ABOUT THE GUIDE
What is it that makes a hike successful? Have you ever been on a trip where everything seemed to fail? Has some trip been particularly memorable? Why?
Sometimes it depends on the very smallest details when a hike changes from successful to the opposite. This guide is directed to anyone aiming to plan a successful hike. Our aim has been to consider all the important details that make a difference in planning and carrying out hikes.
We discuss two main themes in this guide. The first one is planning, preparing and leading a hike and the second one is about leadership and the leader’s role in the group. As our leadership style we have chosen a caring leadership, where the leader builds trust and creates a safe atmosphere by focusing on the group and the individuals in it. Especially for a beginner it may be a challenge to go on a hike, as an adventure beyond their safety zone awaits and the other participants and the hiking area may be unfamiliar to them. A hike is also a great opportunity to learn social skills and make new friends. In order to support this opportunity, the leader should be aware of the teamwork opportunities a hike offers, like making food together and helping one another with packing the backpacks. In this guide we bring up these opportunities and ideas for the leader to acknowledge while planning the hike and making it happen, because in addition to the knowledge and experience of outdoor life, a good leader should have people skills that help to build trust between the leader and the group. The notes for leaders are written with green and Italics.
We want to clarify that this guide is written with the focus on Scandinavia as the main environment but it can also be applied to similar environments.
The idea for the guide came up in an early stage of the planning of our thesis. After three years of studying civic activities and youth work the primary interests on our minds had become hiking as a method in youth work, leadership, grouping, and teamwork. The ingredients for our thesis were set. We started to examine our topic more thoroughly and as our interest grew even more we started to figure out ways of sharing what we had learned. A guide seemed like a natural choice.
We hope that our guide inspires and gives you ideas when planning a hike.
Kaisa Koivisto and Sophie Solin