Hike Leadership Guidelines

Slightly adapted from guidance provided at SATC's periodic hike leadership training meetings and evolved from 52 years of group hikes. Click here for the new rules governing hikes announced as allowing dogs.

As you read this, it's not really as hard as it looks! With just a bit of preparation and forethought, you, too, can lead the multitudes through the wilderness.

Before the Hike

1. Plan the hike thoroughly using current maps and guide books.
2. Describe your hike clearly for the Region Hiking Schedule (think truth in advertising). Include hiking distance and pace, using the new hike codes. Include elevation gain. "Moderate" club hikes average 2 miles per hour, including breaks and lunch.
3. Clearly indicate whether you want publicity limited only to the Region Hiking Schedule (mailed to SATC and CVATC members), otherwise it will be released to newspapers and placed on this web site. (Note that web site policy typically obscures the meeting time and place for D and E terrain-rated hikes, and all hikes over 10 miles.)
4. When you receive calls about your hike, use the opportunity to ask qualifying questions of people you don't know. Caution them, suggest another (easier) upcoming hike if it sounds like they lack the experience necessary to enjoy your hike. Some questions you might ask:
   Have you ever hiked with the club before?
   Have you ever hiked this distance on a TRAIL?
   How recently have you been out hiking?
   Do you have any medical conditions that could affect your ability to hike this distance?
   Do you have appropriate shoes, gear, water?
5. When you scout the hike, make notes on directions to the trailhead(s), hiking time, lunch spot, parking, and car shuttle. Scout right before the hike to check trail conditions.
6. The leader should provide clear printed directions for drivers, both from the meeting site to the trailhead and around the car shuttle. (You shouldn't, however, feel obligated to copy hiking maps, often this violates copyright or deprives volunteer hiking groups of much needed revenue.) When you write the directions, imagine that the driver reading them just moved here from Iowa two weeks ago, don't skip turns that "everyone knows," or say "turn right where such-and-so used to be."
7. Prepare YOUR gear. Include maps, guide books, basic first aid supplies, food, and water. Don't forget the waiver form, clipboard, pen, extra Region Hiking Schedules, and club brochures if you have any. Calculate the mileage cost and write it on the waiver form.

At the Meeting Site

1. You are in charge. Take charge. Read off a list of necessary gear for the hike. Trust your instincts. If you have a gut feeling that something's wrong, you're probably right.
2. You know what the hike is going to be like. You decide who goes or stays.
3. Gently but firmly deny those who you feel will be "in over their heads." Give them a Region Hiking Schedule, circle an easier hike you feel they can do. We want people to enjoy hiking, not come out once and decide they will never hike again.
4. Our hike leaders receive extra copies of the Region Hiking Schedule. Distribute these to new hikers. Ask if anyone needs a hike list.
5. Make sure that all participants understand that each individual is responsible for his or her own safety. Each hiker should have appropriate shoes, rain gear, and sufficient water.
6. It is VITAL that every participant signs the waiver BEFORE leaving the meeting site by car or on foot. That is the club's only protection. Hike leaders must print off the waiver form from this web site before the hike. Mail the waiver to the volunteer indicated above, it will be kept on file for five years.
7. Ask for volunteer drivers to set up a carpool. If there is a car shuttle involved, make sure there are enough empty seats to complete the shuttle. Announce the amount passengers owe the drivers. Hand out the direction sheets you wrote.
8. Keep track of the number of cars in your convoy. With a large group you may have to pull over and wait after stop lights or all way stops. It is impractical to convoy on the Interstate for any distance so be sure all the drivers know which exit to use (read it off a new map with the new exit numbers). Try to drive the speed limit, not more, not much less. Slow down on dirt roads.

During the Hike

1. At the beginning of the hike, make a circle for introductions. Don't force people to say more than they want to, first name is fine. Make announcements about upcoming Club events you know about. Announce and point to the leader and the "sweep."
2. In a group activity, everyone is dependent on everyone else. Leaders need to keep the group together. No one will be left behind.
3. The hike leader should stay in front of the group. The co-leader or appointed "sweep" stays at the back of the group. Both leader and sweep should be familiar with the hiking route.
4. Take head counts before, during, and after the hike.
5. Wait at ALL turns and road crossings to avoid losing hikers. Cross roads as a group.
6. Arrange for periodic "nature breaks."
7. Encourage adequate hydration, especially in cold weather.
8. Our hikes adhere to "Leave No Trace" principles. Put that apple core in a Ziploc bag. Don't pick that flower.

Special Circumstances

1. Leaders of fast-paced, long hikes should screen participants carefully. You might consider requiring hikers to sign up by a deadline. Publicity should exclude meeting time and location (note web site policy described above). Keep track of all hikers. Leave no one behind. If a hiker can't keep up and is unable to complete the hike, you need to come up with an alternate plan for the whole group.
2. Large groups may not be appropriate on some trails. If 40 people show up for a hike on the A.T. or another mountain trail, form two groups or cross-hike. Environmental concerns are as important as the recreational and social aspects of the hike.

Dog Hike Rules

IF the hike was previously announced as allowing dogs:

1. Please only bring dogs that are capable of keeping up with the humans. Some small dogs and some older dogs may not be suitable for hiking. Please use your judgment.

2. Please keep dogs leashed and under control.

3. Dog owners/handlers must clean up dog waste and carry it out of the hiking area.

4. Dog owners/handlers must stop their dogs from digging and immediately fill any holes dug.

5. Please do not bring more than two dogs per handler.

6. Please do not bring a female dog in heat.

7. Dog owners/handlers are solely liable for injuries or damage caused by their dogs.

First Aid Kit

The following is a list of suggested items in a first aid kit for hike leaders and long-distance hikers.

• latex gloves
• 4X4 gauze pads
• tape for pads
• adhesive bandages (band-aides)
• cotton tip applicator
• alcohol prep pads
• antibiotic ointment
• sting bite relief
• salt (small pack)
• antihistamine
• aspirin
• space blanket
• tweezers
• safety pins
• mole skin
• liquid bandage (new skin etc)
• folding scissors

Shippensburg Hikes

Are you wondering where you can lead a hike? This could get you started.

SATC organized the hiking program for the 2001 Biennial Meeting of the Appalachian Trail Conference, held at Shippensburg University. Katie Barker had the monumental task of leading the hike committee and organizing the hike information into the spreadsheet you see here. Several SATC and PATC-North members on the committee compiled the data. One former SATC President was even injured in the line of duty.

The data cover 75 different hikes: on the A.T. from Weverton, MD to Swatara Gap, Lebanon County; the Tuscarora Trail from the Carlisle area to the MD line; and highlights of many other trails between the Susquehanna and Potomac Rivers, including the Link and even one on the Mid State.

Click here for an Excel spreadsheet showing each of the hikes, an abbreviated ("E" was easy, "M" moderate, and "S" strenuous) and brief description, and directions from Shippensburg to the hikes.

"Miles" is the hike length, "Drive" is the drive length from Ship., and "Run_rnd" is a driving distance 'running around' from one trailhead to the other on a point-to-point hike. "Book" is a cryptic code referring to a published guide, e.g. "50HE" refers to 50 Hikes in Eastern Pennsylvania. "Map" is another cryptic code referring to a published map.

Bear in mind the directions were current as of summer 2001 and the roads and trails may have changed since then. Exit numbers have changed. Get the book and map and scout the area before you lead a hike, E-mail the webmaster if you have questions.

Old Hike Codes (used before 6/04):
 

In addition to assigning a code, hike leaders would describe the pace and footing where this is essential.

For example: “Easy with moderate to fast pace” or “Easy with nature stops” or “Good footpath” or “Rocky and rough”.

"Our Favorite Hikes"

Some twenty years ago, one of the most eagerly awaited features of the Bushwack Bulletin was a detailed map (usually drawn by Ralph Kinter) of a favored hiking destination in the Harrisburg area.

We are pleased to provide the descriptions of the 36 "Our Favorite Hikes," but PLEASE be aware that in many cases the trails described there have been relocated or even closed.

Hence, we provide these twenty year old maps and hike descriptions for entertainment and historical purposes only.

Now that you've read all that, click here.

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