By NICKI WILPULA - community@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon
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Ken and Cathe Dickey of Kingsville and three of their 16 children took a step back in time last week as part of a youth pioneer trek. More than 200 youths and their adult leaders put modern conveniences aside for three days to gain a deeper understanding of their pioneer heritage, a greater appreciation for family and develop a stronger faith in the Savior. Much like the early pioneers of the Mormon Church in the 1800s, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from the Youngstown and Akron Stakes walked 20 miles, pulling handcarts in the scorching July sun. They took along only the bare necessities, rationing their food and water, sleeping under the starlit skies at night.
Youth and leaders gathered Thursday morning at Pymatuning State Park in Jamestown, Pa., where they were divided into families, each led by a “Ma” and a “Pa” -- volunteer couples who have been training for many months to ensure the youth have a positive experience.
Ken and Cathe Dickey were “Ma” and “Pa” to about 10 youths, none of them their own children. Cathe said the youths are purposely put with people who are not their own family and not from their own congregations. It’s part of the learning experience. Tyler, Travis and Cassandra Dickey were all assigned to other families.
The youths had previously been instructed what things they needed to bring and what things were not allowed, such as video games and cell phones, extra snacks. There would only be room for necessities. The heavier the handcart, the harder it would be to pull.
Cathe said the youths are required to do the work. “Ma’s” and “Pa’s” are there to lead, encourage and love their children.
Joshua Snyder of Rootstown, company captain, said 10 or 12 percent of the pioneers who traveled west were handcart companies. The handcart is a wooden box, approximately 3-feet by 4-feet, centered over a single axle with wagon-style wheels. Extended from the front box of the handcart there is a cross-bar against which the persons pulling the cart can lean into the load and pull.
As the company prepared to leave, Snyder told the youth that what they were about to do was going to be tough, just like life can be.
“Take each other’s burdens. Help each other along the way,” Snyder said. “I promise you the Lord will carry you. Think of getting driven from your homes right now. You have to leave everything behind.”
The trail
Trek director and trail boss was Jim Moore of the Youngstown Ward. He said finding a good site for the trek was a huge issue. The trail needed to be manageable, but not too easy. Several sites were considered and trek organizers walked the trails to find one that would fit into their plans. An old abandoned railroad bed was chosen, starting at Jamestown and ending in Dorset. Where the trail passed through private property, permission from the property owners had to be obtained. Where the pioneers had to cross a main road, organizers had to check with proper authorities and obtain any needed permission.
Plans had to be made for rest stops, places where they could refill water containers and enough room for portable toilets. Preparations had to be made for variables in the weather and emergency plans.
It was the job of Joe Gruber of Pulaski, Pa., and Bill Betts of Hartford to assemble the 17 handcarts and get them to the park. They also moved the portable toilets to the designated rest stops and camps. And when two handcarts were crippled with broken wheels, they came to the rescue. The wheels were replaced and the pioneers were back on the trail.
Back camp
Steve Pocock of the Canton Ward, Akron Stake, was co-director of the trek and back camp manager. He was overseer of the food crew, equipment handlers, photography crew, activities crew, water truck, vehicle handlers. Pocock said they even had to bring in equipment to move a concrete barrier on the trail and then replace it after the handcarts passed through.
A medical crew under the direction of Dr. Paul McPherson of the Youngstown Ward was kept busy making sure the company had a safe and healthy experience. Several members of the company were nurses who also kept a watchful eye over the pioneers. With Thursday’s heat and humidity everyone was encouraged to drink plenty of water. A few people were having problems with the heat and there was a sprained ankle and some bruises. Ma’s and Pa’s were given plenty of moleskin in their first aid supplies to treat the inevitable blisters.
Unanticipated
danger
In one section of the trail, about half of a wooden trestle remains where the railroad at one time crossed a ravine. Plans were that the company would go around the trestle and permission was granted from one of the nearby property owners for them to pass through. Just a day or two before the trek, permission was withdrawn. They could not leave the trail. The only alternative - use ropes and pulleys to raise the handcarts up the 30 foot wall and over the side of the trestle remains to catch the other side of the trail.
They had to empty the handcarts, make an assembly line and pass all the supplies up to another person waiting on the trestle. Others backed the handcarts into the ravine. Then each handcart was attached to a pulley and a team up on top of the trestle pulled the handcart up the side of the wall. The procedure was repeated 17 times until all handcarts were safely on the other side.
“It was tough, but everybody helped,” said Tyler Dickey.
“I’m afraid of heights,” Cathe Dickey said. “But it didn’t bother me because I knew it was something I had to do. I had to be an example. The kids knew I was afraid, but they were wonderful. They offered to take my hand. These kids are like my real kids.”
“It’s amazing to me how the kids took over and worked together,” Ken Dickey said. “They didn’t even know each other before this.”
Dr. McPherson said the trestle was the most dangerous part of the trek and one girl did pinch her hand on the pulley.
“I was very pleased we did not have any further injuries,” McPherson said.
The women’s pull
The handcarts finally back on the trail, the company moved out. They had not gone far when a horse and rider galloped up, making an announcement that the men were needed to go off to war. It was a reenactment of the U.S. Army’s plea for volunteers to fight the war with Mexico, June 1846. With the men off to serve in the Mormon Battalion, the women were left to draw on their own strength. In a simulation of that historic event, the boys and men were separated from the company, leaving the girls to pull the handcarts alone.
“The women’s pull was very emotional,” said James Kirk, president of the Youngstown Stake. “As the boys and men watched, the girls were determined to do it. It was the worst part of the trail. The wheels sunk down into the mud. The boys wanted to help them so badly.”
“It’s been hard. It makes me appreciate the pioneers all the more,” said Cassandra Dickey. “When the girls had to pull, we just said ‘the pioneers did it and we can do it too.’”
On Thursday the group came short of their planned destination because of the time it took to get all 17 handcarts over the trestle. A generous property owner offered his freshly mowed field for the night. On Friday the pioneers reached a farm on Stanhope-Kelloggsville Road.
Fun times, too
The pioneer experience did include some fun. Each family worked together as a unit with plenty of opportunity to get to know each other. Singing songs at times helped to lighten the load as they pulled along. On Friday there was time for some fun activities and even an old-fashioned hoe-down.
Kirk said the trek could not have gone better. “The unexpected things were anticipated and welcome because of the lessons we’re trying to teach our youth,” he said.
The pioneers, tired and dirty but in good spirits, trekked the final three miles into Dorset to be picked up by their parents Saturday evening.
Moore said challenges are what build character, but the purpose of the trek is really for them to grow closer to the Savior.
“Our dependence on the Lord is really what it’s all about,” said Moore. “There hasn’t been a day go by that I haven’t asked the Lord to bless these kids. They are a great group of kids.”
