Planning A Group Hike Guide
Table of Contents Group Hike Guidelines 1 Before the Hike 2 At the Trailhead 3 During the Hike 4 Back at the Trailhead 5 Follow Up 5 Since its founding in 1976, American Hiking Society has been the only national voice for hikers - dedicated to promoting and protecting America s hiking trails, their surrounding natural areas, and the hiking experience. Appendix A: Leave No Trace 6 Appendix B: Hiking Etiquette 7 Appendix C: Hike Leader Check List 8 Appendix D: Sign in Sheet 9 Group Hike Guidelines Group hiking is the most popular activity among National Trails Day (NTD) events. Group hikes are fun, easy to set up, require minimal special equipment and can accommodate hikers of any age and skill level making them an excellent activity for NTD. American Hiking Society has developed a set of guidelines designed to assist groups and/or individuals planning group hikes. We encourage you to use these as a starting point when planning your NTD group hike. Although this guide is designed for group hikes, these guidelines can often be utilized in other outdoor group activities. Below is American Hiking Society s recommended list of procedures for organizing a group hike on National Trails Day. Planning A Group Hike: 1
Leave No Trace: 1. Plan ahead and prepare. 2. Travel and camp on durable surfaces. 3. Dispose of waste properly. 4. Leave what you find. 5. Minimize campfire impacts 6. Respect wildlife. 7. Be considerate of other visitors. Tens of thousands of Americans will look on the AHS website to find a NTD hike near them. Make sure your hike is listed at NationalTrailsDay. AmericanHiking.org/ add-event Before the Hike Determine the Location of Your Hike: One of the most important aspects to consider when doing your initial planning is length of hike and level of trail difficulty. Group hikes, by their nature, often involve people with different skill and comfort levels. So opt for an easier hike if you have two or more choices. There are of course exceptions such as if you are planning a hike for a group of experienced hikers. Scout the Location Ahead of Time: It is important for the hike leader to hike the trail at least once before leading a group of hikers on the trail. While scouting, notes should be taken on the length, difficulty, duration, terrain, landmarks, elevation changes, special equipment and any other relevant aspects. Assume it will take a group longer to hike the trail than it did the scout which is almost always the case! Be sure to relay this information to event participants prior to the day of the event. Scout out locations along the trail where the group can safely take breaks together. While scouting the hike collect information on water sources, bathrooms, and interesting facts about the local area. Are fees or permits required: Check with the land management agency to find out if the group will need any type of permit, and check regulations for group size restrictions. In Case of an Emergency: Know where cell service is available near or on the trail. Identify the nearest hospital/clinic to the trailhead, just in case. Should you Arrange Transportation?: If parking is limited at the trailhead of the selected site, it may be necessary to assist with transportation. Carpooling is encouraged; consider utilizing larger vehicles such as vans or buses if you have a large group. There are a couple of other transportation/parking considerations to think about during the planning stages: If the hike takes place on a loop trail or if it is out-and-back on the same trail, the only parking concern is that there is ample parking for the number of attendees. Don t forget that the trail will likely be used by others that day as well! If the hike starts and ends at two different points, it will be necessary to arrange to shuttle the participants back to the starting point. How Many Hike Leaders are Necessary? If you expect more than 25 hikers to join the group, it is imperative to provide extra hike leaders. An ideal group hike will involve 12 or fewer hikers however 25 is the maximum number recommended per hike leader. Also consider the environment and terrain you will be traversing. In difficult terrain and fragile ecosystems it is recommended to keep the hike leader to participant ratio lower to minimize the impact of the group. Register Your Group Hike for National Trails Day : Make sure to register your group hike as early as possible on the NTD website: /add-event. This will help to publicize your hike and insure that your numbers are included in the NTD Planning A Group Hike: 2
statistics and reports. Please include relevant notes in your registration including distance to be traveled, expected duration, difficulty level and required special equipment. Safety talks before the hike helps mitigate the hazards during the hike. At the Trailhead Hike Leaders Need to Arrive Early: Hike leaders need to plan to arrive at the trailhead at least 30 minutes before the scheduled hike time on the day of the hike. Many participants will likely arrive 15-30 minutes prior to the hike s scheduled departure and you want to be on hand to welcome them! If you have held pre-registration and not everyone has arrived by the scheduled start it is advisable to wait an additional 5 to 10 minutes before embarking on your hike. If you have not held pre-registration you might still wish to delay departure for just a few minutes to allow for any stragglers. Check to See That Everyone is Prepared: Take a quick look around and make sure that everyone has appropriate footwear, clothing, and supplies. You may wish to review American Hiking Society s Ten Essentials of Hiking prior to the hike as a good reminder of what hikers need to be prepared. Assign a Sweep: A sweep is the person who will remain in the last position, behind the group, to ensure no one falls behind or is lost. A fun way to explain the hike leader and the sweep to the group is to think of the hike group as a sandwich. The hike leader and sweep are the bread and the participants are the meat and cheese! During the hike, the hike leader should periodically stop until he can see the sweep. You don t want your group spreading too far apart. Brief Participants Prior to Departing: Give an overview of the hike and what the hikers can expect along the route prior to departure. Make sure to note any changes from the original plan if applicable. Consider briefing the hikers on the following topics: First Aid: Inform the hikers who has the group first aid kit and encourage the participants to speak with the leaders if they have severe allergies or a relevant medical condition. Identify Hiking Hazards: A list of hazards may include but is not limited to: sunburn, extreme weather, dehydration, contaminated water sources, hypo/hyperthermia, falls/slips, over-head hazards, fatigue, contact with spiders/mosquitoes/ticks/bees and other hazardous flora/fauna. Discuss How to Respond to Unforeseen Events: Make sure to explain to the group that in the rare event one of them gets lost, they should not leave the trail to look for the exit. If they have already lost the trail, they should just stay where they are rather than continue to look for the trail. This allows search and rescue to have a better chance of finding the lost hiker(s). Reinforce to the group that by staying together the chances of one of them becoming lost is very small. Planning A Group Hike: 3
Feel free to use the Sign in Sheet located in the Appendix! Educate participants: Consider speaking about Leave No Trace ethics and trail etiquette (information for both topics are located in the appendix) especially if participants are inexperienced hikers. Take a Headcount: You might wish to jot down the number of hikers you are embarking with so you don t forget later! If your group is larger than 25, split the group between the hike leaders and make sure each knows (and remembers!) the number of hikers in their group. Have Participants Sign In: Collecting contact information is a great way to contact the participants regarding future hikers or events. Collecting this information before the hike ensures the leader and hikers don t forget. Collect signed waivers: If you are leading a hike on behalf of a trail organization they might require the leader to collect release waivers for the hike. Sign the Trail Register: Many trails (but not all) have a trail register and it is important to sign it if one exists. This helps the trail managers know how many people are using the trail as well as helping searchand-rescue teams know where to start looking for any lost hikers. You should note the number of hikers in your party, the trail you are hiking, the start time, and expected end time. During the Hike Safety First: The hike leader needs to be vigilant in looking after the group s safety. In the event of inclement weather, it is the hike leader s responsibility to call off the hike and lead the party back to the trailhead. The group should never approach wild animals. The group should follow Leave No Trace ethics. Anything you bring onto the trail should be brought out. Insure that all members of the group pick up any trash and pet waste, if applicable. Stay on the Trail: This is the cardinal rule for hikers everywhere! Leaving the trail is dangerous and can be damaging to the environment. No One Should Hike Ahead of the Leader: The hike leader is always the first member of the hiking party. If the group becomes too spread out, the hike leader should adjust his pace so that the group remains together. No One Should Fall Behind the Sweep: The sweep is always the last member of the hiking party. If the group is going slowly, then the sweep must adjust his pace accordingly. Encourage Communication with the Leader: If someone must relieve themselves while on the hike, have the sweep wait for the individual on the trail. Regroup at Trail Junctions: If the leader encounters a trail junction wait for everyone to regroup so participants don t take a wrong turn. Planning A Group Hike: 4
Consider thanking the participants through email or a phone call a week after the hike to leave a lasting impression. Back at the Trailhead Do a Final Headcount: Once the group has reached the end of the hike, the hike leaders should do one last headcount to make sure everyone who started the hike has finished the hike. In the rare event that the two headcounts are different and you are sure someone has become lost, contact 911. Do not venture off the trail looking for the lost member. Sign Out of the Trail Register if Applicable: This will let trail managers know that your group is all accounted for. Thank Your Participants for Coming: Tell them that you appreciated their participation and that you hope they enjoyed it. Let them know that if they have any suggestions for how to improve a similar experience that you would love to hear from them. If you plan on leading more hikes in the future, and have not already done so, collect names, email addresses, and phone numbers to let them know of future outings. Clean up: Leave the area better than when you arrived. Have the group collect any litter at the trailhead before everyone disperses. If everyone participates in a walk-through this short clean up takes just a matter of minutes. Follow Up Contact Participants: If you were able to collect contact information from your participants, email or call them to thank them again for coming. Remind them that you would love to hear any suggestions they might have for improving the experience. Follow Up With American Hiking Society: Visit www.nationaltrailsday. AmericanHiking.org to share your National Trails Day stories, quotes and photos with us so that we can share your success in our publications and on our social media networks. Let AHS know if you have ideas and thoughts on how we can improve National Trails Day. Planning A Group Hike: 5
Appendix a: Leave No Trace Leave what you find, take only photos and memories. 1. Plan ahead and prepare. Know the type of terrain and possible weather conditions you might encounter. Minimize impacts by keeping groups small and avoiding high use times for the trail. Walking single file and avoiding shortcuts will limit damage to the trail and surrounding ecosystems. 2. Travel and camp on durable surfaces. Focus activity on resilient ground. Surfaces consisting of sand, gravel, rock, snow, or dry grass are durable and can withstand heavy use. Walk through mud/puddles to avoid widening the trail. 3. Dispose of waste properly. Pack it in, pack it out! This includes not only food wrappers, but also biodegradable waste such as banana peels, etc. Also practice negative trace by picking up trash left by others. Dispose of human waste in catholes dug 6-8 inches deep in soil at least 200 feet from any water source. Pack out all toilet paper and hygiene products. 4. Leave what you find. You can look, but please don t take. Leave everything that you find in the wilderness where it belongs. Avoid moving rocks, picking plants, and disturbing cultural or historic artifacts. 5. Minimize campfire impacts. Keep your campfire small or go without. Use previously constructed fire rings or mounds. Only burn small diameter wood found on the ground. Do not damage live or fallen trees. Be aware of the level of fire danger of the area. Make sure your campfire is completely smothered before you leave camp. Small camping stoves are much more efficient for cooking, and leave no impact on the site. 6. Respect wildlife. Let the wild be wild. Keep your distance and do not attract or approach animals. Never feed them food intended for humans as this disrupts their natural foraging habits. Control pets in natural areas and always keep them restrained. 7. Be considerate of other visitors. Show respect for other trail users. Keep voices/noises from getting intrusively loud. Obey any posted trail rules including rights of way. Orient rest spots and campsites away from the trail. Attempt to minimize visual impacts by wearing clothes that are earth tone colors (unless, of course, hiking in the vicinity of hunters): brown, green, tan or black. For more information on Leave No Trace principles, please visit their website, www.leavenotrace.org. Planning A Group Hike: 6
Appendix B: Hiking Etiquette Be Respectful of the Land and Other Hikers Almost every group of people have some unwritten rules to help govern their activity and make things more pleasant for all those participating. Rules such as not cutting in line at a ski lift and keeping your elbows off the table when eating at Mom s house are just two examples. Hikers are no different. Following a few unwritten rules can help make your hike and the hike for others more pleasant. Among some commonly observed practices are: Hike quietly. Speak in low voices and turn your cell phone down, if not off. Enjoy the sounds of nature and let others do the same. If taking a break, move off the trail a ways to allow others to pass by unobstructed. Don t toss your trash not even biodegradable items such as banana peels. It is not good for animals to eat non-native foods and who wants to look at your old banana peel while it ever-so-slowly decomposes? If you packed it in, pack it back out. Hikers going downhill yield to those hiking uphill. When bringing a pet on a hike, be sure to keep it on a leash and under control. Don t forget to pack out pet waste as well. Don t feed the wildlife. While many animals stay hidden, others are not so shy. Giving these creatures food only disrupts their natural foraging habits. Leave what you find. The only souvenirs a hiker should come home with are photographs and happy memories. (And maybe an improved fitness level!) When relieving yourself outdoors, be sure to do so 200 feet away from the trail and any water sources. Follow Leave No Trace principles. Walk through the mud or puddle and not around it, unless you can do so without going off the trail. Widening a trail by going around puddles, etc. is bad for trail sustainability. Just because it looks easy to cut the corner off of a switchback doesn t mean it is a good idea. Help preserve the trail by staying on the trail. If hiking in a group, don t take up the whole width of the trail; allow others to pass. Planning A Group Hike: 7
Appendix C: Hike Leader Check list Consider Packing these Items This list is not exhaustive and may need to be changed to suit your specific needs. The Ten Essentials of Hiking Appropriate footwear Map and compass/gps Extra water and a way to purify it Extra food Rain gear and extra clothing Safety items: fire, light, whistle First aid kit Knife or multi-purpose tool Sun screen and sun glasses Daypack/backpack Take pictures before, during, and after your hike and share them with AHS at: NationalTrailsDay. AmericanHiking.org/ photos-videos Recommended Items for hike leaders Sign in sheet Release wavier (if applicable) Set of pens Clipboard List of trail hazards to discuss Written emergency plan/contacts (if applicable) Cell phone/radio Camera (with memory card and extra batteries) NTD kit Hand outs (any materials you wish to give to your hike participants such as AHS membership rack cards, information about your hiking club/organization, stickers, or similar materials) Planning A Group Hike: 8
Sign In Sheet If you would like information regarding future trail events or email newsletters fill out the appropriate info. If you don t want to be contacted leave the contact info blank. Name Phone Number Email Address Visit After the event and fill out a brief survey for a chance to win gear from your favorite outdoor companies!