Am I Overreacting ?

[WildernesStudent]

I was going to wait a while before posting another topic but sense it might be a few days before I get back to the forum I thought I might as well go a head and see what you think.

 

To make it short I and two others work under a school organization that spends time with inner city kids we meet with them about once-twice a week as a group and play games with them but we are also supposed to do other things with them as well. The other two leaders in my group and I decided that we wanted to take ours hikingin theory it sounds like a good ideaand then I started thinking about it in reality.

Here is the scenario:

Six middle school aged children who have never gone hiking before in their lives

Three leaders who have hiked several times before but have no leadership experience

A moderate but five mile hike (roundtrip)

Or

A fairly difficult two-mile hike.

 

In all honestly I have no trouble leading a group on either one of these hikes (I could do it myself blindfolded) but what I worry about here is lack of experience with a group this age. I have never had the talent for being able to predict the unpredictable and plan accordingly. We havent taken any group dynamics disaster prevention/ preparation classes and it just seems a lot more complicated then getting medical release forms, buying a first aid kit and telling them to bring water.

 

The other leaders seem to think I am over reacting and tell me not to worry about it and to some degree I hope I am over reacting which is why I wanted your opinion. You all lead hikes and/or go on them, what do you think?

 

[Lisabob]

A couple of questions to start with:

 

1) Where are you going to go, in relation to where your group typically meets, and how will you get the kids there? Are you counting on parents to get them there?

 

2) What shape are these kids in? CAN they all do a 5 mile hike? Even 2 miles of moderate hiking might be a lot if they're sedentary couch potatoes. (Note that asthma rates are much higher in inner city populations too). Keep in mind that the pace at which you can hike on your own may be a lot faster than what they can manage if they're not fit.

 

3) What is the purpose of this hike? To get them out of the city? To enjoy nature? To teach them outdoor skills? To teach them teamwork? Something else? The type of hike and your preparations for it may differ depending on your goal.

 

4) Where ever you live, consider the weather at this time of year. Trails are either muddy or covered with compacted snow/ice in many places. As it thaws you have washed-out areas. My son went on a hike last weekend and he and his leaders came back soaked and exhausted. They're well-trained and like hiking but the weather just wasn't cooperative. It might have been a miserable experience for a first-time hiker.

 

5) What sort of attire will these kids show up wearing? Inner city kids in programs like yours may not own appropriate outdoor gear, and/or may not wear it. If they show up wearing flip flops or crocs, all cotton jeans/socks and no jacket (entirely possible!) what are you going to do with them?

 

6) What will you do if somebody twists an ankle (or breaks something) and can't walk back? Are you prepared to deal with that? Cell phones for emergencies are great and all, but they don't work everywhere, especially in the woods.

 

Short hikes in well-traveled areas are hardly rocket science and you don't need degrees in outdoor education to have a fun day hike. But there are plenty of things to think about in advance, especially since this experience may be totally foreign for the kids you are leading and you want it to be a good one for them.

 

 

[WildernesStudent]

 

1). Well in relation to where the group typically meets it would almost be in the same placeour college campus and we would pick them up if they couldnt get rides.

 

2). These kids are very athletic they play basketball, cross country, cheerleading etcthey remind me every time I try to play with them that I just dont have that kind of energy anymore. Also I put inner city in quotes because were not talking taxes and skyscrapers. We live in a descent size town these kids live in the middle of itour campus is on the outskirts surrounded by several hundred acres of forest.

 

3). Well the purpose of the hike is to try something new. To introduce them to something they have been living right next to and have never had the chance to do for themselves. I would like to teach them outdoor skills unfortunatelyI have yet to learn that myself so we probably will talk a lot about team work.

 

4). Well, were in the foothills of the Appalachians. Our weather is finicky; I will never understand it this time of year. Just the other day it was 70 something and then yesterday it dropped in the morning and we had snow and then it went back up to the 60s. We will have to watch the weather though I highly doubt we will have snow again hiking in the rain is NOT fun. I did happen to follow one of the trails a bit today and noticed that it was harder (ok, try impossible) to cross the creek without getting wet (we will just pretend that I didnt slip and actually fall in it shhhh) where you usually would because the water had risen a good four-six inches.

 

5). Wellthis is going to sound very bad but as I mentioned in my other topic I am just starting to realize the dos and donts of hiking myself. We define appropriate clothing for a regular day hike as follows: jeans, a good pair of sneakers (I wear Columbia hiking ones), a t-shirt with something under it, and a light jacket.

 

6). Medical emergencies. I honestly havent been too concerned about this, but none of us have any medical training so maybe I should be. A broken arm, twisted ankle really doesnt bother me to muchwhat really bothers me is if someone does get hurt what all the other kids would do.as for cell phones I try not to rely on them apparently its one of the donts but I do happen to know that on this particular trail you can have full service as there is a cell tower on the very top of the mountain.

 

Well....what do you think? Please critique/correct me.

 

[Gold Winger]

If I was in your shoes and knowing what I know now, I'd go on a hike that was almost too easy.

 

Find a place with an improved trail, the type that you find in county parks with no rocks and little signs to tell you what the trees are.

 

Do the hike without the kids so you'd know what to be looking for. Get a map of the trail so you can have the kid orient it and locate themselves based on landmarks. It's a great feeling of accomplishment when you can look at a map and say, "We're here."

 

If the trail is good and the weather is decent and there are no streams to ford, they can get by with jeans and sneakers. A sweatshirt or sweater with a rainjacket is good enough for anything above the 40s. When I started hiking, I was surprised at how quickly I needed to shed my sweater even when the temps were in the 40s. Of course, when you stop to take a break, everyone needs to put on something warm.

 

In that daypack, everyone needs to take basic first aid, including duct tape to stop incipient blisters. Other than that, you need band-aids, sun screen, tylenol, and lip balm. Other stuff in the pack would include a couple pairs of dry socks. Snacks like trail mix or jerky. A light lunch should also be carried.

 

Knowledge of general first aid is good but since you're in cell range, you won't have to worry about broken legs and the like because you can call for help.

 

Two, maybe three, quarts of water per person.

 

One roll of toilet paper for the gang along with a trowel for digging a hole and hand sanitizer. Let me tell you, learning how to poo in the woods was an interesting experience for this old guy.

 

Hats. A camera. Have everyone leave their phones, ipods and games in the cars.

 

Figure on a half day activity. Plan out a trail that will take you about four hours to do which should be about five miles. If you're really humping, five miles can be done in about two hours but you want to take it easy. Look at the trees and birds and bugs. Stop at the half way point for lunch.

 

Take a map of the trail and have the kids try to figure out where they are. Take a plant guide and try to determine what the local trees are.

 

Just some random thoughts.

[Gold Winger]

" hiking in the rain is NOT fun"

 

Sure it is. You just have to be prepared for it.

 

I wouldn't worry too much about the psycology aspects of the whole exercise. If the kids know each other and aren't likely to try to kill each other on the trail, I wouldn't think that you'd have any problems.

 

 

[Eamonn]

Maybe before you take on the Great Outdoors a few little hikes around where the kids live might be an idea?

Maybe something like a Left -Right Hike.

Where they make a left turn at the first road /street they come to, then a right turn at the next, then a left, then a right and so on.

Inner city, in town hikes can be fun. Maybe providing a quiz sheet of things that they can find out as they move from place to place. Things like what are the times of the last mail pick up at the post office? What are the times of the Mass at All Saints Church?, when was Joe Darcy born from the local cemetery ?

Once they get used to moving under their own steam you can try small hikes in the great outdoors.

I have found that kids don't like hiking just for the sake of hiking. They need to either be doing something as they move along or have some kind of destination and maybe reward as the final goal.

You don't post the number of kids?

One problem with a large group is that they do tend to get separated and the guys at the front can be a long way ahead of the guys in the back.

You might find if the hike is to short with no activities along the way that some of them will be done before some reach the half way point.

Whatever you do will require planning and as it is new to everyone who is going everyone will need to know and understand what they are to be doing. One adult will need to be with the front end, one at the tail end.

You might want to cover the skills that the youth will need with them when you meet with them.

Eamonn.

[Oak Tree]

All of the above suggestions are good. But to answer your subject question, yes, I would say that you are overreacting.

 

We havent taken any group dynamics disaster prevention/ preparation classes and it just seems a lot more complicated then getting medical release forms, buying a first aid kit and telling them to bring water

 

I certainly have taken lots of boys on hikes with this level of preparation. I don't think it needs to be any more complicated than that. Certainly a 5 mile hike does not require any group dynamics courses or disaster prevention classes. Take them, and have a good time. Sure, think about what you're going to do in order to have some fun, but I wouldn't spend much effort worrying about disaster scenarios.