LDS Youth Climb Mormon Peak

By STEPHANIE BUNKER

Moapa Valley Progress

The 16-18 year-old young men’s organization of the LDS Logandale Stake made a difficult journey on Saturday, March 22. The group of 75 boys and about 30 adult leaders climbed 3,024 feet in only 4 miles to reach the top of Mormon Peak as part of the Stake’s annual Camp Helaman event.

Named for a Book of Mormon prophet, Camp Helaman is a campout held each year to break the boys of their every day routine, according to Logandale Stake Young Men President Brandon Leavitt,

“In a world full of entertainment we give the youth an activity that is difficult and challenges them,” Leavitt said. “Youth aren’t challenged enough today, they need to reach out to their Savior and accomplish these types of activities.”

Friday evening the camp began in a gravel pit in Meadow Valley Wash. A brief devotional service was held which was followed by a dinner. After that the boys were urged to get to bed quickly because the generator and lights would be turning on at 5:30 the following morning. To the leaders surprise all the boys were quiet by 10:00, Leavitt said.

The camp arose early in the morning as planned and loaded up for a long day of hiking. Before the hike commenced the group had to travel 11 miles on extremely rough road. It took about hour and a half for all the ATV’s and trucks to arrive to the point where they would get out and start walking. Another devotional service was given before the boys began the journey up the mountainside.

The hike started off up a wash for 2 miles before coming to some foothills where the climbing would really begin. There was no marked trail for the group to follow up the rocky steep ridge of Mormon Peak.

Leavitt said they had to use all four limbs to climb over boulders and other treacherous points in the journey. A mile up the foothills the group stopped to rest at a location called Davies Cave.

At that point, the group had one more mile left before they reached the top of the peak. Still, it took them about an hour and a half to climb the ridge up to their destination.

At the top of the peak the group could view a broad panorama before them.

“We could see as far as Pine Valley, Indian Springs, and the test site,” said Logandale Stake Young Men’s First Counselor Bryan Sheldon.

There was a brief devotional service at the top. Then the boys began their descent back down the ridge.

When they finally got back to camp in the Meadow Valley Wash Logandale resident, and master camp cook, Oscar Henderson had a steak dinner waiting for the hungry group.

According to tradition, each Camp Helaman participant was given a special neck tie to wear the next day at church. Over 100 ties were handed out.

“It was awesome to see the brotherhood of everyone wearing their ties at church the next day,” Leavitt said.

After listening to the boys talk about the hike Leavitt found that the hike humbled them so that they are open to learning important principles about life. These types of activities gets the boys thinking about their futures, Leavitt said.