Reflections on an outdoor recreation experience - reenactment of Mormon Trail Wagon Train

In the spring and summer of 1997, I lived an adventure that changed the lives of some 10,000 people. Those lives are richer and deeper because of one intense experience. The impact of this event has caused me to reflect at length on the nature of adventure and the concept of the ideal recreational experience. The adventure was the reenactment of the Mormon Trail Wagon Train in celebration of the sesquicentennial of the Mormon Trail. For three months, from April 21 to July 22, thousands of participants donned pioneer attire and joined the wagon train for a day, a week, or a month. Walking, pulling handcarts, or driving mule- and horse-drawn wagons, they crossed 1,100 miles of prairie and mountain trail throughout Nebraska, Wyoming, and Utah. About 200 hardy souls traveled the distance from Omaha, Nebraska, to Salt Lake City, Utah. Their lives will never be the same.

One hefty man who walked every step of the 1,100 miles with a handcart explained, "I've learned things I'll carry with me the rest of my life." Asked what she had learned from the trek, one woman offered, "The wagon-train experience has reaffirmed how wonderful people are. Because we are sharing a similar personal experience together, I experienced firsthand how easy it was to talk to people and relate deep, heartfelt feelings. I learned how easy it is to love people. I hope I never forget the feelings of love I experienced on the train, and I learn to incorporate those feelings into my daily life." Another middle-aged woman responded, "I learned Earth is our mother. I love the connection we have with the Earth -- her beautiful fields and the beauty of the Earth and the law of the harvest." Another said, "The modern pioneers that have come all the way have been refined by trial."

It seems that in the year since the reenactment trek began, not one week has passed that someone from the wagon train has not made contact with me to reminisce. I think of the wagon4rain adventure virtually every day and yearn to experience again the feelings of exultation. In fact, way too much of my time has been spent seeking some similar opportunity to plan and perform a great recreational adventure. For now, I am forced to settle for smaller adventures provided for my students and family.

My views of leisure, recreation, and adventure have been inexplicably altered. My yearning for more of the same kinds of feelings has brought me to seek additional "ultimate recreational experiences," what I think of as "adventures." And what is it that made this experience so exceptional, such a compelling adventure? In a feeble attempt to understand, I have suggested to myself the following attributes of adventure, of ultimate recreational experiences. They include flow, a test of endurance, powerful social bonding, sacred space, individual meaning, wholesome societal significance, romance, and humor.

As we look back on the finest experiences of our lives, we will find commonalties in those experiences. I don't believe we talk enough about those ultimate experiences and how they are the truest forms of recreation and adventure.

Flow: As renowned author and psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has described and explained, the optimal experiences and exceptional moments of life, otherwise known as "flow," are "the sense of effortless action [felt] in moments that stand out as the best in [our] lives." Flow comes most often as a person is enveloped in a challenge that is just manageable with his or her given skills. It comes through participating rather than spectating.

The complete involvement of participants in the wagon-train reenactment generated several regular descriptions of flow experiences. Participants virtually lived the challenging life of traveling pioneers. They became so immersed in the day's travel and the tasks of living that time was often described as "standing still."

Test of endurance: Great recreational experiences stretch us to our limits. We commonly think of physical tests of endurance, but adventures are just as likely to stretch us emotionally, spiritually, socially, and mentally. Getting up at 4:30 a.m. to walk 20 to 30 miles, day after day and week after week, while camping in sagebrush and choking on dust was certainly physically taxing, but it tested individual emotional wills, as well. New, intense, inescapable social mixes also confronted trekkers. Some would say that they experienced tests of faith and mental health as their exhaustion grew and tempers ran short.

Social bonding: In my life, I have bonded most intensely with the individuals who have accompanied me through life's most difficult experiences. Friendships born in extremity seem to last longer. Participants of the wagon train have reunited from across North America nearly every month since its conclusion. Feelings of friendship and love have bonded these people together into something of an extended family. The degree to which the issues of food, supplies, and overall effort were shared along the way suggested that the family circles of care grew very wide.

Sacred space: Recreation and adventure are geographically linked. The best recreation is experienced in places that mean the most to us. Either we realize our adventures in landscapes we love or else we are linked to the lands of our adventures because of their impact upon us. Though it may be hard to fully describe or explain, most people would believe that some places feel more holy, sacred, or spiritual than others. The sacredness of place can add to the meaning of recreational experiences.

Certainly, the Mormon Trail contains great meaning to any descendant of the 70,000 immigrants who traversed the trail from 1847-69, especially those linked to the 6,000 who are buried along its length in unmarked and unknown graves. Also, many felt drawn by the spirit of the trail this past summer regardless of their heritage or religious affiliations. They described an unseen motivation and deep and moving feelings as they took part in reenactment celebrations. I heard many speak about the "spirit" of the trail.

Meaningfulness: Great adventures become the stories of our lives. Those experiences that touch us most deeply and have the deepest impact become vivid memories. They add meaning and definition to who we are and what we believe.

Wholesome societal significance: Ideally, recreation is not only good for the individual but for society, as well. I still remember my first college recreation class, reading philosophies of recreation from very old and musty books in the basement of the library; those authors stressed the wholesome requirements of recreation. Perhaps something has been lost in the debate for more inclusive definitions of recreation in modern times. Recreation that makes the world a better place has got to be better recreation than that which does not.

The Mormon Trail Wagon Train sparked the imagination of the country and the world. People were reminded of simpler -- but more heroic -- times. The story of the Mormon pioneers is a poignant reminder of the importance of religious freedom and tolerance. More than 300 reporters and journalists, representing 130 organizations from 20 countries, covered the event. By midsummer, 400 million people around the world had read about or watched coverage of the wagon train. Each week, 300,000 people read journal entries from the modern trek on the World Wide Web. The stories of religious faith and former religious persecutions help to promote greater tolerance today.

Romance: Those events that are shared with a loved one often stand out in our minds. We are anxious to share the best moments of our lives with others. Likewise, we might spend many of our recreational experiences looking for romance. The wagon train has inspired six weddings to date. Although pioneer journals spoke little of romance, I am convinced that travelers of all eras sought and found love.

Humor: The best times of life are full of smiles and laughter. It is only natural for recreation to bring happiness. Even in the midst of tests of endurance, people can exhibit the good feelings that bubble over from great recreational experiences. I have never heard laughter and singing like I did with the handcart company as we trod along mile after mile in the heat and dust and rain; practical jokes were commonplace. One wizened old teamster made a habit of giving away roosters that crowed at 3:30 a.m. to awaken the "lucky" recipient.

This short reflection is not intended to be definitive, but I do believe there is much we can learn about recreation, leisure, and adventure from our own adventurous experiences. For me, the meaning of adventure is much clearer now, and I yearn every day for another adventure to come my way.

COPYRIGHT 1998 National Recreation and Park Association
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