During the school holidays, a unique and challenging event took place in the hills of Glen Huon, where about eighty young people from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, along with thirty adults, embarked on a four-day trek that paid homage to the pioneering spirit of the 1800s.
Dressed in traditional pioneer attire, these modern-day adventurers pulled handcarts through the countryside, recreating the experience of the historical handcart pioneers who travelled to Utah.
After months of preparation, the group formed handcart ‘families’ composed of a ‘Ma and Pa’ and their ‘children’.
These families were modelled after real-life pioneers who crossed the American plains, bringing with them only the bare necessities.
The event gave participants a chance to reflect on the sacrifices of the past, encouraging them to think about their own heritage and the pioneers within their own families, no matter where those journeys began or ended.
A unique aspect of the trek was the disconnection from modern conveniences.
Before embarking on the trip, all technology devices along with other modern-day conveniences like confectionary were willingly (well, almost) surrendered, creating an atmosphere where participants could fully immerse themselves in the experience.
The journey began at ‘Iowa City,’ a makeshift village that served as the departure point.
After loading their handcarts, the families set off with cheering locals seeing them off.
Over the course of the trek, the group travelled approximately thirty-two kilometres, navigating both roadways and bush tracks.
At one point, a steep hill required the use of a block-and-tackle pulley system to help pull the heavy carts up the incline.
One of the most moving moments of the trek was the ‘Women’s Pull,’ where the young women and their ‘Ma’s’ worked together to pull a handcart weighing up to 350 kilograms up a steep hill.
This reenacted a historical event from the pioneer days when women were left without male support due to the men being called to serve in the Mexican War.
As the young men cheered them on, the sight of around forty women working together in unity was a powerful reminder of the strength and determination of those early pioneers.
The handcarts used during the trek were crafted with great care.
While the frames were made locally, the wheels were specially ordered from New South Wales.
The journey was tough, and nighttime brought little in the way of comforts, with only tarpaulins providing shelter.
However, the participants were provided with one small luxury: port-a-loos, which were transported by vehicles.
Despite the challenges, including sore muscles, jack jumper bites, and blisters, the group embraced their adventure.
Pioneer-style games were played in the evenings, and the final night concluded with a lively bush dance.
Despite the sore muscles, everybody agreed they had had a wonderful time, and many were already talking about doing it all again in three years when the event is planned to return.
