Due to a lack of accessible, accurate literature on the subject of ancient Arabia, Joseph Smith could not have known about the well-known “Incense Trail.” This trail comprised a series of roads and trails that caravans used to transport frankincense and myrrh northward from southern Arabia. Lehi and his family may have picked up this route—traveling in the opposite direction of the incense-laden caravans—as they traveled south from Jerusalem and deeper into Arabia. While this well-established trail passed by wells and food sources, it also passed through large expanses of desert and over mountain passes. As Lehi’s family journeyed, the Liahona guided them to areas where they could obtain food and water. Nevertheless, they often faced great afflictions (see 1 Nephi 17:1, 6), including famine, sickness, and disease (see Mosiah 1:17; Alma 9:22). Joseph Smith would not have known of the specific hardships a traveling party would have faced as they traveled through Arabia (see Echoes, 83–86).