 What are hike leaders responsibilities?
What are hikers responsibilities?
What do the ratings mean on the hikes?
What are the guidelines for carpooling?
What are hike leaders responsibilities?
PREPARATION - After you have planned your hike, prehike it if
feasible (with a co-leader if you have one). Choose a central meeting
place.
WRITING YOUR "BLURB" - Write a short, succinct synopsis of the hike
within two weeks of the planning meeting and forward to the Newsletter
coordinator, as well as the Web Master. Please include your name, email,
phone number, distance, hike "rating", carpool mileage RT, as well as meeting place and time, following the same Word format as previous hikes.
BEFORE THE HIKE - Be at the meeting place 15 minutes early and wait 10
minutes for latecomers. Introduce yourself and your "sweep" hiker. Have the
group make introductions all around. Assist the hikers in arranging the
carpool, providing written instructions and/or a map to the drivers where
necessary. Make a note of the number of cars in the pool. Have ALL paticipants sign in and acknowledge the conditions and limitations found on the SIGN IN SHEET. This helps protect the Club and Hike Leader, and gives a head count to be used after the hike.
Also collect any member/non-member fees: $15 to join, $3/hike.
ESTABLISH THE RULES - Remind paticipants to stay with the group. Anyone who walks ahead of the leader or behind the "sweep" is on their
own.
The leader sets the pace and stops at regular intervals to allow others to
catch up and rest or have lunch or a drink.
Remind participants to leave their packs on the trail if they leave the
group, especially at rest stops.
Periodically take a count. If it is a large group (over 20) arrange for a
coordinator to "sweep" at the back to keep the group together and alert you
of any problems.
DURING THE HIKE - Remind hikers of the Trail Users Code and the system of
trail markings you will be following. Take a rest stop about every hour and
do a head count and communicate with the 'Sweep' (it is best to stay within
yelling distance of the sweep, where possible). If the group has spread out
and you come to a trail junction or questionable spot, hold up for the
group to continue together. Otherwise, assign an experienced hiker to
direct the rest of the group onto the right trail. Carry a first aid kit with band
aids, moleskin, tensor bandage, knife, and a whistle in your pack. Carry a cell phone when applicable in case of emergencies, and share your number with the group before hand.
AFTER THE HIKE - Count heads to comfirm all have finished the hike. Make sure everybody gets back
to their cars at the meeting point. Optionally arrange a refreshment stop afterwards and give
directions there.
What are hikers responsibilities?
Please know your limits and be sure you are capable of doing the hike that
you attend.
If you commit to attend a hike, please keep your commitment. Please pay any required fees (permits, etc) to the the hike leader prior to the hike. Note this is non-refundable; it is YOUR resposniblilty to find someone to take your place if you are unable to attend, not the hike leader.
Please ask the Hike Leader any questions that you may have prior to the hike.
Please be prepared physically and gear-wise whenever you hike. Water,
sunscreen, hat and jacket are a good starting point for your gear list.
Knowledge of the 10 Hiking Essentials are highly recommended. Hope for
the best, but plan for the worst! FOLLOW THE HIKE LEADERS INSTRUCTIONS AND RULES. Please stay with the group, and DON'T go wandering off alone.
What do the ratings mean on the hikes?
To
help you better align your hiking abilities with the ease or difficulty
of each hike, the Club has developed this rating system for your
use. Because it is important to only participate in hikes that are
within
your ability and fitness range, please review the information below
before selecting a hike. As with any outdoor activity, the rating are
estimates and actual trail conditions may vary depending on the events
of the day. Note each catagory may also be noted as + or -.
Easy - Range up to 6 miles +/-, little elevation gain/loss, but remember, this is a HIKING club.
Moderate - From 5-15 miles, often more substantial elevation
gain/loss than "easy" hikes and/or forest or desert wilderness area
trails. May have short sections considered as difficult.
Difficult - Any hike with special considerations such as
steepness, bad footing, off-trail, scrambles, boulder hopping, bush whacking, long
distances, and death marches. :-)
What are the guidelines for carpooling?
Friends
has come up with an easy to understand and fair method for sharing
costs when carpooling to an event from the meeting spot. It is
suggested that Carpool mileages be listed on the events details per
round trip when submitting hike write-ups.
In order to ensure that our drivers do not endure an undue financial hardship, the Club’s per mile recommendation is now $.20 per mile. For example, if the carpool mileage is listed at 100 R/T, then each passenger riding
in the vehicle would contribute to the driver $20. This will not only
cover the driver's fuel costs (fast approaching $3.00 in 2007), but
also wear and tear, tires, etc. For example, AAA has calculated that
the cost to operate a vehicle as $.52.2 per mile with fuel priced at
$2.25, based on three categories of SEDANS. This does not include HIGH
CLEARANCE TRUCKS or SUV’s, which are significantly more expensive to
insure and operate, but carry more and can get into the trailheads we
often use.
Notes:
If
the driver cares to deviate from this, that is their prerogative,
but it should be discussed before hand. Please be fair.
The definition of a carpool is "A group of drivers who arrange to take turns driving while the others are passengers". Please share the burden when possible!
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