Seth is our third kid to participate in Pioneer Trek. And while the idea has remained the same, the details have evolved over time. For those who may not know, Trek is an experience where youth in our church re-enact the journey the pioneers made across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley. They dress in pioneer clothing, pull handcarts, and walk. And walk. And walk. They walk for three or four days, camping along the way in "families" with a "ma" and "pa" and several siblings.
Just how authentic the whole thing is seems to vary, depending on where the event takes place, who the stake president is, and who is in charge. Shulamith went on Trek when she was 15. She looked adorable in her pioneer dress and bonnet, but I worried she'd starve. Back then in Washington, the leaders wanted to make the experience as realistic as possible. So they let the kids get hungry. One day, other than water and a piece of fruit, they didn't get food all day. That night, each kid had to catch his or her own chicken, put a cone around its neck, chop off its head, pluck its feathers, and boil it! And they were hungry enough to do it.
Several years later, Eli went on Trek with our stake in Montana. They went to Martin's Cove in Wyoming, and this time, the stake president felt strongly that the kids be well fed. No more slaughtering their own chickens or walking all day long without food. Eli said the food was decent, and they never went hungry. Who's to say if this took away from the whole experience, but I for one was glad to know my son was fed.
And then came Seth. Two weeks ago, he went on Trek with our stake here in Utah. They traveled all the way to Martin's Cove, Wyoming, the same place Eli went. Apparently, this particular stake believes in gourmet Trek food. One meal included brisket with "amazing" barbecue sauce, corn bread with honey butter, homemade potato chips, and salad with Olive Garden dressing. Then one morning they had crepes with cinnamon and sugar and homemade jam. Seth never ate so well in his life! Coming from our family, that's not saying a lot, but still.
Trek is an incredible experience, regardless of the way food is handled, and I'm glad Seth got to go. Right up there with EFY, it has been the highlight of his summer so far.
Haha! My experience was similar to Shulamith's. We basically starved the first day and had flavorless lentil soup for dinner, and then flavorless oatmeal the next morning. That night we killed chickens and made chicken soup. We were so hungry we didn't care. At least we had enough water and Gatorade, though. Apparently the year before I went they rationed the water, but the kids were dropping like flies so they decided that was a bad idea. Duh.
ReplyDeleteReally, Katie? They even rationed water? It's one thing to want to make the experience as genuine as possible, but I'd be hesitant to send my child if I thought he wouldn't have water. Seth tends to get dehydrated even when there is plenty to drink; that would make me very nervous! But the leaders here really stressed hydration. They told the kids they needed to be drinking water every two hours as they walked, whether they felt thirsty or not.
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