Teens Take Pains to Reenact Mormon Trek

Less than a mile into an Ojai hike meant to simulate the journey of her Mormon ancestors, 18-year-old Tiffany Hobbs was ready to trade her long prairie skirts for a pair of blue jeans.

Fourteen-year-old Bobby West longed for a car.

And Brett Scherzberg, 14, said he felt “naked” without his skateboard.

But most of the 175 teenagers from Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Thousand Oaks said they felt confident they could make the 11-mile hike organized Friday to help them understand the hardships suffered by their Mormon ancestors as they journeyed west 150 years ago.

If only it weren’t so difficult.

Frustration mounted as wooden handcarts piled high with sleeping bags and foods broke down along Sulphur Mountain Road.

“This is the fourth time we have broken down,” complained Vivian Bird, a 14-year-old from Moorpark. “And we are way behind.”

Thank God for battery-powered drills. But even after screws were drilled back into place and the carts were rolling again, many teens were surprised how difficult they were to push.

Minutes after beginning, 16-year-old Amanda Tarnutzer of Thousand Oaks tired of pushing a wooden handcart. “That’s enough for me,” she said. “It’s enough to make me burn a sweat in two minutes.”

Lunch was no picnic either. Only water, hard rolls, apples and beef jerky.

But most of the teens found plenty of room to have fun, sharing responsibility for pushing carts and taking care of the babies--an odd collection of Cabbage Patch dolls and even one depicting Bart Simpson.

“I’m surprised how fun it is,” said 18-year-old Amy Isom as she bit into an apple.

Although power tools and a pickup truck towing a trailer with a toilet lessened their hardships, some teens strived for as authentic an experience as possible. They even chided a teen singing Jimi Hendrix tunes for being “un-pioneer-like.”

Most said the journey helped them learn what their ancestors went through on their flight from religious persecution in Illinois to present-day Salt Lake City, Utah.

“It helps us to see how hard it was for them and how tiring,” said 15-year-old Riley Maygren of Thousand Oaks.

And, of course, all said they would leave with a renewed appreciation of the creature comforts of the 20th century.

“It’s so easy now,” said 16-year-old Cory Marsh. “We just pack up the car and we’re on our way instead of taking two weeks to get someplace.”