Ranch reference

Summarised from the ranch handout. The ranch can change rules, so confirm with the missionaries.

People and committees · Route review (required, May) · Staging and arrival · Support vehicles and towing · Handcarts · Water buffalo and trash · Porta-potties · Trails and camps · Kitchen and food · Medical · Music, sound and radios · Activities and the Women's Pull · Ranch rules

People and committees

• The missionaries need one In-Charge Decision Maker (a person or a couple). All communication with them goes through this person.
• Suggested committee heads: ecclesiastical leader, trail boss, company captains and Ma/Pa, stake YM/YW leaders, transportation, kitchen, medical, activities, youth committee, equipment/support.
• Get the youth involved: organise a Youth Committee that takes part in the planning.
• Meet with key leaders each night of the trek to review the day and plan the next.

Route review (required, May)

• Held in May before the trek season. Trek leader plus three or four key people, in one 4x4 with room for two missionaries.
• Allow at least three hours on the ranch. You visit PP stops, campsites and the Women's Pull for your assigned trail, on support roads only.
• Bring: itinerary, estimated people count, Ma/Pa and handcart count, planned arrival time, bus and car count, and a support vehicle plan.
• Trails are not assigned until May, once the missionaries have checked winter damage.

Staging and arrival

• Support vehicles, especially those towing the water buffalo and porta-potties, arrive half an hour before the main group so missionaries can train the drivers.
• Plan about two hours in staging before trekking begins.
• Have the sound system set up. Have garbage containers around the staging area.
• No pets, including for people dropping off or picking up.
• Vehicles that are not support vehicles park at staging and stay there during the trek.

Support vehicles and towing

• Ranch does not provide hitches. Towing the water buffalo or porta-potties needs a 2-5/16 inch ball hitch about 18-20 inches off the ground.
• Water buffalo: three-quarter-ton or one-ton 4x4 pickup with an empty bed (it hauls trash to the dumpster). Porta-potties: half-ton or larger.
• Put vehicles in four-wheel drive and leave them there. Arrive with a full tank, and bring extra fuel for generators.
• Once in camp, support vehicles stay near camp. Never unhook a trailer on the ranch (the water buffalo may go for water).
• Trailers no longer than 25 feet. No semis or triple-axle trailers.
• Up to six support vehicles for 200 people: water buffalo, porta-potty, kitchen, medical, plus two of your choice. One more per extra 50 people. Renting a 2-hole porta-potty allows one extra vehicle.
• Assign one Support Leader the missionaries can coordinate with.

Handcarts

• Provided: handcarts, pull ropes and pull bars. Not provided: water coolers and stands, tarps, garbage bags, poles, ropes, stakes, hammers.
• Recommended: 6-8 youth with a Ma and Pa per cart, no more than 10 people. Carts weigh 200-300 lb.
• Do not use ropes or pull bars for tug-of-war, jump rope, stick pulling or bats. Do not tie coolers to the outside or back of the carts.
• Each cart: two five-gallon jugs (at least one filled with plain water), a grocery-size trash bag plus spares, a basic first-aid kit, a 12 x 30 foot tarp for shade with a way to prop it up.
• Each family should carry consecrated oil. Spray bottles help in the heat.
• Leave nothing on the carts at the end. Zip ties are fine but must be removed.
• A few handicap handcarts are available for wheelchair-bound youth. Families supply the wheelchair and tie-downs, and the family pulls the cart.

Water buffalo and trash

• Ranch provides water, T-Chlor, one water buffalo and one dumpster. Bring the tow hitch, tie-down straps, wash stations, bottles and trash bags.
• The driver needs experience with a short, heavy trailer. Filling is a two-person job.
• The water buffalo visits each PP stop but is not always in camp. Keep 5 or 10 gallon containers for kitchen and camp use.
• Water is for cooking, drinking and dishes. Hand-washing stations go near the porta-potties. Conserve it.
• Anything that does not fit in your dumpster goes home with you. Break down boxes.

Porta-potties

• Ranch provides cleaned and pumped porta-potties, plugs and wastebaskets. Bring toilet paper (ordinary is fine, about 1.5 rolls per person), deodorizers, stir sticks, grabbers, cleaning supplies, wash stations, buckets, soap, sanitiser, liners, gloves and garbage bags.
• Assigned at one hole per 25 people, in 4, 6 or 8-stall trailers. A 2-stall trailer can be rented for $100 for adult support and leaders.
• PP drivers must not unhook, so they sleep somewhere other than their truck. Brief them on the duties before the trek.
• Only human waste and toilet paper go in the hole. Everything else goes in wastebaskets or trash bags.
• Unplug and lower steps at each stop; plug and raise ramps when moving. Clean at least daily. Stir with a 4-5 foot PVC pipe before the hole plugs.
• Dryer sheets taped inside work as air fresheners. Do not designate male and female stalls: female ones fill faster.
• Cowgirl/cowboy stops follow No Trace Camping: pack out toilet paper and feminine products in a zip-top bag.
• We recommend families clean the porta-potties, and avoid pop-up tents for privacy (they slow the trek).

Trails and camps

• No base camps: each night is a different location, so the kitchen sets up and tears down daily.
• Missionaries always lead trekkers and support. The trek never starts without a missionary in front. Stay on trail and stay together.
• Plan about two miles per hour including breaks. PP stops take roughly 30-45 minutes.
• No open fires. No digging on trails or in camps. Bring flat-nosed shovels (no round-nosed) to move cow pies. Do not move rocks into campsites.
• No natural shade anywhere: bring tents or tarps, plus ropes, stakes and hammers. Consider male and female changing tents.
• No Trace Camping: pick up all trash, including food scraps, and sweep camp before leaving.
• Designate a support leader to lay out camp before trekkers arrive.

Kitchen and food

• Church guideline: three well-planned meals a day, no meager meals.
• No leaving the property for ice. Bring ice or rent a refrigerated trailer.
• All cooking at least 12 inches off the ground, including propane and Dutch ovens.
• Trekkers are often away from the kitchen at lunch: plan sack lunches that need no refrigeration, or coolers on the carts.
• Plates: each person has their own, with foil sheets as liners to cut dishwashing. Double-sack heavy trash, especially watermelon rinds.
• End-of-trek meal: pizza can be ordered from local shops at least a week ahead under your unit name.

Medical

• The ranch provides no medical help. With no medical personnel there is no trek.
• Minimum two medical people, ideally including a doctor, PA or nurse practitioner. One more per 50 people over 100.
• They have no other duties, are identifiable, can walk the trail, and carry radios and basic supplies in a backpack.
• Collect a medical form from every person, including support, and have medical people review them before the trek.
• Train all Ma/Pas to spot hot spots and blisters, dehydration, chafing and heat stroke.
• Water stops every 20-30 minutes. Everyone brings a water bottle (not cups). Start a walking and hydrating routine before the trek.
• The medical vehicle is at every PP stop and camp, needs working A/C and seats, and does not follow trekkers on the trail.

Music, sound and radios

• Music invites the Spirit: hymns, Church and pioneer music. Avoid popular worldly music. Encourage youth to bring instruments and form a trek choir.
• The ranch provides no sound systems or radios. Bring a sound system big enough for the group and a quiet generator if you can.
• Radios for: trail boss and assistants, support drivers, every medical person, water buffalo and PP drivers, company captains. Basic walkie-talkies work best, and missionaries must be able to talk to your key people.

Activities and the Women's Pull

• Ideas: firesides, devotionals, testimony meetings, family and solo time, vignettes, pioneer games, Hoe Down, Pony Express mail, storytelling.
• Vignettes can slow the trek and "bake" people in heat. Plan them carefully.
• No building of structures. Keep a pioneer theme.
• Women's Pull: plan it, with no more than 5-6 girls or women per cart. Decide and communicate what the experience should be. Consider a short devotional beforehand and a discussion afterward.
• Photographers should walk with the trekkers. Drones are allowed but must not disturb livestock or wildlife.
• A Hoe Down caller must be scheduled and the missionaries told.

Ranch rules

• Not allowed: horses or other animals, mountain bikes, firearms, ammunition, knives (except kitchen and support), fireworks, fishing, hunting, ATVs and RVs.
• Youth do not bring phones or electronic devices. Leaders should be discreet and use walkie-talkies.
• No RVs or campers for sleeping. Leave livestock and wildlife alone.
• Be flexible: routes and camps may change for weather, cattle or wildlife.
• Sleeping: male and female participants not in close proximity. A youth may share a tent with an adult only if it is their parent or guardian, or two same-gender adults are present (Handbook 2, 13.6.12).
• Nonmembers who attend with your group are not charged.