Trek 2025, Bountiful Utah Stake

What if you experience a medical emergency on the trail? We will have a medical team that will take care of you. Of course, most of us will go through Trek with no problem at all. Still, it is comforting to know that we will have medical professionals with us just in case they are needed. And if you have a tooth ache while on Trek, I doubt you'll have your tooth extracted.  Dental Emergencies “Luke Johnson, traveling with the vanguard company in 1847, pulled teeth. William Clayton wrote on April 20, soon after they got on the trail: ‘After Brother Luke Johnson had got through distributing fish, I … asked him to draw my tooth. He willingly agreed. And getting his instruments, I set down in a chair, he lanced the gum, and took his nippers and jerked it out. The whole operation did not take more than one minute. He only got half the original tooth, the balance being left in the jaw. After this my head and face pained me much more than before.’ It was two days of severe pain before C...

We can use God's gifts to build up His kingdom. Those gifts come in all forms and might be unique to us.  The Life of Carlos Pedraja: A Bolivian Pioneer In 1965, Carlos Pedraja encountered Latter-day Saint missionaries in Cochabamba. After reading the Book of Mormon overnight, he declared, "I knew that it was of God" and was baptized shortly after. Following a two-year delay when his paperwork was lost, Carlos served in the South Andes mission. As part of "Los Hermanos Mormones" performing group, he helped fund Bolivia's first Church-built meetinghouse through record sales, exemplifying early Bolivian converts who embraced and shared their faith. The above summary was created using AI. Please see Carlos Pedraja full story at:  https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/global-histories/bolivia/stories-of-faith/bo-01-i-knew?lang=eng

This practice may not have been universal and perhaps there were emergencies that required Sunday travel. Still, I suspect that George Whitaker's observation was often the norm. An historical question for our family historians to research. How did your ancestors observe the Sabbath on the trail? Sabbath Observance “In the Iowa camps of 1846, George Whitaker, a young teamster for Parley P. Pratt, wrote: ‘We never traveled on Sunday. We always rested on that day. We would put on our Sunday clothes and have a meeting. We always tried to camp by a grove of trees on Saturday night so that we could meet in the shade on Sunday. We enjoyed our meeting just as well as though we were in a fine meeting house.’” *Please forgive my attempt to use ChatGPT to create an image to represent Sunday worship on the trail. Came across a bit too formal. But they now have smiles. My first results were very somber. :)

Throughout Church history, God has spoken to some of his children through dreams to help build the Church and to bless them. Realizing a Dream: Olivier and Blandine Zadi As a 10-year-old, Olivier Zadi promised neighborhood girl Blandine he would marry her and "stay with her for fifty years at least." After encountering Mormon missionaries in university, Olivier was baptized, leading 17 family members to join. Following Blandine's baptism in 1994, they married and prioritized saving for a temple sealing. In Johannesburg, Olivier felt God say, "Now I'm realizing your dream." Their relationship transformed afterward, with Blandine taking spiritual leadership in their home—a fulfillment of childhood dreams. The above summary was created using AI. Please see Olivier and Blandine Zadi full story at: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/global-histories/ivory-coast/stories-of-faith/ci-02-realizing-a-dream?lang=eng 

Your wearing pioneer clothing is a big part of the Trek experience. Imagine if you were on the trail for 4 months rather than 4 days. At some point, you would need to wash your clothes. Historically, "wash day" was on Monday. It would be interesting to see if that tradition continued on the trail.  Laundry Day “In 1848 Emily Dow Partridge Young, one of Brigham’s plural wives, left a charming and highly romanticized account of ‘wash day’ on the trail: ‘Once a week we stopped for a general wash day. Fires would be kindled here and there, children sent for wood to keep them up; tubs, washboards, and other thing used in washing would be dragged forth from places in the wagons; posts fixed in the ground and where there were not bushes enough, the lines stretched from one [post] to the other; and everyone doing something, if it was only singing a lively song or whistling a merry tune to keep the workers in good humor. In the morning the train of wagons would be off again, clean a...

Six weeks from today, you will be somewhere on the trail. Are you ready? Trek is a great excuse to go for a hike. There are some amazing trails around Bountiful. Below is a link to a National Park Service article, "Hike Smart." It's a good idea to hike with someone else. Be sure to take plenty of water and something to eat for energy. There may be other supplies that you should take along. Finally, break in the shoes or boots that you'll wear to Trek.  https://www.nps.gov/articles/hiking-safety.htm Starting next week, we'll recommend some great hikes in the area. Feel free to share some of your favorites in the comments section below.

Do you like to dance? Why or why not? Dancing was a big part of trail life, especially at Winter Quarters, as it will be on Trek. You would think that at the end of a long day of walking, the last thing pioneers would want to do is be on their feet some more. But after chores were done, pioneers liked to have some fun that included dancing. I hope you feel connected to the pioneers when you kick up your heels on Trek. “In February 1847, Brigham Young urged those who were well enough at Winter Quarters to ‘dance all night … I want you to sing and dance and forget your troubles. … Let’s have some music and all of you dance … dance all night if you desire to, for there is no harm in it.’ The dance chased away the blues where [Latter-day Saints] camped in the fall of 1846 and the winter of 1846-47. Dancing was probably the number one diversion during that time.” Selection from Stanley B. and Violet T. Kimball's 2011 book, Villages on Wheels: A Social History of the Gathering to Zion.

Christ commands his followers to love their enemies. At times, that commandment can seem impossible. Church history is full of inspiring stories of disciples of Jesus Christ who received strength to do just that. On Trek, it will be essential that we practice the Christian virtues of patience, forgiveness, and love. When your Trek family members start to get on your nerves, think of Kimberly Sang and others who found a way to forgive and, as a result, have God's peace fill their hearts. Christ Taught Us to Love Our Enemies: Kimberly Sang's Journey Kimberly Sang survived the Khmer Rouge regime that killed her father and brother. After escaping to Thailand and later moving to Oakland, she embraced the Church in 1981, saying, "I felt clean and ready to help make the world better." While serving her mission in Missouri, Kimberly taught former Khmer Rouge soldiers. "I knew they were my former enemies, but Christ taught us to love our enemies." Through prayer, s...

Don't worry, you will not be required to collect cow dung to cook your food. We have a food committee who is planning nutritious and delicious menus for Trek and helping arrange for clean, reliable fuel sources for your cooking needs. Still, I suspect you will encounter plenty of "meadow muffins" where we're headed if you were sad to not receive the full pioneer experience. “By far the most universal trail fuel was dung from the innumerable buffalo that had not yet been massacred to near-extinction in the 1840s and 1850s. This fuel went by a variety of names: buffalo chips, bois de vache (“wood of the cow”), meadow muffins, prairie coal, or cow pies. It is not surprising that dried dung burned; it was mainly grass. However, it burned quickly, as much as two or three bushels being required for the typical meal. It also had to be very dry, could not be used in stoves, and left many ashes. It burned without visible flames, like charcoal, and was also oderless, although ...

On this Mother's Day, it is good to reflect on the central role moms play in our lives. On Trek, each of you will be assigned a "Ma" and "Pa" to play the role of parents: to love you, to watch out for your happiness and well-being, to make sure you do your chores :), and to help make Trek an amazing experience for you. Sometimes, our earthly mothers aren't there for us physically. That was the case for Lydie Zebo Bahie whose mom and dad passed away when she was young. Lydie Zebo Bahie is one of many Latter-day Saint pioneers who established the Church in new lands. Doors of Life and Happiness: Lydie Zebo Bahie's Journey After losing both parents, Lydie Zebo Bahie fell into depression. "My mother had been everything to me," she recalled. While staying with her sister, Lydie discovered the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "The sisters welcomed me so warmly, I felt I had almost found my parents again." Following her 199...

What was life like for the pioneers who gathered to Zion in the 19th century? How similar or different will our experiences be at Trek?  We'll share glimpses of pioneer trail life over the next 46 days.   “[Latter-day Saint] women seldom had tables or chairs, meaning that they had to perch on wagon tongues with their plates in their laps to eat and from which they fed their youngsters. If they were not lucky enough to have a small stove in their wagon (which required constant climbing in and out), they had to cook over an open fire. Smoke and dangling hair got in their eyes. Their backs ached from the constant stooping. Their clothing could blow into the flames if they were not constantly alert. Cooking in a rain or windstorm redoubled the difficulty. Sometimes women held an umbrella over themselves and tended the fire and food with the other hand.” Selection from Stanley B. and Violet T. Kimball's 2011 book, Villages on Wheels: A Social History of the Gathering to Zion.

The Bountiful Utah Stake Trek will be from June 25th to the 28th. The goal of these blog posts is to get you excited for this incredible experience. From now until we leave in 47 days, please check in for descriptions of 19th-century pioneer trail life to stories of pioneers across time and around the globe. Why start the countdown at 47 days? Have you ever attended the "Days of 47" parade or rodeo in Salt Lake City? Those celebrations commemorate the arrival of Latter-day Saint pioneers to the Great Salt Lake Valley in July, 1847. 47 seemed like a great number with symbolic meaning. Throughout the 19th-century, tens of thousands of Latter-day Saints traveled to Zion in the Intermountain West of the United States. Many walked here along trails. By preparing for Trek, we hope to not only celebrate the pioneers who settled in the American West, but also discover the inspiring stories of Latter-day Saint pioneers across history. Trek will be here before you know it. Enjoy the en...