Hiking Guidelines

1) Introduce yourself and say a few things about the hike (distance, terrain, etc.)

2) Assign a backup person.

3) Ask hikers to remain between the leader and the backup. Explain that if anybody goes ahead of the leader and gets lost, s/he is on his/her own! Hikers should strive to keep the person that is behind and in front within visual contact. See Guideline #8.

4) Ask hikers that, if they have a need to go to the bushes, they should leave their pack at the side of the trail, so that the backup person knows that someone is there and waits.

5) Take a count (re-count after lunch!).

6) If there are no facilities at the beginning of the hike, stop for a modesty break within 15 minutes after the hike, where possible.

7) Take a break every 1/2 hour to give people a chance to catch up, water break, etc.

8) Do not assume everyone will know which path to take when given a choice; either wait at a fork in the trail or assign someone to guide any trailing hikers.

9) Know your limitations. If you know you have difficulty with a particular terrain, please consider skipping that particular week as it is not fair for the group if they have to continually wait for one or two people.

Each hiker should, to the best of their ability, strive to maintain the pace set by the leader. Conversely, it is the leader's responsibility to notice any difficulty by the majority of hikers and to adjust his/her pace accordingly.

10) LAST BUT NOT LEAST:
If you intend to use the facilities of a restaurant without making purchases, or use the premises as a parking site, ask permission in advance from the management.