During my 20+ years in AMC I’ve been involved in training new Leaders since my terms as Education Chair of the SEM Chapter in the early 2000s. The AMC has a well earned reputation for running conservative trips. Some would say “too conservative”, however we like to feel confident that when we take a group out hiking we will all come back, without any ‘close calls’.
One ‘fault’ I find with the typical AMC training, is that there is a lot of ‘theory’ but sometimes the Leadership graduates lack a clear idea of the ‘nuts & bolts’ of planning and running a hike. So, to address that, I long ago wrote a series of handouts for those I was mentoring, so they would have a more ‘step by step’ list of the specific tasks they needed to perform, and at least my thoughts on the “How’ and ‘Why’s involved. Over the years I’ve modified these to apply to both NH Hike Leaders and, currently, to focus on Local Hikes run by the Boston Chapter ‘Local Walks & Hikes’ committee.
They are posted here so that those I’m mentoring, or anyone else interested, can use these to plan and run hikes. Obviously, different Committees, and Chapters, do things a bit differently, so some details may vary depending on where you are leading, however I think the general guidelines will be helpful to most new hike leader candidates.
Handouts:
- 101 – Trip, Trip Description & Info Sheet
- 102 – Screening
- 103 – Before the Trip
- 104 – At the Trailhead
- 105 – During the Hike
- 106 – Back at the Trailhead
- 107 – Problems
- 108 – Accidents