Hello Leaders,
You are listed to lead a tramp or hike soon. The following guidance relates to your possible interactions with the Club webteam only. See also the Trip Guidelines covering all leader responsibilities.
| Pre-Trip | |
| Check details on Upcoming Trips page and advise any changes or corrections. | See more below |
| Check link on Upcoming Trips page and advise if it doesn’t look like the right one. | See more below |
| Advise the webteam of any updates to information listed on the linked page. | See more below |
| Prepare a trip preview and email it to the webteam by the Friday before the trip please. | See more below |
| To change trip details more than 48 hours before trip departure, email details to TRTC webteam. | See more below |
| For cancellations and changes within 48 hours of trip departure, email Webteam before 7:45am on the day of the trip, and ring a Webteam member to alert them to the email. | See more below |
| On the Trip | |
| Keep a note of times for starting and finishing, and breaks. | See more below |
| Encourage photographers and group photos. | See more below |
| Encourage recording of trip statistics and GPS map tracks. | See more below |
| After the Trip | |
| Email a trip report to the webteam by the following Friday afternoon please. | See more below |
| Webteam email address | [email protected] |
Pre-Trip
Trip Details on Upcoming Trips List
The Upcoming Trips page on the website lists the details assigned to your trip by the Trip Programme sub-committees. These are to guide you. You may wish to modify these, in consultation with the relevant Tramp/Hike Co-ordinator. Also, your reconnaissance may indicate the need to alter some of the details of the trip. For example, there may be a more helpful title for your trip, and your reconnaissance (recce) may suggest a more appropriate grading. Please email the webteam at [email protected] with any changes to trip details early so that we can keep members up to date.
Link to Information and Earlier Trip Reports
On the Upcoming Trips list there will also be a link to existing information and reports from previous trips to the same place. If this does not look like it covers the right area for the trip you intend leading, please let the Webteam know by email to [email protected].
Also, please let the webteam know if any information in the linked page is incorrect or misleading. This will be a big help to future leaders.
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 and Changes
For changes to trip details more than 48 hours before trip departure, email details to [email protected].
If a trip is to be cancelled or important details changed with less than 48 hours before trip departure, please ensure that the Webteam receives a cancellation or change notice no later than 7.45am on the Wednesday of the trip. This notice should be emailed, with a follow-up phone call to talk to the Webteam duty person (or any member of the Webteam) to alert them to the email. We need a few minutes to get the notice and get it emailed out to all members.
On The Trip
- Your main task is to keep everyone safe and content, and to enjoy the adventure yourself. See Trip Guidelines.
- Keep a note of times for starting and finishing, and breaks. This will help with writing a trip report and these details can help future leaders.
- 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 Report
- 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/ feedback welcome. Email or leave a reply in the Comments box below.