Here is a list of tips for conducting safe outdoor trips.
- Assign roles before your trip — lead and sweep on a hike; camp duties depending on age, trip purpose, and leadership style.
- Hiking rate — the group moves at the rate of the slowest person. Avoid mistaking age for fitness.
- Cooperative nature of outdoor activities — respect, patience, helping; the stronger ones supporting the less strong.
- Understand human needs — hunger, thirst, acceptance, maintaining positive self-image, fatigue, fun, information about route and schedule.
- Route selection — select routes so all participants will finish without injury. Consider terrain, obstacles, distance, and rate of movement.
- Pre-hike action — determine medical conditions, plan meals, check gear, stretch, hydrate, agree on times for lunch, stops, and breaks.
- Trip planning form — includes evacuation route, communication equipment, first aid equipment, and designated first aider. Download the Trip & Float Plan (PDF).
- Leadership style — use appropriate style depending on purpose of the outing, age, and nature of participants: democratic, laissez-faire, autocratic, or situational.
- Build in fun — the activity needs to be structured so that people enjoy themselves and will choose to do it again.
- Pre-trip meeting for multi-day trips — test packs, footwear, and socks on a shakedown hike. Examine tents and test stoves before departure.
- Personal time — people may require some downtime each day.
- Evening activities — plan readings, games, or quiet conversation. Don't leave people with nothing to do after dark.
Safe trips!
Lewis Williams, 2020