Moderate hike leaders guidelines

Preparation and Planning

• If you’re not sure what pace you hike, join a few club hikes first and determine which level is most comfortable for you
• Pick a hiking route that you like, and that you’re familiar with
• Preview the hike to identify any potential issues 
• You can possibly plan and post a hike at the last minute. Check with your hike coordinators, Summer Sports Director, or Winter Sports Director first, to make sure one of them can post it and send out an email blast in a timely manner
• It’s your hike, so you can decide if you want to allow dogs (subject to whether your hike area allows dogs); you can decide where to go; you can decide how far you want to go; you can decide what time to start; you can decide if you want an RSVP; you can decide if you want to limit the number of people who join you. The beauty of leading is that you have total control of your hike
• To help you research your hike, there are a few local books which will give you some ideas, which can be found in the Park City or Summit County Libraries:
  1. Park City Hiking Guide, 1st Edition by Beverly Hurwitz
  2. Park City Hiking Guide, 2nd Edition by Beverly Hurwitz
  3. Prime Cuts, by Charlie Sturgis

• To figure out mileage and elevation gain, you can plan your route on the Mountain Trails Foundation Interactive map, Trail Forks, or AllTrails
• AllTrails also has many existing routes that you can use
• Contact the hike coordinator for that month and tell him/her that you’d like to lead a hike (that person is listed on the Club’s website under “Hiking” which is under “Summer Sports”). There are different coordinators for each month
• Write up your hike as per the template that your hike coordinator will give you. You’ll need mileage, elevation gain and time, which is why you might want to preview the hike
• If parking is anticipated to be a problem at the trailhead, you should carpool from an area that has ample parking
• It’s okay if you need to cancel. Contact your monthly hike coordinator or the Summer Sports Director as soon as you can and an email blast will probably be sent out

Day of the Hike – Meeting place

• On the day of the hike, you should arrive at the meeting point at least 15 minutes early to start signing people in. Introduce yourself to people you don’t know. You can also have everyone introduce themselves
• Have all participants complete the Activity Release Form. 
• Make sure everyone has provided an emergency contact. Download the contact information offline in case you need to contact one of your hikers, or you need to call someone’s emergency contact
• Start setting up carpools
• If you’re carpooling to the trailhead, have directions to share with your drivers
• Leave on time

 At the Trailhead

• Before you start, you can review the hike with your participants
• If there’s a lot of people on your hike, ask someone to be your sweep (you’d be surprised at how many people will fight over this job). No one should get behind your sweep, so that you don’t have to keep counting to make sure everyone’s there. You can decide if you want to let faster hikers go ahead of you, but let them know they’re on their own if they do. Possibly someone who’s familiar with the trail will take the faster hikers
• You should stop after the first 15 minutes to assess whether there are participant(s) who appear to have trouble keeping up. If you’re concerned any person doesn’t have appropriate skills, stamina or equipment to be safe (especially adequate footwear and sufficient water), you have the right to ask them to return to the trailhead. One of the most difficult things as a leader is to ask someone to leave your hike. A slower hiker affects the entire group. If you need to ask someone to go back, pull them aside and explain why you’re sending them back
• Regroup at intersections so that no one goes the wrong way
• Stop to rest/eat/get water/give water to the dogs/regroup whenever you feel is necessary
• You should only hike as fast as your slowest hiker
• Be aware of your surroundings in front of and behind you at all times: animals and bikes. Warn the last person in line that they have to also listen for and look for animals and bikes. If your group has to step aside for bikes, try to all be on the uphill side of the trail. A common warning to your group is “bike up” from you, in the front or “bike back” from the person in the back. That lets everyone know from which direction the bikes are coming

After the Hike

• Soon after the hike, take a picture of your activity release form and send it to your monthly hike coordinator

Hiking Poles

The use of hiking poles, also referred to as trekking poles, is one of the personal choices for members that are active hikers.  However, in order to provide some guidance please read the following article from the “American Hiking Society”: 

Gear has changed a lot since many of us started hiking. Perhaps one of the most obvious changes, other than the shift toward lightweight equipment, is the growing use of trekking poles among day hikers and long-distance hikers alike. Upon first glance, trekking poles resemble ski poles, sometime leading to awkward questions such as, “Isn’t July a bit early for skiing?” However, trekking poles differ from ski poles in some important ways. Trekking pole handles are often textured, and the poles themselves are rigid and strong, unlike flexible ski poles. Often, their tips are hardened carbide steel, with the ability to “set” into rock and soil to provide traction. 

Hikers often ask how two trekking poles are better than one “regular” walking stick. The simplest answer to this question is that poles give symmetrical support that one stick does not. 

Hiking with trekking poles provides many distinct benefits, including: 

Protecting knees: When walking downhill, poles allow the muscles of the upper body to “take over” some of the cushioning tasks often assumed by the quadriceps and smaller, discrete muscles that support the knee. This means that hikers using two trekking poles experience less knee pain—especially during descents, but also on level terrain. 

Easing ascents: Poles also allow the muscles of the upper body to “help out” the legs during ascents. Walking up a steep hill, hikers with poles immediately notice that the ability to push off with poles gives them a distinct advantage. Poles can also correct posture during ascent, keeping your head elevated and your lungs fully expanded. 

Increased stability: The occasional stumble is part of any hike. Poles provide two additional points of contact with the ground and enhance stability. Poles also allow hikers to brace themselves on their poles to remain steady and upright, instead of falling after a stumble. 

These benefits are of interest to all hikers, but are of particular interest to older hikers, among whom knee pain is a common complaint. 

True hiking poles are adjustable and the length can be changed for tilted trails (one side made longer), up hills (both made shorter) and down hills (both made longer). Last year’s old ski poles can’t do that. 

Another issue to consider when using poles is the appropriate use of the pole wrist straps. Those straps do more than allow the poles to be hung neatly when not in use. If they are pulled snugly under the wrists, they will allow the forearms to carry some of body weight. This will prevent the hands from having to grip tightly all the time. 

Poles that fold sufficiently to be carried in a backpack are recommended so that you can safely stow them if you have to rock scramble. 

Finally, a word of safety to pole users for those around you. Please be alert to how poles might swing and interfere with other hikers.

Hiking Shoes

When your feet hurt, you hurt all over.” That old phrase is never more true than when we’re in pain 10 miles up in the wilderness. So how do we prevent this catastrophe from happening? First let’s talk about foot types. Grandma could have given you one of three foot types:

• 1) A low arch, loose, flat foot
• 2) A rigid high-arched foot
• 3) A medium height, medium stiff foot/somewhat flexible foot.

How do you know which type you have? Take a look at Fig. 1. This schematic is similar to what a footprint might look like stepping out of a shower or onto the beach.

Fig. 1. Outline of the three basic foot types

Each foot type functions better in a different shoe type. Basically there is a simple rule. A stiff (high arched) foot does better in a softer shoe. And a flat, looser (low arched) foot does better in a stiffer, more supportive shoe. Forget the word “good.” Almost all shoe companies make all type of shoes.

Very often we are told that “this is a good shoe.” Translation: this is a stiff, expensive shoe. That’s often a meaningless phrase. The shoe must be appropriate for your foot type and the your activity level. If you hike with a 60 pound pack for 10 hours a day then, yes, you probably need a stiff, expensive shoe. But if you do recreational hiking for four or so hours and only carry a 5-10 pound pack, then pay more attention to your foot type than the load-carrying capacity of the shoe.

What shoe features do we need to know? See Fig. 2. A stiff shoe (best for a person with a low arched, loose foot) has a stiff heel counter (the part that wraps around the back of the heel) and stiff shank (the part that is under the arch-not labeled in this drawing). A soft shoe (best for a person with a rigid high arched foot has a softer counter and a more flexible shank.

Fig. 2.  Parts of a shoe 

All shoes must have ample toe room. The front of the shoe is the toe box or toe cap. For most people the second toe, the one next to big toe, is the longest toe. Be sure there is about one finger width space between the end of the longest toe and the end of toe box.

When to buy shoes: Always try on shoes in the afternoon or evening. Use the socks you will use for hiking. Everyone’s feet swell a little in the afternoon, so sizing a shoe that time of day is best. Walk around in the store for at least five minutes to see if the shoes are comfortable. Never expect the shoe to “break in.” Feet break before shoes.

Fabrics for socks: Use socks made of wool, polyester (DuPont “Coolmax” is the best polyester), or a blend of these fabrics with perhaps a small percent of Lycra (elastic). These fabrics will not hold onto moisture. Cotton socks absorb moisture, holds on to the wetness and becomes soggy. Acrylic socks are like plastic bags. Both cotton and acrylic are BAD.

The right shoes and socks make for happy hikers. If you go to a shoe store, and the salesperson doesn’t know the facts mentioned above, don’t stay. If the person knows, give him or a her a kiss. See ya out there!