View Full Version : Group Hikes
For those of you have participated in group hikes:
Why did you join a group hike?
How do you feel about them?
How did you handle differing paces? Did you hike together or meet up at specified destinations?
Were you a leader or follower?
How did you handle the strong willed who don't do it your way (or were you THAT person)?
Would you do another one?
Are you talking day or overnight?
MintakaCat
05-07-2009, 21:15
Egads, you thinking of leading a group hike? From reading your posts I bet you would be pretty good at it.
Skidsteer
05-07-2009, 21:34
How many people qualify as a group?
Are you talking day or overnight? Either
Egads, you thinking of leading a group hike? From reading your posts I bet you would be pretty good at it. Possibly, appreciate the encouragement
How many people qualify as a group? Open sign up - 4 to 8
This is a subject I've been devoting a lot of time to in the past year and a half.
At one end of the spectrum is the ultra-organized hike, with one leader in front and a sweeper at the rear, and everyone must stay within the sandwich, and not get out of sight. Not my cup of tea.
At the other extreme is the mess where the "group" falls apart and no one knows where the other people are and they spend hours looking for each other and and wondering whether their friends have gotten lost or hurt, and trying to figure out whether people have gotten back to the cars. Not fun.
So...when people sign up for a hike I've organized, I ask them a few questions about their previous backpacking experience, ask about any medical conditions that might impact the hike, and get their home and cell phone numbers.
The toughest part is figuring out who will be fine on the hike, and who will mess it up. About one in ten people is either too ignorant, or too self-deceiving to figure out what they can and can't do. If you end up with one of those folks on a moderate to strenuous hike, they pretty much ruin it.
The only way I have been able to sort people out is to take them on a short backpacking trip before allowing them to go on a longer one. As I said, nine out of ten people will be fine without going through the test. But dealing with someone who has totally misjudged what they're going to be able to do is so unpleasant for everyone (not least the suffering straggler) that I've started requiring people to go on a short trip before they can sign up for the moderate or strenuous trips.
I like people to feel free to go at their own pace, stop when they feel like it, and generally enjoy themselves. (This is purely selfish on my part, since that's what I want to do when I'm hiking.) But to minimize problems, I ask people to do a couple of things:
1) Wait at intersections for the rest of the group to catch up.
2) If someone is struggling at the rear of the group, I ask them to catch the attention of the next person in front of them BEFORE they drop terminally behind. A quick discussion about the situation, and some forward planning, can forestall a Keystone Cops situation where people are racing all over, looking for each other.
3) I ask that every person in the group carry their own map. Before we start hiking, I go over the map and point out where we are, where we are going, etc. I don't care to hike with a bunch of sheep who expect me to be a shepherd. I'm hiking with adults, and I expect them to be responsible for themselves and their own well-being.
What I'm searching for is the good part of the thru-hiker experience, where you camp with your friends and hike by yourself.
Hikerhead
05-07-2009, 22:18
Good post Marta. I agree with everything you said.
warren doyle
05-07-2009, 22:22
For those of you have participated in group hikes:
Why did you join a group hike?
Because I was the organizer/leader.
How do you feel about them?
They are wonderfully powerful. The most productive endeavor I can do as a social change educator.
How did you handle differing paces? Did you hike together or meet up at specified destinations?
Everyone agrees upon a 127-day daily schedule that does not change.
Everyone walks at their own pace within the structure of the daily mileage.
Were you a leader or follower?
Leader/organizer/guide/facilitator
How did you handle the strong willed who don't do it your way (or were you THAT person)?
The AT Circle Expedition is a highly task-oriented group whose purpose is simple yet intense.
Would you do another one?
I have led/organized seven groups up the entire AT. The 2010 AT Circle Expedition will be my eighth, and possibly my last, group up the entire AT.
__________________
Skidsteer
05-07-2009, 22:22
Spot on Marta.
wcgornto
05-07-2009, 22:28
For those of you have participated in group hikes:
Why did you join a group hike?
Comraderie, meet new people, share stories about outdoor experiences, not bring gear, food, maps, etc. (Guides responsible for this sometimes).
How do you feel about them?
I like all types of hikes ... solo, group, long, short, challenging. I don´t like it when a group hike is clearly advertised ad difficult or challenging, with a detailed description of the shape / experience you need to have to participate, and someone clearly without the requisite shape or experience shows up. For safety and responsibility reasons, the leader has to keep the group from being too spread out, thus slowing everyone down. Sometimes, one hiker asks eleventy billion mundane, arcane, pointles questions. Sometimes, one hiker clearly knows more than everyone else (according to him / her) and lets everyone else know it. Absent these factors, I enjoy group hikes very much.
How did you handle differing paces? Did you hike together or meet up at specified destinations?
I did a group hike on the JMT with a wide variety of hiking skill among the participants. There was a guide in front and a guide in the back. The rule was that everyone waited at any trail crossing until the last hiker showed up. As one of the faster hikers in the group, I often waited 30 to 45 minutes at trail crosings. I was in such a beautiful place that the wait didn´t bother me. Rather, the reason for the wait ... out of shape hikers on a pre-advertised "challenging" hike bothered me a bit.
Were you a leader or follower?
In a group with similar and appropriate ability for the particular hike, I am a leader when called for and a follower when called for (or when the mood strikes). I like to hike fast sometimes (at the front) and a bit slowly sometimes (at the back). I like to interact with all participants. I like to help others when they need it, i.e., carry part of their gear to lighten their load. I DO NOT like to challenge the guide unless they are simply wrong, and then only in private, one on one, in a non-threatening manner in the form of suggestions.
How did you handle the strong willed who don't do it your way (or were you THAT person)?
I generally ignore them. My way is my way, not their way. As a client participant, they can do whatever they want to as long as it doesn´t endanger anyone else, greatly infringe on others´enjoyment or unreasonably interfere with others´hiking, camping, etc. As a guide, I would take a stronger view, and would encourage more respectful behavior, of course in a non-confrontational way.
Would you do another one?
In the US, probably not, given my experience, confidence, quality of trails, quality of maps, proximity of my own gear, etc. Outside of the US (where I have been for the better part of the last year), Absolutely.
ten characters (outside the quotes)
River Runner
05-07-2009, 22:33
For those of you have participated in group hikes:
Why did you join a group hike?
I prefer the company of others on an overnight trip, both for the safety aspects that someone else is around if I get hurt, and for the companionship. The other members of my family aren't hikers for the most part. My daughter who hikes prefers motels overnight.
How do you feel about them?
I like participating in group trips, both to meet new faces, and to see old familiar faces again.
How did you handle differing paces? Did you hike together or meet up at specified destinations?
It depends upon the purpose of the trip and the group. When I've lead a group of newbies on a beginner overnight, we stick within sight on a fairly easy trail. When I've been a participant on other organized trips of experienced backpackers, for the most part people hike at their own pace and meet up at key junctions or good rest areas. A couple of times I've went on trips where the group just met up at night. I've been happy on all three types of trips, although I probably prefer meeting up at key junctions and keeping the group semi-together.
Were you a leader or follower?
I've been both at times (see above)
How did you handle the strong willed who don't do it your way (or were you THAT person)?
Luckily, I've never had that problem. The dynamics of the groups I've been in have been pretty good. About the worst trouble we ever had was a lady who kept annoying everyone by stirring the campfire and showering everyone with sparks. She stopped when the leader asked her to.
Would you do another one?
Definitely.
For those of you have participated in group hikes:
Why did you join a group hike?Great question in regards to my backpacking experience. I spent years going it alone with a friend or two when I could find the opportunity to go. I got to the point where I wanted more options and more hiking partners. Through mutual friends our "group" formed an informal backpacking club. In it's heyday we were meeting at the watering hole once a week to form plans and pour over maps. Through word of mouth from all of us, our "group" was planning events almost every weekend, all year round. Somebody was always going somewhere and folks were always joining in.
How do you feel about them?The "group" we created has brought people together who have become lifelong friends joined together by backpacking. Without that common interest there is no way some of us would have ever met, let alone became friends. For that reason I love what I got involved in.
How did you handle differing paces? Did you hike together or meet up at specified destinations? Paces never really mattered. It was always mandatory for folks to know the destination and difficulty rating. If there was any doubt, it was dealt with at the trailhead and anyone who was unsure about the plan was joined up with several people and there was no way they would be left to themselves. Usually, everyone had the experience to know the map, route, difficulty and destination so that there was not any babysitting going on. Besides that, the trips were often social, so we kept tight.
Were you a leader or follower?I've been both. I prefer to have everyone do a bit of both. That comes from preparation and having a good solid group to start with. If most can understand the maps, route, and destination it's not a big deal.
How did you handle the strong willed who don't do it your way (or were you THAT person)?This has been a problem on a couple of multi-day trips, but funny thing is that the strong willed usually get out in front of everyone and eventually either get unsure of their position or get the picture. A strong willed person that doesn't want to conform to the speed of the others usually isn't a problem. Our overnight trips have concrete destinations for camp.
Would you do another one?I have been for over 10 years. I've cut back since I got married, but I still love to go with a group. At this point it's really not a "group" trip. We all know each other from all the years of getting out there. I had a birthday recently and we had no trouble getting 10 together for a quick trip to the Chattooga River. That really wasn't a group trip. It was a friends trip. Ultimately, thats the goal anyway.:sun