Hello Leaders,
You are listed to lead a tramp or hike soon. The following guidance relates to your possible interactions with the Club webteam. See also the Trip Guidelines covering all leader responsibilities.
Pre-Trip
Pre-Trip Email Notice
We’re wanting to get a notice from you to help people decide which trip they might do, and to tell them what to expect and what to bring. Can you consider the following please:
- Meeting point(s) and times for those not meeting at Mosgiel, with a reminder to contact the leader in advance if meeting elsewhere. When referring to a road or street, make it easy to figure out where on the road/street (nearest intersection? specific building? etc.).
Also meeting times at Mosgiel if different from the seasonal standard times. - Brief background of the trip, including things like:
• Where it’s going (briefly – not a route guide).
• Distance to be walked.
• Amount and steepness of ups and downs.
• Nature of tracks; smooth and wide? uneven and rocky? narrow and muddy? etc
• Grade – this can be based on an earlier walk and report, or on the recce outcome.
• Things of interest to be encountered (views? historic places? etc.)
• Will I need boots/shoes? gaiters? poles? storm gear? lots of water? etc. - Also any special arrangements like contingencies for cancellation, weather etc.
- If travel involves unsealed roads.
- And where the coffee/cake/icecreams will be afterwards – if you’ve decided already.
- Phone number(s) for contacting leader(s) before the trip.
Above is just a guide – you can be as brief or detailed as you like.
- Please email your notice to [email protected].
- Also, please get in touch if you’re not able to send us the notice by the Friday before your trip.
Cancellations
Please ensure that if a tramp / hike is to be cancelled the Webteam receives a cancellation notice no later than 7.45am on the Wednesday of the trip. This notice should be emailed, with a follow-up phone call to speak to the Webteam duty person (or any member of the Webteam) to alert them. We need a few minutes to get the notice and get it emailed out to all members who are often waiting for such a notice.
On The Trip
- Your main task is to keep everyone safe and content, and to enjoy the adventure yourself. See Trip Guidelines.
- Encourage the photographers and see if you can arrange at least one group photo. Remind photographers to email them to the Webteam , preferably before Friday. See also Photo Guidelines.
- Encourage or appoint participants to send details or a screenshot of GPS tracking via Strava or Topo Maps for example. The good details are distance, elevation gain, moving time and total (elapsed) time. Also screenshots of the route and the elevation profile are very helpful. We welcome multiple submissions because devices and apps give varying measures, and we can average multiples.
- If you’re not keen on writing a trip report, find, encourage, blackmail or bribe someone else on the trip to write the report.
- Towards the end of the trip and afterwards, encourage discussion on the track grading accuracy – for future guidance.
After the Trip
Trip Reports
- Each trip deserves a report. They can be as long or as short as you (or the writer) like. They can be as funny, serious, informative, dramatic or simple as you like. They remind us where we went, who we went with, and what we did. They can remind the less active members what is still going on. And they can inform future members of future possibilities.
- If you’re usure about structure or style, have a look through a variety of recent trip reports. Or even some of the old ones. See which ones you like and have a go copying the structure or style maybe?
- It would be good if each report can comment briefly on the accuracy of the track grading. This is a big help for future trip planners.
- Reports to be emailed to [email protected] by Friday afternoon please. This is so that the team can work on it all on either Saturday or Sunday to get the emails out before Sunday evening. If there are delays, please communicate with the Webteam by Friday evening so we can plan accordingly.
Thanks from the TRTC Webteam.
Questions or feedback are welcome. Try leaving a reply in the Comments box below.