Local youth organize four-day pioneer reenactment

If you ventured out to Jim Creek over the first weekend of June, you were probably met with an unexpected sight. Clear bluebird skies, yes. Majestic lofty mountains, yes. Hundreds of teens dressed as pioneers pushing handcarts, what? Spread out for a quarter mile over the dunes in a single file line, they looked like a blast from the past, and that was exactly the goal.

Youth in the Palmer stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organized a four-day pioneer reenactment. The purpose was to provide a snippet of the daily life of the Mormon Pioneers from the 1850s, and to reconnect and honor church history and the ancestors who came before, blazing trails of courage, faith, but most of all, sheer grit.

Trailboss Amy Harmon, organizer of the event, remarked, “This experience was tough. It’s hard to pull a handcart through burning sand and frigid glacial rivers in 80+ degrees. Upon arriving in camp, the kids would set up tents, start a fire with flint and steel, prepare and cook their meals, and then spend time playing pioneer games or dancing.”

She then went on to say, “I loved seeing the confidence these kids gained in just four days as they worked together, overcame challenges, developed true friendships, and realized some of their own talents and strengths.”

The organizers of this year’s trek put a lot of thought and care into the formation of the “families.” Made up of a Ma, a Pa, a big brother, a big sister, and four to six younger siblings, each trek family became an environment that allowed every individual to develop lasting relationships with people whom they may never have interacted with before, use their own talents and strengths to become a vital part of a team, and grow in ways they didn’t realize they could.

I had the best trek family, but funnily enough, most participants felt the same way. Jordan Breshears proudly exclaimed that they “had the best, most perfect family ever. I wouldn’t change it for the world.” “Pa Breshears,” beautifully summed up the thoughts of all: “The bonds of friendship within our Trek-assigned, patchwork families became a familial camaraderie we’ll cherish for the rest of our lives.”

The theme of Trek 2022 was “Joy in the Journey.” Reiterated over and over again not only during the actual experience, but also during the months-long preparation beforehand, the participants were encouraged to look for the miracles, blessings, and joys that can and do occur…even when in the midst of hard trials.

Josh Baczuk, a trekee from Valdez commented, “I haven’t felt as much joy as I did on Trek in my life in a really, really long time.”

John Magalhaes, along with a handful of others, traveled all the way from Juneau in order to join the Palmer stake on this year’s Trek. He explained, “It’s not only about finding joy in the journey, but also experiencing the journey of your joy…meaning that the hardships themselves are the tool used to find that joy. You would not be able to have joy without knowing sadness.”

The youth who participated in this experience grew to know that in order to understand true, lasting happiness you must also come to know heartache and sorrow. Trials and burdens inevitably arise, but if you’re looking for it you can always, always find joy along the way.

I personally did not want to go on Trek, in fact, I dreaded it. As someone who is usually vehemently opposed to camping under normal circumstances, the thought of doing so while essentially cosplaying my pioneer ancestors and pushing a heavily-laden handcart through icy glacial rivers, filthy silt dunes, and mosquito-infested forests sounded like my personal hell.

However, a wise man once said, “I don’t know what it is, but you put kids in pioneer clothes and amazing things happen.” And it’s true. Amazing things happened. And while numb feet, lungfuls of silt, and more mosquito bites than I can count did come to pass, so did peals of laughter ringing through camp, late night conversations that put my heart at ease, and once in a lifetime memories that I am so grateful I got to live through.

It comes down to this: trek is unique because it gives youth real life opportunities to overcome trials in their lives. For some of the teens, the physical work of pushing a handcart loaded with all the supplies needed for a ten-member family through hard terrain was a trial. For others, it was spending four straight days and nights within a family where they most likely didn’t know anyone. For some the trial was navigating the complex social relationships that abound when hundreds of teens are put in close contact with one another for days on end.

Still, other crosses to bear included going multiple days in a row without showering, enduring unseasonably hot weather, learning to ask for help or rely on others when times get tough, and being away from their real families for an extended period of time.

Regardless of how trials manifested in their lives, every individual who participated in this unique experience proved that they are strong enough, brave enough, and have enough grit to look their own personal hardships in the eye and say, “I will prevail,” and then actually do so.