Hike Leader Guide: Message From the Club

March 3, 1996

Dear leader,

On any hiking or other outdoors trip there is always a risk of people being ill, injured, hurt, lost, hot, cold, left behind, or otherwise unsafe or uncomfortable. Perhaps you have yourself faced such situations as a hike leader. As our club grows and matures, it becomes important that we address these issues and reduce the risks.

We believe it is time to address the issue of hiker safety. We believe that the following policy statement is a good starting point:

"In all our outings we will strive to make every hiker safe and comfortable."

This implies that the in any outing, all hikers must feel safe and comfortable.

In order to implement the above policy, we advocate the following framework:

• Recognize unsafe and uncomfortable situations
• Prevent the occurrence of these situations
• Prepare for their occurrence anyway
• Respond to the situations appropriately when they do occur

By taking these steps we believe that we will make hikers safer and more comfortable, and enhance their joy of the outdoors.

Enclosed is the result of our attempts to address this issue. We have drawn on many sources to prepare this material: internal discussions, material used by other clubs in the area, and several books on the topic. Nevertheless this is only a beginning; nothing is cast in concrete. So please give us your feedback and let us know how we can improve this plan! Call Mano: (703) 802-6798.

We have tried hard not to impose anything on hike leaders. We have only recommended or suggested appropriate actions. As hike leaders we all enjoy a lot of freedom in this club, and we have tried hard to preserve this freedom. So you still make the final call!

We hope that you will find this guide beneficial.

Member of, the Executive Committee

Hike Leader Guide: First Aid and CPR Training

One of the best ways to prepare for an unsafe or uncomfortable situation in the outdoors is to take the first aid and CPR training offered by the American Red Cross. The training is called Basic First Aid and consists of three hours of first aid training and four hours of CPR. The certification is good for three years. You will also receive a text book, which contains much valuable information.

Special Offer: $30 Towards First Aid and CPR Training!!

We strongly recommend that you take this opportunity!!

The club's normal policy is to reimburse 50% of training costs. However, as a one-time special offer, the club will reimburse $30 if you get certified any time during 1996! Your cost for first aid and CPR will only be $12.00.

We hope that you will not pass up this opportunity!

Following are the details of the American Red Cross:

Courses are held twice a month; call American Red Cross for schedule. Call Mike (590-3188) for your refund check. Call Mano (802-6798) if you have any questions.

Hike Leader Guide: Emergency Phone Numbers

Following are some important phone numbers:

Weather: Mountains of Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia: 703-260-0705.

Road Conditions: General: 703-260-0706.

Road Conditions: Shenandoah National Park (SNP): 540-999-2266 and 540-999-3500.

Following are the emergency telephone numbers, mostly of the Virginia State Police. A similar listing will soon be made available for Maryland and other nearby states.

Prefer the state police to the local authorities.

Phone Number	Park/County	Phone Number	Park/County
540-999-2227	SNP	Division 6	Allegheny
800-732-0911		703-380-1500	Bath
		800-542-5959	Bedford
Division 7	Loudoun		Botetourt
703-323-4500	Prince William		Craig
800-572-4510			Highland
			Montgomery
Division 2	Clarke		Roanoke
703-829-7401	Fauquier		Rockbridge
800-572-2260	Frederick
	Madison	Division 4	Bland
	Page	703-228-3131	Giles
	Rappahannock	800-542-8716	Grayson
	Shenandoah		Smyth
	Warren		Tazewell
			Washington
Division 3	Albemarle		Wythe
804-352-7128	Amherst
800-552-0962	Augusta
	Greene
	Nelson
	Rockingham

Hike Leader Guide: List Of Items To Carry

It is impossible to say what a good list should include, since conditions can vary so much. A 12-mile hike in the GW National Forest in mid-January requires preparations quite different from a walk around Burke Lake in late May. So use your best judgment.

The leader should also carry, in addition to the items listed below, all items that a regular hiker should carry. This is a separate list, and is described in the hiker guide.

Recommended Items: These are a "must" for a hike leader.

1. First aid kit - this is a standard item sold in any outfitter shop
2. Mole skin
3. Pocket knife
4. Safety matches in a dry bag
5. Trail map
6. Emergency phone numbers for the area

Suggested Items: These are useful items to carry. Some of these items become essential depending on the nature of the hike. For instance, flash light is essential for night hikes.

1. Flash light
2. Topographical map
3. Compass - preferably an "orienteering" type, which is accurate and easy to use
4. Road map - for driving to the trail head
5. Plastic sheet
6. Nylon rope
7. Portable blaze or trail marking arrows
8. Whistle
9. Small change - for making telephone calls
10. Paper and pen - for leaving notes
11. Extra food and water
12. Water purifying tablets - sold in outfitter shops
13. Fire making sticks - sold in outfitter shops. They burn even when wet!
14. Toilet Paper

Hike Leader Guide: Tasks At Meeting Place

The meeting place can be confusing to the leader, with several incidents taking place at the same time demanding the leader's attention. Following is a suggested list of items to help jog your memory. You are welcome to modify this list or the order of items as you see fit.

1. Write emergency phone number(s) on sign-up sheet.
2. Sign up hikers: Ensure that data is complete with signatures. Collect dues.
3. Distribute schedules and membership forms. Collect completed forms (if any).
4. Distribute hike information: maps and good driving directions. Driving directions should include road names and numbers, exit names and numbers, landmarks, distance to travel to the next segment, and approximate time of travel for each segment. See sample below.
5. State the preparations the hikers need to make in order to go on the hike. Be firm, and do not hesitate to turn away unprepared hikers. The list of preparations is included on the sign up sheet under "Safety Message". You may add to this list if you wish.
6. Make announcements about the trail: distance, elevation change, hike rating, terrain, stream crossings, rock scrambles, view points, and other special features.
7. Make announcements about the hike: (This may also be done at the trail head.) Pace, regrouping points, bailout points, places of interest, and special instructions such as the signs used to mark the trail.
8. Make announcements about driving: Give drivers an option to follow you. If directions are complex consider meeting at a more convenient place near the trail head and driving on from that spot in a "caravan". Indicate stops for gas or food, parking at trail head, suggested car pool fees, and park entry fees.
9. Arrange car pools. Do not pick drivers or assign persons to car pools; the car pools should be formed voluntarily. Ensure that each car pool has the driving instructions.

Sample Driving Directions:

From Route 28 Parking Lot To Penmar, PA:

• Exit parking lot and go left on Route 28 North and go 2.4 miles and exit onto Route 7 West.
• Take Route 7 West 7.3 miles and turn right onto Route 15 North
• Take Route 15 North approximately 25.2 miles and exit right onto Rt. 40 West. (after 19.6 miles merge with Rt. 340 East and continue North on Rt. 15. After 24.4 miles turn left to continue on Rt. 15 North.)
• Take 40 West 2.8 miles and turn left onto I-70 West.
• Take I-70 West 14.5 miles and take exit 35 and turn right onto route 66 North.
• Take route 66 North 4.9 miles and turn right onto route 64 East.
• Take route 64 East 1.6 miles and turn right onto Raven Rock Road, MD 491 North.
• Take MD 491 North about 2.1 miles and turn left onto Ritchie Road and park in pull-off area on right.

Total driving time: 1 hour 10 minutes.

Hike Leader Guide: Hike Leading Precepts

1. Get trained in first aid and CPR: This is perhaps the best preparation you can make to meet an unsafe or an uncomfortable situation.
2. Carry first aid kit and other items: First aid kit is perhaps the most essential item needed in case of an injury. Other items are listed elsewhere in this guide.
3. Screen hikers: Your write-up is the first screening step. Be precise about details such as distance, elevation change, terrain (stream crossings, rock scrambles, and such), and pace. Try to make sure that the hikers are prepared. Items a hiker should carry are listed in the Hiker Guide. While you cannot guarantee that no unprepared hikers will hike with you, you can do your best to discourage them. Be firm, but courteous. If hikers call you beforehand, that is the best time to screen them.
4. Go through the check list at parking lot: Items are listed elsewhere in this guide. Especially, ensure that people have proper directions and trail maps.
5. Mark or wait at all trail junctions: Every trail junction is important! Therefore either wait at each trail junction even if only a few yards from the previous junction, or mark the right trail. If you use marks, clearly explain the marking convention to all hikers at the beginning of the hike and use the mark consistently. Watch out for false trails!
6. Use a sweep: For groups larger than 10 use a sweep. A sweep may be useful even with smaller groups. The sweep should be a reliable person, and should preferably know the trail well. The sweep should never leave anyone behind.
7. Cancel or modify the hike if needed: If the trail seems dangerous prior to the start of the hike, cancel it! If you are already into the hike modify the route (if possible) to avoid dangerous sections. If you do modify the route gather all hikers in the group and explain to them carefully what the new route will be.
8. Record all unsafe and uncomfortable situations encountered: Use the back of the sign-up sheet. Use a separate sheet for a more detailed report if necessary. Blisters may not require a separate sheet, but more serious incidents do. Use your judgment. By keeping records we can evaluate and improve our safety policy from time to time.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Are you prepared to handle a lost hiker? What would you do?
• Are you prepared for a hiker being seriously injured, or having a serious medical problem? What would you do?

For a thorough treatment of the topic of outdoor leadership we refer you to Paul Petzoldt's excellent book: The New Wilderness Handbook. This book is available in the Fairfax public library system.