About 170 Mormons walked in similar shoes to many historical Latter Day Saints pioneers when they set off from Griffith on a four-day trek on April 19.

The teenagers, who are part of the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints faithful in Blair Athol, ate onion broth and stale bread and slept on the ground.

They dressed in old-fashioned clothes and were divided into 12 groups of 14 people, which they called their "family".

Among the children was Samuel Jones, 14, of Camden, who said it was an "awesome experience".

"On one of the days each group had to kill, pluck, cook and eat a chicken," he said.

"It wasn't a hard thing to do but it helped us gain a greater appreciation of the pioneers and a greater appreciation of our own families.

"On the last day we all had a big feast and we received letters from our parents, which said how much they loved us."

The trek was the children's version of the historical trail from Nauvoo, Illinois, to the Great Salt Lake Valley where thousands of Latter Day Saints walked from 1840 to 1890 and built settlements in the region.

Samuel's sister, Hannah, 15, said she gained a "stronger testimony" and understanding of her church.

"I learned a few skills and I learned about the pioneers of our religion," she said.

"In the families there was a ma, pa and 12 children so everyone had their place in the group."