Mormon trek reenactment imparts valuable lessons
OCOTILLO — While many took the time to indulge in a relaxing spring break vacation recently, a group of about 75 local Mormon youth spent their vacation time participating in three days worth of hard labor for a meaningful religious experience.
From April 5 to April 7, female and male youths ages 12 to 18 endured two nights and three days of pushing wooden handcarts through the mountainous terrain of Blair Valley here to reenact and commemorate their Mormon pioneer ancestors that traveled state to state.
Specially, youths attempted to reenact at a much smaller scale when their Mormon ancestors traveled with handcarts from Illinois to Utah in the 1850s seeking religious freedom.
The youths in the trek were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, otherwise known as Mormons, and belonged to a congregation in the city they reside in.
Congregations are classified as either a ward or branch, such as the El Centro Ward or the Imperial Branch, based on its size, with the smaller being a branch.
While it’s common for similar reenactments to be held throughout the county, it was the first time a trek reenactment has been held locally.
“We felt like it would be a real growing spiritual experience for our youth out there,” Toni Fairbanks, a seminary teacher at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said. “And it has been. I think when you realize what those who came before you sacrificed and when you get a glimpse of the sacrifice they went through, it makes you appreciate what you have.”
Accompanied by adult chaperons and a medic for safety, the youths had the task of pushing and pulling wooden carts filled with supplies, such as sleeping bags, food, water and extra clothing, across 13 miles of sand and dirt terrain.
The trek started on Highway 78 just south of Julian, traveled down Rodriguez Canyon to County Route S2, went up Box Canyon then finished at the Blair Valley campground.
There were ten carts in total, each equipped with steel axles and weighting about 400 pounds, Fairbanks recalled.
Manning each cart were groups known as “families.” Each family consisted of about 11 members, two of them being adult chaperons with the titles of “Ma” and “Pa” and the rest being youths. Members of the families were not biologically related, and 10 pairs of Ma’s and Pa’s were chosen by the trek’s planning committee.
Families traveled a certain amount of miles each day, navigating their way to checkpoints where they set up camp and spent the night.
Each participant was dressed in clothing similar to their pioneer ancestors, which made the experience that much more difficult yet authentic, Savannah Cook of Brawley Ward admitted.
“Athletic wear today really gives you mobility,” Cook said. “The long skirts we wore were definitely hard to get around in, especially as you’re dodging cacti and stepping onto boulders.”
The 17-year-old also said she could not believe that her ancestors embarked on such journeys wearing sandals or lesser quality shoes, as cactus thorns still managed to poke through her soles into the bottom of her feet.
Dealing with cactus and its thorns seemed to be a common problem throughout the trek for Cook and the rest of the reenactment members.
“I remember one night I fell asleep in my sleeping bag under the stars, and I woke up with about 17 needles all over my body that were blowing in the wind,” Cook said.
Cook participated in the trek alongside her 12-year-old sister Chantel. Her parents weren’t active members of the reenactment, although were at each checkpoint helping to prepare meals.
“For me, the trek was more than just a reenactment crossing,” Cook said. “It was for us individually to learn that we can grow to understand the things that god puts in our path.”
Just one mile before reaching the finish line in the trek, which Mormons refer to as Zion, Cook’s family ran out of water. Each of the 10 carts was equipped with five gallons of water and a number of water bottles.
“It didn’t really matter to me, I was just so excited to finally be done,” Cook said. “When we had finally reached Zion, I had this new energy and joy that I wanted to just run around. I then realized we’re so blessed nowadays to have air conditioning as well as doctors and water on hand. Our ancestors didn’t have all that, and still scarified going through all of this so we could worship freely. I think it made us recognize the things in life we take for granted. I can’t imagine going for months on end like they did.” During spring break is one of the few times Isabel Cuevas, 16, of El Centro Second Ward gets an opportunity to see her dad each year. This left Cuevas with a tough decision of partaking in the trek or seeing her father.
“Since he lives in San Francisco, I only see him like four or five times a year,” Cuevas said. “So if I went on the trek, I would have to give up three days out of the whole week I could’ve spent with him. It was spring break, we all had activities we wanted to do. I did go see my father, but I decided to make the time to come out and participate.”
Participating in the trek was a worthwhile decision for the 16-yearold, who brought along her 11-year-old sister Emily.
“I’ve felt inactive in my church lately, and the trek was more of a family experienced,” Cuevas said. “It united people together. It’s also very spiritual because it was very tough.”
Cuevas’ family was one of the smallest families in trek with only six members.
“Some carts broke and trails didn’t even look like trails, they were steep and narrow,” Cuevas said. “You had to rely on each other.”
The 16-year-old noted it was evident when one member of the family wasn’t pushing or pulling, and the wagon would only move if all members were putting forth an effort.
“At times you don’t have people you could rely on, but with the church in the trek you always got that comfort and knew you didn’t have to do it alone,” said Cuevas. “In fact, you realize you can’t do it alone, and to achieve and go further, you have to have people walking beside you. I think that was the biggest thing I learned.”