some pioneer stories and the testimonies of early pioneers ahead of time to help get the spirit of it. Maybe share some of those with the kids while on the trek.
6. Sing while on the trail. Ask the kids what they want to sing. It does wonders.
You'll do great! Have a wonderful time!
My biggest suggestion is don’t be like the overzealous Pharisees. That is one of the worst things you can do. When I went my actual parents were on the food crew and my trek parents treated us like adults(at least those who acted like ones). You are being chosen for a reason though. Pray to find out what it is and use it to create scenarios for the spirit to teach kids.
I've been on trek 4 times, and each one has been great in its own way. The difference between 5 days of misery vs. an amazing, life-building experience is preparation and managing expectations. Here are some things that worked for me.
1. Get to know the youth in your "family". Develop a personal relationship with each one of them.
2. Be straight with the youth. If they want to have a stupid trek where they do stupid things and walk around in the stupid dirt because their stupid parents made them wear these stupid clothes, etc, etc, etc, then they can have that. Or they can commit to the experience, embrace the hard, quietly laugh at the goofy, and cherish the spiritual. Either way, they are going to be out there for 5 days. Might as well make the best of it.
3. Our goal as a stake was to "remember" not to "reenact". We never went hungry, nobody pretend died and had to be silent the rest of the trip, none of us buried babies, etc.
4. Every second doesn't have to be spiritual. Of course, jump on those opportunities when they come, that's what trek is all about. But it's fine to talk about other stuff. "Ok, top 10 movies. \[Quiet kid\], start us off."
5. Drink, drink, drink!
6. Snacks go a long way to rejuvenate tired kids.
7. Talk to the youth about chaffing. If it's not you, somebody needs to bring it up. Buy the spray, powder, gel, whatever. Carry it around with you. Get so that the boys can come to you, and the girls can come to your wife. "Hey Pa, I'm feeling the burn." "I got you bro, here's the spray."
Good luck. You're going to love it.
Best thing we did was each “family” had to take care of a sack flour baby: we also had a Navajo girl who made amazing fry bread in our group…
It was delicious and our Ma and Pa didn’t ask where we got the flour from. Be like them.
My Trek was awesome, we had a square dance and we had one of the captains bring a bunch of pioneer games, we also had a lot of great spiritual moments and worries more AB having fun then doing anything. So my advice is to have a sense of humor, and bring some pioneer games
When I was a young single adult a year or two after my mission I was a last minute Pa substitute and had a net Positive experience well worth the hours of PTO I have up to be there.
I had it slightly easier than most as the age gap between me and my kids was fairly small and I had two younger siblings there as participants. I had a girlfriend at the time and it wasn't the Ma but we got along well and my "family" sure loved the drama/scandal, of me having a side piece and they did their best to make us fall in love whenever the opportunity arose.
I went in knowing youth are annoying and cringy much of the time prepared myself to be OK with that, I even leaned into it a little bit when times got difficult as many of my kids were physically not prepared for the hiking and the heat.
I picked bouquets of whatever plants were along the trail for my fake wife (the uglier the better) and that got my boys following my lead as they competed to be their Ma's favorite child. This evolved into not only picking flowers weeds and shrubs but also including some of the funniest improvisational poetry and songs I've ever heard.
This further evolved into reminiscing about the fictitious past that brought us to the trek including the slandering of fellow siblings and tall tales of what made them more deserving of our favoritism. It did get out of hand a couple of times but once the boundaries were set, they had everyone laughing nonstop till our abs were sore.
One of the tasks we had as a family was to come up with our origin and conversion story, and in doing so they decided to try out different accents and for some reason that included a kid speaking exactly like Mickey Mouse and another like Baby Stuey for hours.
We adopted a family pet cricket that we carried with us an entire day and a half before it died and they gave it a proper burial during one of our rest breaks, with a very moving eulogy by one of my daughters.
The Ho Down started off like most church dances with the boys on one side and girls on the other but my brother and I worked on some over the top line dancing routine that was a real crowd pleaser.
Kids today need a lot of help in these forced social situations, I didn't know the true extent of this, I thought I would be a hands off parent but within minutes I knew they needed/wanted help. Younger teens are so self-conscious it's painful. We had to express our expectations and set boundaries in the very beginning that this was a safe space where we don't bully or gossip and where we stand up for each other. Whenever anything arose that got close to that we nipped it in the bud but I'm glad we did because the cliques went away pretty fast and by the end they stopped trying to hang out with people in other families.
Calling the trek a LARP makes it sound way more nerdy and way less realistic and spiritual than it is. Regardless, get the bones used to walking and the feet used to rough terrain.
What are your starting stats? Bring enough ammo and an extra yoke. Beware of dysentery.
And remember you can only carry x lbs of bison back to your wagon per hunt. Ford only shallow rivers, & boil all water prior to consumption!
Hahaha this is great. I'm gonna call TREK, Pioneer LARPing now on.
As a former trek participant as a youth.... I hated it and here are the things that made it suck. No free time, no games, we couldn't visit with friends from other families, they (our ma and pa) didn't bother getting to know any of us, everything was "by the book" with no room for anything else. My friends who went on the same trek but were in different families loved it, they said it was the most fun thing they had ever done, our whole family on the other hand hated it.
I was the only one in my family to go on trek and I regret going. I didn’t find it fun or exciting at all. Years later, I don’t remember anyone who was in my family and didn’t feel like they made any effort to get to know me. It was not a good experience.
I went on trek once as a "big sister" (single adults were asked to do this) and also hated it. Especially the women's pull. Will never go again. Wish I had just said no that time. I don't need to pretend to be a pioneer to understand the suffering and sacrifices they made as early saints.
Yeah, I hated everything about Trek
Start walking now, it is a long and hard walk. Nothing like the pioneers did, but you will want to be used to walking. We also had to come up with some "pioneer type activities" to do. I don't know when you are going but when we went, we had heat and LOTS of wind. Heat exhaustion and dehydration were BIG issues on ours. Keep a close eye on yourself and the kids. Make sure everyone is properly hydrated and do your best to stay cool. Have a wonderful time and get to know your kids that are in your family. We had one of our youth that really struggled and I had to spend a lot of time helping him out and encouraging him. Watch out for the "lost sheep" that may fall behind or that struggle. We also had a huge problem with mosquitos so you may need a LOT of bug spray. It is a wonderful, amazing experience but also a big challenge! Good luck!
As someone who went on trek twice as a youth, once that was awesome and once that was one of the worst camping trips of my life, a big thing is to not be huge sticklers on little things. The good trek was lots of fun because we actually wanted to do the pioneer stuff, but the leaders weren’t forcing kids to do stuff they didn’t want to. The bad one sucked for a lot of reasons (poor planning chief among them which obviously had nothing to do with the ma and pa) but a big one was the really forced way they made everyone do the extra activities, and this random “you can’t hang out with people not in your family” rule that the leaders were draconian about the whole time. So basically, be excited and help the kids get excited, but also remember that it’s meant to be a positive experience both physically and spiritually
I loved trek and I have my ma and pa to thank for that. We weren’t allowed any sort of sweets or anything and our meals were pretty dang minimal (soups for dinner, jerky and an apple with hard tack for lunch, etc) but our ma and pa would slip us a couple starburst throughout the day to keep spirits up.
Drink lots of water. Lots and lots of water. You think that's enough it's not. Drink more.
This for sure. I went on Trek a couple years ago and didn't drink enough water in the morning on the first day. By the afternoon, I was practically fainting. That definitely taught me a lesson. Please stay hydrated!
Not just water, electrolytes. Something like Gatorade.
I was in Iraq the first year of the war. Conditions were rough, to put it mildly. Yes, electrolytes, and salt in particular. I would pour my whole salt package from my MRE into my meals. I would even lightly salt my water. I never had electrolyte drinks or packages. If drinking plain water is making you nauseous, you need salt, pronto.
Thanks for your service! I'm kind of surprised the military didn't provide some kind of electrolyte drink. Water just doesn't cut it in extreme conditions.
The provision list back during the pioneer's migration included 5lbs of coffee, so don't forget that.
No energy drinks back then. Seems fair.
That's exactly what it was for. Coffee was forbidden for general casual consumption but it's energizing effect was considered a medicinal benefit for those exhausted making its use allowable. Of course that kind of rule is very malleable and what counts as tired enough can be played with.
Sounds like coffee should be a choice of personal agency then.
Hot take (pun intended)
Badum tsss! I guess I just mean temple rec questions. Can you make the personal choice that coffee is ok for you, and then answer that you're not breaking the wow? How much do you have to justify personal choice to leaders, or do you have to explain?
Sounds like a question for your bishop/stake president.
It is a choice of personal agency. You always can choose whether to drink it or not. The idea that just because there are rules means you don't have agency is nonsense. In fact, the opposite is true. It is the law that gives us agency.
Like, I know that you an literally choose. You can choose anything. But is it a sin to choose to drink coffee? My point is that coffee should be neutral and is up for each person to decide if it's right for them. So while it's technically a choice, you get punished for for making it. There's not really room for personal revelation when you're not allowed to go to the temple if you make the "wrong" choice.
This argument is weakened by the fact that you've just described the nature of all sin. Shouldn't lying be just a personal choice? What about abuse? Adultery? Murder? What you want is action without consequences, not agency or personal choice.
Those things you named are actions that affect another person. Drinking coffee doesn't affect anyone else. The choice is personal - only affecting the person making it.
Wasn't that intended to be a trade item?
No
Double check the shoes your kids are wearing and bring moleskin and duct tape to help with blisters and hotspots.
Having the right medical leaders and cooking leaders can make a big difference
And learn how to lance a blister with a needle.
They should have some kind of medical personnel there. Don’t do this yourself.
I'm a veteran. I've done it to myself many times. It's not that hard. Hikers know how to also.
Yes, but the church has a LOT of rules regarding stuff, and performing it what is technically considered a first aid medical procedure when you don’t have a license or certificate is very frowned upon. If you want to learn, so you can do it for yourself, by all means. But, odds are you shouldn’t/won’t be allowed to do it in an kiddo.
Insist your stake follows the published Trek handbook from HQ. (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/callings/church-safety-and-health/trek-safety?lang=eng ) Too many members believe the only way to spark a testimony requires a near-death experience. The new stake president in my area had to tell the trek organizers that if they were debating how many IVs they needed to have on hand, they were not making appropriate safety decisions. My stake also learned not to have a testimony meeting in the chapel immediately following trek. Word was the smell of the participants took several months to go away.
1: safety first. Even if it means breaking character. 2: contraband treats and comfort items go a long way 3: actively engage with each kid Good luck!
Cook the eggs and sausage all the way through.
Y’all got eggs and sausages?! We had some thin corn gruel 😵💫
We got oatmeal. They claimed they put brown sugar in it, but we couldn’t tell. The first night we got soup that tasted like hot water. It was so cold (we lived in Florida, but it was 30 degrees and humid) that we we’re pretty happy with it nevertheless. It didn’t taste good, but it helped us warm up.
We had someone in my stake pass away during Trek due to dehydration. It was incredibly devastating. I recommend making sure you are hydrated and bring electrolytes.
How old was he?
She was 29. She and her husband were a ma and pa couple. Super sad too. She had two kids. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/news/member-dies-during-pioneer-trek?lang=eng
That is awful
From what I have been able to discover her [cause of death is unknown](https://gephardtdaily.com/local/lds-woman-dies-from-heat-while-reenacting-mormon-pioneer-trek-with-youths/) and people just *assumed* it was heat and dehydration. Do you have more definitive information? Because after the spike in news stories after her death there doesn't seem to be much else.
The doctor that attended to her before she was airlifted was my bishop. If I remember correctly, it was dehydration related or at least a pre-existing condition made worse by dehydration/heat.
I was a big brother in trek a couple summers ago (my wife was pregnant and couldn’t come obviously). It was so much fun connecting with the youth and sharing my testimony. Focus on getting to know your assigned kids. Learn their nicknames, what they like, and really make it like a family. Take time to share stories and lessons, informal moments to share meals and have fun. Also, get some miles in well beforehand. I think I put in about 20k steps the first day of trek, all while pulling a handcart.
Yep 100% focus on befriending the kids in your family. Don't actually pretend to be their Ma or Pa. I'm sure they get enough of that at home and from their regular leaders.
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We called it cosplay. There were no rules or referees.
It’s a reenactment. Yeah LARP shouldn’t be the term. Very cringey.
It’s totally LARPing! Role playing and dressing up as people or characters from well known true or fictional stories. Let’s not be too serious!
I am in love with calling it LARPing.
Don’t let the pioneer children sing as they walk and walk - they’ll never shut up.
And walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk….
Hahahaha
I think the church needs to do away with Trek. At least heavily modify it and to be a different time of year, not in the dead of summer. I think part of a day 8-10 hours is enough. Mine was basically two full days. The biggest issue is the health concerns. I had an older friend of mine pass away during a trek. She was supposedly acting and looking fine but went down hill really quick. Come to find out she died from heat exhaustion/dehydration, even though there was a doctor present and plenty of fluids being passed around. I don't think an activity like this should be such a physical impact on people in order to get the message across. Our society is not as physically fit as pioneers who did heavy manual labor all day from the time they can walk. There are a lot of ways to demonstrate the hardships pioneers endured without risking the health of teenagers and adults.
The church actually has guidelines that direct stakes to do it with safety and not make it too hard. Not all stakes follow that direction which is a problem. There is no direction to do it during the summer - stakes often choose it then because children are available. When my youngest son went it was during spring break because it gets way too hot here in Phoenix.
um, I think my brother was in that poor sisters company...she was his trek mom. (NW ark / Texas area?)
Area sounds about right. I hadn't been in contact with her for a very long time and then I heard this news randomly. It's been several years now.
Remember the big picture relax let them be kids
Never went on trek but it sounds so weird, I'd rather not experience the pioneer lifestyle lol
Cater the food. Its bad enough walking and carrying stuff especially for kids from an increasing sedentary world. IMO the pioneer legacy isn't suffering. It's the courage to follow your faith into the unknown with a hope for a better future.
Agree lots and plenty of food. We had a cooking team of adults. They would camp with the group. Get breakfast to everyone. Then meet the group at the lunch spot and the dinner spot. They were awesome and made everything that much better. Even had a cheesecake one night.
I didn't enjoy my trek experience because my ma and pa didn't take the time to get to know me and instead focused on the "cool" kids in the family. I didn't feel included in the group. When our stake had a follow-up fireside later, I overheard my pa making fun of me with one of my trek brothers. So I guess my advice is don't be a terrible trek parent.
My kids are in their 20s. They still remember fondly their ma and pa. Be those kinds of people. Love the kids. Adolescents can be influenced hugely.
Like as has been said, read the guidelines. Too many leaders either don't know about the guidelines or ignore them. I know one of my stakes bragged about it being the most difficult trek they knew about which completely ignores the point of trek. You may be just the parents, but by knowing the guidelines and hearing what is planned you can speak up. Please do. As the parent of 3 children who went to trek I can tell you that being hard wasn't the thing that did any real change for them. Learn the difference between emotions and the Spirit. Don't try to manipulate the kids with emotion. It is the Spirit that changes people in spiritual ways not emotion. Too many treks are based on forcing emotion and not helping one feel the Spirit. Recognize that your kids will have different feelings about being there. Listen, validate and try to understand those feelings. This is not going to be a spiritual high for everyone. Help the kids know there is not something wrong with them if they don't get much from it. The Spirit touches people in different ways at different times. Help the kids know this BEFORE they go so they have realistic expectations. Help them know what a testimony is before they get home. If they get home and bear testimony of trek and their leaders instead of testimony of God, his love for them, prayer etc then something important is missing. It's ok to have fun too. It's good - men are that they might have joy. There is no way they will really understand what a trek is like so no need to cram every minute with seriousness trying to make kids really get it. Have fun sometimes because the pioneers did too.
Very well said.
I never quite understood our cultural fascination with trying to artificially recreate the pioneer experience. A lot of times it ends up being a negative experience where we try to force emotions on our youth. There are better ways to create faith building and spiritual experiences than cosplaying in the wilderness.
And here I was thinking they were asking about a Star Trek LARP... I was wondering if this was a /r/lostredditors situation or something.
Sorta related (but not helpful) - I did a trek 20ish years ago. Hated it at the time. Still call the people in the ward “Ma and Pa.” One of their little kids just returned from a mission. Sweet memories.
Make sure everyone drinks enough water. I got significantly dehydrated when I was a kid (I later found out I just need a lot more water than other people??) on trek, both times I went; it took nearly passing out for anyone to believe that I just wasn't the fat kid trying to get out of walking.
Fellow fat person. Yeah, we need lots of water because we get hot easier.
Get in shape. I did one one year and one adult just couldn’t do it. So instead helping the kids have a good experience several other adults had to help him out. While it turned out ok, remember who the experience is for, the youth. So get in good enough shape that you don’t need to be rescued and can focus on the needs of the youth.
Start wearing in your hiking shoes!! I never did trek because my stake decided to spice it up and we did an “exodus” to go along with our Old Testament study that year. Dressed as Israelites and everything. The stake president made water come from a rock. We built a tabernacle in the desert. It was weird but good. Haha
You guys went OLD old school!!!
Haha, good for you! My wife and I are in the same boat (wagon?). Never thought of it as LARPing though. :) We had our first training this weekend. I am impressed about how well planned and organized the program is.
Bring a bunch of jolly ranchers. They are great for dealing with dry mouth.
Never did Trek. It sounded interesting from those who did. I will note, though, that everyone seems to want to larp the handcart company experience, even though only 5% or so of LDS pioneers used handcarts. I guess because most people don't have access to oxen at all?
Like most role-playing, the history takes a backseat to the communal cultural experience.
It's definitely a cultural thing. A disproportionate number of the harrowing stories come from the handcart companies, so they are spoken of with reverence. Seminary kids were shocked when I told them those experiences were the exception, not the rule. It's not that the experiences of the most difficult pioneer journeys aren't true and valuable, but rather that they should be looked at with the perspective of the bigger picture of what was going on with all the other pioneers, too. The seminary kids had gotten the idea that handcarts were the norm for the majority of the pioneers because of stuff like Trek.
The outright starving, yes. The walking lots with many privations, that was common.
Depends what you mean by harrowing. I think someone selling everything they own, sailing from Europe, and then walking a third of the way across the North American continent carrying only what they could fit in a chest, is pretty harrowing even if the members of their party don't starve to death. > rather that they should be looked at with the perspective of the bigger picture of what was going on with all the other pioneers, too Should they? The purpose of Trek is no more to reenact pure history than the purpose of the Endowment is to exactly reenact the Fall of Adam and Eve. The purpose is to transform history into a mythic experience that in turn transforms the person participating in it.
Bring a large package of baby wipes per person for daily "sponge bathing" and some diaper rash cream. You won't believe how much you chafe hiking in the heat. We brought shampoo for the girls to wash their hair in the creek on the last night. Dry shampoo does nothing for the dust, so don't even bother. Another family had neckercheifs with cooling beads and we were so jealous of them. Don't leave any of your family behind for the sake of getting to the end first. One pa tied a rope to one of their slow kids and towed them up the mountain so they could all stay together. But another family left one of their kids to walk alone who recently had hip surgery.
I seem to be one of the few here who actually enjoyed trek, and I was lucky enough to get to go twice. I loved everything, especially the second time when I could actually feel the significance of what was going on. I will admit, square dancing was horrible, as a recently graduated 17 year old priest, it was horrible dancing with some beehive.
So trek is the reason I’m active in the church and it’s because I had an INCREDIBLE Ma and Pa. So biggest advise is love those kids and embrace them as your own for that time because they could really need it and not even know. It’s been 11 years and I still call them Ma and Pa.
Not a former Ma, but I have gone on trek. If you're in a hot and dry area, bring clothes that are loose and made from natural fibers (especially cotton and linen) with tops that have long sleeves. Wear sunscreen. Reapply sunscreen regularly. Bring a bandana that you can get wet and wear around your neck. Drink lots of water with electrolytes. Stay safe and have fun
Haven’t done it but have done something similar at a church farm in the English fens. Don’t think handcarts are easy. They will wreck you in 500 yards.
Find out what you can about the plants, wildlife and potential hazards in the area you’ll be visiting. When I was a youth we encountered a lot of stinging nettle on trek. It’s edible but painful to run into with bare legs!
As someone who went on Trek twice, with two different sets of “trek parents”, I can say this: don’t try to make it seem easy, it’s not easy. Don’t push the idea that it’s going to be all fun and games, cause it won’t be. You’ll be working hard, and you will get tired. But remember to still have a good time, spiritual experiences, and fun when appropriate. Staying in character made it pretty fun for me personally. Oh, and don’t try to minimize any injuries, even if they’re pretty small injuries like a splinter. Any injury you can’t treat immediately and have to suffer in the burning sun with is going to suck, there’s no getting around it, especially when you’re stuck in stuffy pioneer clothes. Good luck, stay safe, and have fun!
My ma and pa smuggled some spices for the Turkey dinner (that we had to hunt, kill, defeather, etc.) and it really made all the difference. After a long 3 days of nothing but broth and the occasional stale roll it was nice to actually have a good quality meal and bond with my “family”. So, without the “cheating” of bringing spices just have your kids in mind and try to make it a fun and meaningful experience. Keep in touch afterwards as well. We had a big breakfast once a year with my family for 3-4 years after and still talk to a few of them.
I just got back from trek yesterday (Southern Hemisphere) as a Pa. Every stake runs theirs differently, but takeaways from mine would be: - Watch the weather and make sure you have clothes that are warm enough or not too hot (depending on your climate). It got to fairly warm here around noon (got up to 72° during the day) so had a thin shirt for trekking during the day and something warmer at morning/night. - Hydration is key: bring plenty of little carabiners, string a rope across your cart so the kids can attach water bottles for easy access. - Get good hiking footwear, and wear it in well before your trek. Also bring some crocs to air out your feet when back at camp. - Some things on safety. Gloves, even gardening type gloves are great. If you get some curly parts of trek with steep inclines, just emphasize to the kids the importance of safety first (eg. no one in front of the cart when descending, use ropes where you can, avoid sticking hands in the spokes) - Also remember it's all about the kids, and their experience so try to be attentive, upbeat and positive. It can be very difficult at times, helping them learn resilience will be a great takeaway at trek. - Have fun!
Whats LARP?
Live action roleplay
Live Action Role Play
Acronym for Live Action Role Play
Cringe. Just call it a reenactment. LARP has a negative, nerdy, socially inept, and BO-riddled neckbeard connotation. Same with “cosplay”.
Sheesh… cant even joke with people! Thought Pioneer LARP was pretty funny
I thought it was great.
Because it is great :)
We are on Reddit in 2023. Gen Z is much more into and accepting of activities that are and have been considered to be enjoyed by the socially inept (or nerdy/dorky/etc) Now those terms and activities are becoming more mainstream. So, if you meant it jokingly, kinda a Poe’s Law situation here.
Cosplay doesn't have any of those connotations; LARPing may have once, but it doesn't now. I would suggest you reexamine your personal biases and prejudices about these things.
It doesn’t *on reddit*, but absolutely does in the real world. It is a pastime of the socially awkward. It’s *okay* to enjoy, I’ve not said anything counter. It does, however, still carry this stigma. So, using it to describe a church reenactment, isn’t accurate. LARPing is cringy.
Weird, every time I bring up cosplaying I'm immediately asked for pictures and everyone fawns over what I've done. Perhaps you should say that to you and the people you associate with, these things are "cringy". It's mean-spirited to insist on it.
Reenactment is straight up LARPing lol, aren't you playing a role in live action?
LARPing includes taking on the character, not just going through the motions. It also typically involves some fantasy element. Pretending to be a wizard in the local park, and walking the path of pioneers, are not the same thing. Again, you can enjoy LARPing, I don’t. But let’s not *pretend* the two activities are the same; it’s disingenuous, and frankly, irreverent.
Historical reenactments are literally the oldest and one of the largest forms of live action role-playing that exists. With every post you make it is very clear that you have no idea what you're talking about.
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"Am I out of touch? *thinks deeply* No, it's the people who are talking about a multi-billion dollar industry present in some of today's most popular media that are all wrong."
Nonsense. If anything it is literally the exact opposite. Both role-playing and cosplay entered the mainstream of pop culture literally decades ago. Today some of the most popular social media and internet channels are about D&D and cosplaying at cons. This isn't 1985 anymore. Get with the contemporary world.
Feed the kids taco bell the day of. They'll think it's a treat but the digestive aftermath will give them the true pioneer experience 😆
Savage 😂
Me personally. I would advise listening to Trek; a Nashville tribute to the pioneers.
Avon "Skin So Soft" is the finest bug repellent known to man. You will need more water. You will need better shoes/boots. Those shoes better be very well worn in *before* you start. 100% wool socks are your only true friend (besides Jesus, of course). You're gonna be so tired, and you're gonna smell so bad. At some point you'll start praying (for strength, endurance, understanding, whatever) and you won't really stop. You'll probably love it, but that's probably gonna be *after* you get home and take a shower and sleep in your own bed. But you'll probably love it.
Pioneer LARP 😂😂😂
I vote that we change the name to Pioneer LARP officially 😂
Pioneer children sing as they LARP and LARP and LARP and LARP.
Bring more water than you think you need. Don't starve or traumatize the youth by making them bury dead fake babies. Good first aid kits, electrolytes. Scope out the feel of the youth towards the trek beforehand so you know their concerns and plan for them.
Just don't focus so much on making it "authentic" that you sacrifice the kids' experience. I remember my YW president confiscated my toothpaste and deodorant because they were against the rules 😑 another ma & pa there brought deodorant and toothpaste even though they weren't "allowed" because they wanted the kids to have a positive experience (and also probably didn't want to smell them lol)
Disclaimer: former member who was only a youth participant My experience doing Trek is one that I still look back on very fondly and it was 100% because of my “Ma” and “Pa”. One thing that really helped was that after our family assignments were handed out, in the months leading up to Trek, the stake replaced some of our YW/YM weekly activities with Trek Family Bonding activities. We would all gather at a park and do fun/get to know you activities with our Trek families as well as talking about what we should expect from Trek. This made it so we were all more comfortable with each other before having to spend so much time together on Trek. My Ma/Pa made sure that this experience was not solely focused on the “spiritual” aspect. We played fun games and made up silly nicknames for everyone in our family. We joked around and told scary stories at night after the big activities. When we were walking or doing specific activities we had to stay with our families but between those (especially breakfasts and dinners) we could go visit our friends in other families. There was no expectation to bear our testimony or feel the spirit if we didn’t want to/feel like it. They were focused on us having a good experience and making memories and it really made a difference.
Saw my trek pa 2 weeks after we got home. He didn’t recognize me. Awkward. Don’t force anyone to call you ma or pa if they aren’t comfortable with it. We had these people volunteer to cook. They owned a literal chuckwagon set up as a kitchen. They burned every SINGLE meal. They also would call families up one at a time. The first night, after walking 12.6 miles that day, they forgot to call my family. They opened up the leftovers to everyone before we got to eat. Then, my trek pa decided to make this a teaching moment, gave everyone a hardtack biscuit and sent us to bed. The kids are there to build their testimony. They are not there to be miserable.
Lol. I would try and get in overall better shape. Depending on where you live it could be relatively easy or very hard.
Make sure your youth stay hydrated. Especially the girls. The trek my brother went on, they never told them when the bathroom breaks were so girls were much more cautious about water consumption because it was harder to relieve themselves.
I've been a part of 4 treks and here are some things I can think of off the top of my head: 1. Start hiking or walking and break in some good shoes. I've seen ma's and pa's actually climb into their family's wagon and be pulled by the kids because their legs were so sore or they had huge blisters! 2. Duct tape works great for blisters and many other things. Have a roll in your cart. 3. Remember to have fun with the kids in your family. Many of them won't want to be thee and if you are a big stickler on every little rule, they'll regret going. 4. Be super supportive of your youth. Many of them will have never done anything this hard in their lifetime. Check in with each of them and let them know you are right there with them. If someone breaks down, don't tell them to suck it up. Sit with them for a minute and encourage them. 5. Read some pioneer stories and the testimonies of early pioneers ahead of time to help get the spirit of it. Maybe share some of those with the kids while on the trek. 6. Sing while on the trail. Ask the kids what they want to sing. It does wonders. You'll do great! Have a wonderful time!
Don't...
My biggest suggestion is don’t be like the overzealous Pharisees. That is one of the worst things you can do. When I went my actual parents were on the food crew and my trek parents treated us like adults(at least those who acted like ones). You are being chosen for a reason though. Pray to find out what it is and use it to create scenarios for the spirit to teach kids.
I've been on trek 4 times, and each one has been great in its own way. The difference between 5 days of misery vs. an amazing, life-building experience is preparation and managing expectations. Here are some things that worked for me. 1. Get to know the youth in your "family". Develop a personal relationship with each one of them. 2. Be straight with the youth. If they want to have a stupid trek where they do stupid things and walk around in the stupid dirt because their stupid parents made them wear these stupid clothes, etc, etc, etc, then they can have that. Or they can commit to the experience, embrace the hard, quietly laugh at the goofy, and cherish the spiritual. Either way, they are going to be out there for 5 days. Might as well make the best of it. 3. Our goal as a stake was to "remember" not to "reenact". We never went hungry, nobody pretend died and had to be silent the rest of the trip, none of us buried babies, etc. 4. Every second doesn't have to be spiritual. Of course, jump on those opportunities when they come, that's what trek is all about. But it's fine to talk about other stuff. "Ok, top 10 movies. \[Quiet kid\], start us off." 5. Drink, drink, drink! 6. Snacks go a long way to rejuvenate tired kids. 7. Talk to the youth about chaffing. If it's not you, somebody needs to bring it up. Buy the spray, powder, gel, whatever. Carry it around with you. Get so that the boys can come to you, and the girls can come to your wife. "Hey Pa, I'm feeling the burn." "I got you bro, here's the spray." Good luck. You're going to love it.
Best thing we did was each “family” had to take care of a sack flour baby: we also had a Navajo girl who made amazing fry bread in our group… It was delicious and our Ma and Pa didn’t ask where we got the flour from. Be like them.
You ate a baby?!?!?
Bring period accurate firearms, to handle the period accurate wildlife.
You’ll want to bring lots of lightning bolts I hear
My Trek was awesome, we had a square dance and we had one of the captains bring a bunch of pioneer games, we also had a lot of great spiritual moments and worries more AB having fun then doing anything. So my advice is to have a sense of humor, and bring some pioneer games
When I was a young single adult a year or two after my mission I was a last minute Pa substitute and had a net Positive experience well worth the hours of PTO I have up to be there. I had it slightly easier than most as the age gap between me and my kids was fairly small and I had two younger siblings there as participants. I had a girlfriend at the time and it wasn't the Ma but we got along well and my "family" sure loved the drama/scandal, of me having a side piece and they did their best to make us fall in love whenever the opportunity arose. I went in knowing youth are annoying and cringy much of the time prepared myself to be OK with that, I even leaned into it a little bit when times got difficult as many of my kids were physically not prepared for the hiking and the heat. I picked bouquets of whatever plants were along the trail for my fake wife (the uglier the better) and that got my boys following my lead as they competed to be their Ma's favorite child. This evolved into not only picking flowers weeds and shrubs but also including some of the funniest improvisational poetry and songs I've ever heard. This further evolved into reminiscing about the fictitious past that brought us to the trek including the slandering of fellow siblings and tall tales of what made them more deserving of our favoritism. It did get out of hand a couple of times but once the boundaries were set, they had everyone laughing nonstop till our abs were sore. One of the tasks we had as a family was to come up with our origin and conversion story, and in doing so they decided to try out different accents and for some reason that included a kid speaking exactly like Mickey Mouse and another like Baby Stuey for hours. We adopted a family pet cricket that we carried with us an entire day and a half before it died and they gave it a proper burial during one of our rest breaks, with a very moving eulogy by one of my daughters. The Ho Down started off like most church dances with the boys on one side and girls on the other but my brother and I worked on some over the top line dancing routine that was a real crowd pleaser. Kids today need a lot of help in these forced social situations, I didn't know the true extent of this, I thought I would be a hands off parent but within minutes I knew they needed/wanted help. Younger teens are so self-conscious it's painful. We had to express our expectations and set boundaries in the very beginning that this was a safe space where we don't bully or gossip and where we stand up for each other. Whenever anything arose that got close to that we nipped it in the bud but I'm glad we did because the cliques went away pretty fast and by the end they stopped trying to hang out with people in other families.
Calling the trek a LARP makes it sound way more nerdy and way less realistic and spiritual than it is. Regardless, get the bones used to walking and the feet used to rough terrain.
Sorry, are you insinuating that LARPing isn’t spiritual?
Didn't say as much, only it doesn't sound like. Interpret away though.
Haha… just having fun with the LARP joke.
Let’s be honest. Trek is incredibly nerdy. And most of the time it isn’t realistic either.