11 Days Until Trek - Realities of Trail Life

Doing challenging things with other fallible, imperfect human beings can be trying, to say the least. Poor weather can heighten already difficult times. Into this pressure cooker that could be trail life, distinct or even rough personalities could exacerbate hard feelings. A little perspective, patience, good-humor, forgiveness, and just trying to put yourself in others' shoes will go a long way to making your own Trek experience even better.

"While many of the pioneers, especially the youngsters, found the travel pleasant, the reality included cold rain, blistering heat, strong winds, stampeding cattle, barking dogs, scared sheep, mooing cattle, and squealing pigs. Wolves howled in the distance, children cried, teenagers yelled back and forth, women wept for comforts left behind, men threatened each other, parents quarreled, and mosquitoes and other insects feasted on the hapless victims. (The real tragedies of the fourth and fifth handcart companies were unrepresentative of the migration as a whole.) Occasionally, someone was disfellowshipped or threatened with punishment.

"‘None but Saints could be happy under these conditions,’ Eliza R. Snow had written earlier in Iowa. Rain and lightning were the main culprits in some camps where everything seemed to go awry. Tents blew down, wagons were blown into the river or away from camp, water soaked everything, everyone got drenched, and some grain had to be thrown away. Rainy weather prevented any food from being prepared unless a large tent was available.

"Patty Sessions captured another scene when her company was not far from the valley in 1847: ‘Had a meeting to settle a quarrel. Cut 3 off from the church. … Had a fuss with Sister Hunter and family this morning. … Sister Hunter would not come. [W]e took the children along [and she said] Perrigrine [Patty’s son] shall be kiled for she has backers. … Br Pratt took her [and] had her bound with a cord and put under guard.’"

Selection from Stanley B. and Violet T. Kimball's 2011 book, Villages on Wheels: A Social History of the Gathering to Zion.

AI-critique. This is version 2. The first one had a disembodied arm raised in anger coming up from behind the man on the right. What do you think they are arguing about? One wagon cutting off another? We'll all strive to not follow this example and keep our emotions in check.