Andergram Adventures: Pioneer Trek

This post is mostly for my adult children who all had the “Pioneer Trek” experience in Salt Lake City. Their experience was a “rough camp” experience with pulling a wooden handcart, eating ash cakes; the woman’s pull, sleeping under the stars and walking all day long in pioneer attire. I have heard the stories from all four as they returned and laughed at their dismay as what that experience was supposed to simulate.

This past week the youth of China gathered just outside of Beijing for their Youth conference Pioneer Trek! I would never have imagined that Pioneer Trek complete with handcarts (Chinese Style) would be part of China. All the expat youth in the entire country of China gathered in Beijing. The Guangzhou youth reported their experience to me on Sunday. It was an amazing feat.

They were only allowed to take a “carry on” luggage to the airport and it was a pillowcase with very few personal items and a change of clothes. No problems getting through Chinese airport security. It was decided they could not show up in Pioneer clothes at airports all over China that would absolutely raise a red Chinese flag. Those long skirts, bonnets and cowboy hats were tucked away nicely in the pillowcases.

Not many Pioneer Trekkers arrive by plane, but the China kids did. They were picked up at the Beijing International airport, no delay at the luggage carousel, those pillowcases made the exit very quick. Busses took them to the designated location outside the city. Amazingly enough it looked similar to the Utah surroundings minus the mountains. They checked in their cell phone and electronic gadgets as they got off the bus. Now they really were ready for an ancient experience They loaded their gear and pillowcases in the handcarts, built campfires, sat on buckets, learned the Virginia Reel and lived on limited food rations for the weekend. They did not have ash cakes in the campfire however.

Their experience was still close and raw on Sunday as they explained it, but not one of them said they were sorry they went. I was probably the most amazed at the recreation of the Utah Pioneers. I shared with the Guangzhou Trekkers some of the stories that my own kids had told upon their return and suddenly they felt like their experience was “normal.” It turns out it really is a very small world.