Lynn “Doc” Cleland set out on a journey on June 9.
It’s a journey to honor his great-great-great-grandmother, Sarah Goode Marshall.
It’s a journey to explore religious ideals.
It’s a journey Cleland hopes to record for posterity.
Cleland, of Salt Lake City, Utah, began his journey in Iowa City, Iowa, and is walking his handcart, weighing more than 200 pounds, along the Mormon Trail.
“Everything is period,” Cleland said, referring to his cart, clothing and even the tent he sleeps in at night.
Everything, except his shoes, Cleland said.
“These New Balance cross trainers are great, my feet get to breath a little more,” he said.
Cleland started his journey wearing period boots, but quickly discovered that they were too hard on his feet, bringing out large blisters, daily.
“We really don’t know how easy we’ve got it,” Cleland said.
He referred to one night he spent in Iowa where he faced a thunderstorm with straight line winds.
The winds blew his tent over with Cleland still inside and began to carry him across the field.
“I thought I was in a tornado,” Cleland said.
In case of emergency, he said he can seek shelter from host families or his two chase vehicles.
“(The pioneers ) didn’t have any options,” Cleland said, “They just had to pick up their rain soaked tents and sleep in the mud.”
Cleland found a Fremont host family -- Mark and Joyce Peatrowski -- for his overnight stay on Tuesday.
Cleland said the 1,400-mile journey will take him to Sept. 26 to complete. It’s the same time that it took Goode Marshall to travel the route in 1856.
“My grandmother was the first of 3,000 handcarts to arrive in Salt Lake City,” Cleland said, adding he wants to honor that journey.
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