Seems like this is forced upon the members for some reason.

Stories of heat exhaustion and even a death as I recall.

Family members using phrases like "getting ready for this bloody trek" and other less flattering descriptions.

This was never something that was a thing when I was active, so who started it and why did it get to be such a big deal?

I get all the pioneer hardship reminders, but this seems ill-conceived.

Anyone been on one of these ordeals?

I've been wondering the same thing. I have friends that have been the ma and pa. Seems ridiculous to me. I'm so happy that they didn't do these things when I was growing up in the 70's and 80's or I would have had to do it. It was bad enough working at the stake farm.

Stupor O. Thought Wrote:
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> It was bad
> enough working at the stake farm.


It was a bitter sweet thing for me. I got more calories in the summers from the stake farm.

I just want to say that Stupor O. Thought is one of the best nicknames I have ever seen.

Thank you. I've been checking in on this forum for about 20 years now. I rarely post though. I thought it was a good play on words since GA's, etc all seem to use their middle initial. What's the deal with that anyway? I'm so happy to have left the momo's behind.

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

It was either trek, or hauling a big-ass crucifixion cross over your shoulder from one ARCO station to another...

Tough choice, but that's why the prophet gets paid the big bucks.

Suck factor. You can’t have Mormonism without it.

gemini Wrote:
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> I get all the pioneer hardship reminders, but this
> seems ill-conceived.

Modern Mormonism is all about trials of faith - physical and mental.

Trek is the same as hazing. You must endure some kind of hardship to be part of the tribe.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/2019 12:03PM by Dave the Atheist.

Is this a replacement? It seems stupid to me. Torture. I don't deal well with heat and never have. I've had to go to the ER twice for getting overheated in the summer--that was as a teenager at Bear Lake.

My daughter was a leader at camp this year--not the main leader. A lot of stuff fell to her. She had to help get 8 girls to the shore of Porcupine Dam as the wind came up and they were having a hard time getting in. She had to take them in one by one. None of the other leaders were swimming. She hated it. I can't imagine how she'd feel about trek!!!

The cult can guilt members into this so-called-bonding-with-the-pioneers, making said members feel this is also a must to show respect.

I believe some of the thinking is, "If the brave pioneers can do it, why so can I."

By the way, who doesn't think the pioneers would have hopped on the nearest airplane if it had been an option?

Does anyone remember those?

cl2 Wrote:
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> Does anyone remember those?


I do! I'd forgotten about them until I read your question. Those were great fun! I remember riding my tricycle in the parade with crepe paper streamers woven into the spokes of the wheel. I'm 72 so you know that was a long time ago.

with crepe paper, too.

And no heatstroke, dehydration, etc.

Hunger, lack of sleep, dehydration, heat stroke, illness, injury, all make for a wonderfully special spiritual experience.

So it's a vision quest?

I remember the first year "trek" was offered. It was run either by a BYU group or a private company.

We were told it was one day pulling a cart followed by three days of camp activities.

We were promised black powder shooting, canoeing, horseback riding and a special outdoor sacrament meeting.

We were told it was coed and we'd meet lots of people.

What threw me off was that they were going to search us when we got there and take away anything not period appropriate.

I chose not to go.

It turned out the pulled a handcart all day with no food. The activities promised never appeared.

Somehow along the way, it turned into a mandatory activity with adults being called to go.

I see no value in it. It has nothing to do with most people's ancestors.

Now a transcontinental train ride in a steam locomotive might be worthwhile.

Now cut that out !!! *LOL*

The purpse?
To reinforce the idiocy of Brigham's Folly!

I was always worried about being “ called as a “ ma and pa”, but I sure didn’t flinch when it came to our kids going on trek because we were told it would be an experience that would make them grateful for the suffering the pioneers went through. I was TBM to the max and thought it be great for them. Instead, my daughter almost got run over by a handcart, our other daughter wound up doing all of the hard work of the pull, and our son almost got lost at night when he needed to use the bathroom. The only pleasant things about trek for them was hearing the sheep at night and then when it was over and they got popsicles.

We celebrated Pioneer Day as children by dressing up in pioneer costumes or some children got to dress as seagulls or locusts for the "miracle of the seagulls" event that supposedly occurred to save the day for Utah farmers during a drought.

Then we had a pageant and our parade. But we didn't have to go hungry or thirsty or go on a long pioneer trek.

I'm surprised there are pockets of church sponosored activities still doing this after a woman died several years ago from dehydration on one of the treks. It opens up too many potential liability risks for the church's legal department. It has shut down so many other potential liability risks regarding church sponsored activities, why not this one?

They will probably be phazed out eventually. They should rent out the camping locations more often and have church events.

I've had some family members participate and rarely have I've heard good things to make them want to do it again the next time around.

”TREK! What is it good for?!

HUU! Absolutely Nuthin!!”

^^FTW^^

You can say that again elderolddog.

I was forced to go one of those stupid "treks" as a teenager. They didn't bring enough food and water for everyone because of our stupid leaders lack of planning. And I ended up getting a tick burrow in the head of my winky!!! Not a pleasant experience to remove one of those little buggers from that area.

The next year the bishop asked why I wasn't going and I told him, "Let a tick burrow in the head of your dick and see how you like it when it is removed!" We didn't talk much after that exchange.

One word: manipulation.

LDS Inc. uses manipulation to control their flock. Manipulation works best on the vulnerable: the weak, exhausted, hungry, depressed, fearful and guilt-ridden members. Manipulation does not work so well when everyone is happy. Seems the "spirit" likes to be around sorrow and suffering.

I've never been on a Trek. I don't think it is bad thing to educate people about the hardships their ancestors went through. Gratitude is a good thing. But to manipulate an event to tug at the heartstrings and then use it mostly for a testimony building experience, is wrong. I think the main purpose of the event is to guilt members into remaining active in a church their ancestors suffered for.

Same with the play, Saturday's Warrior. Force a bunch of hormonal teenaged girls to watch the emotionally manipulative play at youth camp and you will have a room full of crying teenagers who will testify that the "church is true" in the testimony meeting afterwards.

LDS Inc. used to have activities that were purely fun: Roadshow, dance festival, Gold & Green Ball, basketball tournaments, Halloween parties, Olympic events. There were no testimony meetings attached - just fun. Seems that today all activities are testimony building. Sad.

If you can imagine those trekkers, hauling crap over the plains, dumping it, pain and pain, water and falling asleep on dirt.

And us, using airplanes, cars, trains, highways. canned fruit, drinks, milk from the corner store. Knowing the weather from day to day, week to week. Flashlights. Grubhub. Doctors. 911.

Would those pioneers seeing these days actually wonder about the sanity of people trekking when they would have used airplanes in a flash. Granted it might be like taking your kids camping and fishing when walking and carrying all your gear to the lake.

If they really wanted to be authentic they should have MiaMaid auctions.

If the mormies really want a true taste of our ancestor's travails they should trek through a few winter storms such as the Willy-Martin party endured.

To go boldly where men have gone before.

I was forced to go on the Trek back in the mid 90's when I was a teenager. But back then it was called The Pioneer Trek. I don't know why the name change. I don't know the purpose of it either. We can learn about history without having to reenact it. It was an awful experience. I was on my period (sorry for TMI), but I was also dehydrated, and COVERED in mosquito bites. Also, our bishop had something happen to him (it might have been a heart attack...it's hard for me to remember) and he had to be air-lifted out of there because we were up in a rural part of the mountains. Anyway, I hated every minute of it!