Groups For Hikers To Get Together

[DayTrip]

I have a friend who's daughter has really gotten into hiking this past year and is interested in doing more hikes, joining groups, etc. I hike solo and couldn't keep up with this girl on most trails and I don't think my wife would want be to anyway (mid 30's fitness instructor in very good shape). I'm curious what groups you could recommend for a new hiker interested in hiking with other hikers to gain experience on the trails.

I've seen reference to several groups in the past on VFTT but didn't pay much attention because they were not relevant to me. She has already signed up for a trail maintenance stint in September somewhere around Mt Washington (don't have the details) and is looking to do more. Any suggestions for good starting points I can pass along would be helpful. Thanks.

 

[peakbagger]

Meetup.com hiking groups gets vilified on occasion but it does appear to be one of the groups that is popular in the last few years. The tough part is that there is typically no vetting of the trip leaders so the "learning" aspect is hit or miss. There are numerous groups on Meetup and it may take awhile to figure out which one works for her. It will be tough as many meetup groups tend to cater to the entry level to intermediate hikers at a slower pace. Random Group of Hikers out of Boston on Meetup has quite a variety of hikes and do vet their trip leaders so it may be a starting point.

 

[Mohamed Ellozy]

AMC would seem to me to be the obvious solution.

 

[Mike P.]

AMC, ADK and there is a hiking group in the Springfield area, the Pioneer Valley Hiking Club. You may have here check the local hospital, is that Day Kimball for you. Hospitals are doing more for getting outside and promoting health. They could probably use help in the leadership roles.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Since you did not specify, there is also the Rip Van Winkle Club, the Catskill 3500 Club, and a few others in NY.

The ADK has quite a few chapters, check their web site.

 

[DayTrip]

It would likely be NH hiking, at least for now. I was under the impression AMC outings are pretty expensive. Is that not the case? I looked into some of their stuff a few years back and remember thinking it was way too much money by the time you paid for it, bought all the crap they wanted you to have for gear, etc.

I'll check into these options. Thanks.

 

[David Metsky]

I was under the impression AMC outings are pretty expensive. Is that not the case?

All chapter led hikes (volunteer-led, the vast majority of all AMC hikes) are free. You don't need to be an AMC member either.

http://activities.outdoors.org/search/index.cfm?action=main

 

[peakbagger]

Without wading into the full AMC rhetoric, there is a impression by many that the established clubs, AMC,GMC, RMC, and others are "gray" and mostly the 50 plus crowd. When hiking with a friend from GMC a few weeks ago he commented that anyone in their fifties was considered young in GMC and that most member were retired. This is not a big secret and I expect all the clubs are battling demographics. There is also a reputation about past aggressive fundraising of the membership that haunts particularly AMC. I suspect a majority of VFTT folks got their start at AMC events and were members at one time. Generally as their skills progressed they struck out on their own.

To defend AMC most of the events they do are chapter run events where membership is not required and AMC actually created a Meetup group to get non members to participate in their hikes. Check out this portion of their website http://activities.outdoors.org/sear...H&dest=&type=&sortby=date&sort=asc&ext=0&pg=1 Few if any of these hikes cost money, they are led by volunteers. These volunteers have to be trained to lead hikes and therefore they are not a bad bunch to learn from. I think some folks get confused as AMC as a club tends to publicize the excursions. (SORRY FOR THE REPEAT DAVE BEAT ME TO IT)

As for all the "crap" they want participants to have for gear, I don't think their requirements are significantly more onerous than the list recommended by NH F&G http://hikesafe.com/index.php?page=full-gear-list. Sure a lot of folks may voluntarily take less but the reality is that the required equipment on an AMC hike and which is also recommended by NH FG is not a bad place to start. Once she has built up some experience, she can elect to carry less but at least its an informed decision versus an uneducated one.

 

[Mike P.]

Gear list is more of a winter thing and even that has come down some. She probably shouldn't volunteer for an winter climbs un Huntington unless she jumps in with both feet and have a Rainier, Denali or similar trip planned for 2015 or 2016. (The Guides take people probably with less experience for those too)


The CT East of the River group is pretty gray but active and pretty fit. They also do a lot of Tuesday and Thursday hikes so being retired helps and keeps them off the busier weekend days. If you want a leader that's taken classes and knows the area well, you probably should expect at least salt and pepper hair.

As a 30 year old guy when I started seriously (was a hunter and local hiker before that for outdoor activities) learning on my own and making mistakes was okay. (was single and without kids also) Gender shouldn't be a factor but I would worry about any woman in my family who would try the same solo, on the fly traveling/hiking I did the first couple of years.

 

[DayTrip]

All chapter led hikes (volunteer-led, the vast majority of all AMC hikes) are free. You don't need to be an AMC member either.

http://activities.outdoors.org/search/index.cfm?action=main

That is good to know. I must be confusing this with another organization I checked into (maybe EMS or REI or something like that). It has been a few years since I did it so I'll assume my memory has failed me. Thanks.

 

[erugs]

I understand that AMC is not going to list their trips in their magazine any longer, mostly because so much is being done online these days, but also because there is a publication lead time. I for one don't like making plans to lead a hike months in advance. Weeks would be more like it. I've had to disappoint co-leaders twice in the past and I don't think one of them has ever gotten over it. But family comes first most of the time.

 

[RoySwkr]

There are many regional groups in NH Cohas/RMC/WODC/SRKG/Wapack/Bearpaw to choose from based on where she lives or likes to hike, try local paper