On a stretch of green, windswept grassland, the scene could be mistaken for Utah in 1847, when pioneers first arrived in the Salt Lake Valley.
Wooden handcarts creak across the steppe, teenagers in headscarves and suspenders trudge through muddy trails, and the smell of fire-cooked mutton drifts on the wind.
But this isn’t the American frontier — it’s a youth trek sponsored by the Darkhan Mongolia District, near Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where more than 130 young Latter-day Saints from across Mongolia came together in June, mirroring the steps of early Saints and Mongol progenitors alike.
For most of them, this was more than a youth conference. It was the first handcart trek they — or their parents — had ever seen. It was a two-day journey that demanded every kind of endurance: physical, spiritual, emotional and even culinary. It was the kind of trek that changed people; the first in Mongolia in 12 years, reported ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
‘I wanted my youth to feel what the pioneers felt’
The trek was the vision of President Otgonzaya Batbaatar, the Darkhan district president who began dreaming of it over a year and a half ago. He said he felt a powerful impression that his youth needed something more than lessons and devotionals — they needed to walk the gospel into their lives.
“The sacrifice of the pioneers blessed the whole world,” President Otgonzaya said. “I wanted my youth to feel what the pioneers felt — to recognize that they, too, are part of something bigger.”
It took months of planning and budgeting and the help of 40 to 50 volunteers from all over the country. Finally the life-changing event happened: On June 13 and 14, more than 130 youth pulled handcarts across 30 kilometers of Mongolian steppe — over hills, through rivers and across fields soaked with recent rains.
Real work, real fire, real food
Youth handcart treks in the United States can be known for powdered potatoes and tin foil dinners. But in Mongolia, the youth cooked just like original pioneers would have — on open flames, in the middle of nowhere.
Each handcart group received raw mutton, potatoes, carrots, noodles and a challenge: Prepare lunch using only what they have. No gas, no electricity, no running water.
Sixteen-year-old Bat-Erdene from Erdenet said the cooking was his favorite part. “Everyone helped each other. The vibe — resting, talking, playing games — was really cool.”
Some struggled to get fires started in the wind. Others had never cooked raw meat before. But by the end of the day, there were bubbling pots, steaming plates and smiles on soot-smudged faces.
President Enkhbat Damdin, first counselor in the Ulaanbaatar Mongolia East Stake presidency, led a team of 10 who prepared eight hearty meals for the group — working around the clock without modern kitchen tools.
“No matter how meaningful the experience,” he said, “if the food is bad, that’s what they’ll remember.”
Feeding the trekkers required 14 sheep and one cow.
‘It’s a sacrifice — but compared to what the pioneers endured, it’s nothing’
Some traveled 24 hours by bus just to reach the starting point. Others came from families where they are the only Church member. All of them, in one way or another, are pioneers.
Eighteen-year-old Enkh-Ujin, who joined the Church two years ago after attending free English classes from missionaries, was among them.
“When I was at those classes, I felt a calm and peaceful feeling I had never experienced before,” she said. “That feeling led me to the Church. Now, I’ve submitted my mission papers and am waiting for my call.”
Her parents weren’t thrilled when she said she wasn’t going straight to college. “But now,” she said, “they see how happy I am and support my decision.”
Fifteen-year-old Erdenbileg added, “It’s a sacrifice — but compared to what the pioneers endured, it’s nothing.”
Nathan Enkhchuluun, who has been called to serve in the France Lyon Mission this fall, said, “Experiencing just a fraction of what the pioneers went through made me feel even more grateful for their sacrifices. Without them, we wouldn’t be here.”
Streams, bogs, muddy fields and miracles
This trek wasn’t a performance — it was the real thing. In the middle of their journey, youth encountered streams, bogs and muddy fields.
President Otgonzaya was worried. “I wasn’t sure if they would help one another in those moments,” he admitted.
But they did. Youth lifted carts out of ruts and rallied around one another. They were wet, cold and tired — but joyful.
“Watching them lift, carry and guide each other through the mud — that was powerful,” he said.
A legacy already in motion
For Octavia, another youth who attended trek, the experience reinforced what her daily discipleship already taught her. She’s the only member in her immediate family. But standing on the trail, pulling a cart with others who share her faith, she felt her place in something bigger.
“Being a member is so special,” she said. “Only through Jesus Christ and His Church can you stand firm and walk toward the light without getting distracted. I feel so lucky.”
A senior couple joins the trail
Among the trekkers were Elder Togtokhin Enkhtuvshin and Sister Doyodiin Dashgerel, one of the few Mongol couples called to serve as senior missionaries. Though originally hesitant to participate in the trek due to health concerns, they joined on the second day — and found themselves filled with joy.
“Walking alongside the youth was so inspiring,” Sister Dashgerel said. “Crossing the streams and seeing our youth working together made us very happy.”
The next generation of pioneers
On the steppes of Mongolia trekked 130 teenagers who had walked, cooked, pulled, laughed, prayed and come out stronger on the other side.
In Mongolia, where the Church was only introduced in 1993, every member is a pioneer. Many are the first in their families. Many are still building testimonies step by step.
But for two days in June, they were walking proof that the pioneer spirit lives on — not only in Salt Lake City parades or hand-sewn bonnets, but in the hearts of teenagers thousands of miles away, cooking mutton over fires and pulling one another through the mud.
As President Otgonzaya put it: “They are not just remembering the pioneers. They are the pioneers.”
Note: Many Mongols don’t have last names and generally go by a single name; most youth quoted in this article have only one name.
Additional photos
