There is little doubt that enjoyment of a hike increases considerably with a good hike leader. Not just someone who knows the way, but someone who applies safety, best practices, fun and local knowledge to what otherwise would be a random walk in the woods. The goal is an exceptional experience, a meaningful memory—something that would not happen without a skilled hike leader. Our chapter has been providing this service to patrons of our state parks and other local natural spaces for years.
What makes a good hike leader? That depends on the purpose of the hike. A five day, four night adventure trek in Grand Tetons National Park requires different skills vs. a one hour hike through a local state park. Some hikes are recreational while others are about learning or exploring. Different hikes have different objectives, but all of them include interacting with people and helping folks have fun. Some hike leaders are naturals—as easy as breathing; the rest of us have to work at it by learning new skills.
When discovery or appreciation is at the core, we call these hikes “interpretative.” It’s about more than sharing knowledge with others, way more. In the traditional sense, interpreting something for other people means acting as the interface between a subject and an object, helping one better understand the other. Language interpreters do this, mediators do this—even parents often do it. As applied to a hike in the woods, interpretation is sharing knowledge in a non-teaching way. It’s getting people involved in the subject personally, capturing their interest and gaining their willing participation. Done right, time gets lost here. Ticking off scientific names or deliberately flouting encyclopedic knowledge of the outdoors is almost always rejected by patrons. You don’t have to be a comedian or entertainer either. That’s not what they’re looking for—it’s not about you; it’s about them. They want something they can personally connect with, something stimulating and something fun.
A key ingredient of success is the match-up between hike leader and “the group.” Children often are the toughest audience, with short attention spans, a need for activity
and the knowledge that, unlike the classroom, they are free to pay attention or not—and there is no grade handed out at the end. Imagine that you are preparing to leave on a hike through Buescher State Park with a group of five adult guests from Houston. . .and then a cub scout den descends upon you at the last minute, seething with energy and anxious for an adventure! There they stand with eyes aglow like a schoolboy’s marbles dug up from the garden. But some grown-ups can be a challenge as well. We all know there are certain adult personalities that can pose problems, like the egghead scientist, the radical environmentalist or the rural sportsman. It’s not uncommon to find a Master Naturalist in the crowd from another chapter. So, here’s the bottom line: Hike leaders need to be able to appreciate their audience and adjust accordingly. That’s one reason chatting with participants before the hike is critical.
Preparing for an audience is much easier when there is advance notification, as in a requested hike by an organization for a specific date in the future. This was the circumstance recently when we received word that Boy Scout Troop 190 out of San Antonio would be coming to Bastrop State Park on a Saturday and joining a
regularlyscheduled public hike. The scouts were working on animal tracks and poisonous plants, so naturally they wanted a hike that would emphasize these subjects. In this case, the assigned hike leader did extensive outside preparation, putting together handouts and worksheets which allowed the scouts to demonstrate their knowledge to others. Unlike most public hikes, this one entailed a classroom (i.e., picnic table) session and a completely different hike theme was developed showcasing poisonous plants. To further prevent a conflict of focus, a second hike leader was employed for the general public hikers, separating the two groups.
This kind of specialization or advance notification is not always possible, leaving it to the hike leader to adjust and amend the delivery of the hike theme on the fly. This is where experience leading public hikes comes in. Explaining the life cycle of a loblolly pine tree to a group of adults can be very different from helping a youngster understand, yet, if you leave someone in the dark or confused, they will disconnect very quickly. It is for this reason that hike themes are used. This is nothing more than an outline of the main point the hike leader wants to leave in the minds of patrons: what we are going to learn on the hike today. This theme is supported by three or four simple sub-points so that the experience flows and makes sense. The level of technical detail is adjustable based on the crowd; the theme is not. Hike themes are usually written documents, studied in advance, practiced by the hike leader, and followed during the course of the hike. If executed well, the result is an organization of ideas or understandings that logically fit together. At the end of the hike, a summary is given, any over-arching questions are discussed and answered, and people should leave having seen and heard what was promised at the outset. People should leave fulfilled, satisfied and with an enjoyable experience.
Here’s a truism: to get really good at something, you have to do it often. Some people believe leading public hikes requires some innate talent or ability that they may not have. . .that is, that they are not “cut out” for leading hikes. Anybody can successfully lead a public hike. It does require preparation, it does require rehearsal, it does
require thinking what your hike is about—but the “skills” are nothing more than doing it, learning from your efforts and constantly working to improve the experience. You’re simply trying to make a connection using a non-classroom style. These same steps are involved in riding a bike.
Here’s another truism: everyone is different. For this reason hike leaders in our chapter are not given scripts. Each hike leader determines his or her own theme(s). There is an orientation provided for each venue so hike leaders are familiar with their park. There is a discussion of common lessons learned (best practices) so everyone starts with a level playing field. There is background information—just the facts, ma’am—provided on each state park we service, so hike leaders can be prepared for questions and feel confident in a deeper knowledge of a park than patrons are likely to have. But after all is said and done, it is gaining experience through leading hikes that really matters. Volunteer often and in varied scenarios. Spread yourself around. In interpretative hikes, knowledge is helpful, but it is not the most important factor. Connecting with people is!
As we move through the summer months, hike leader training is offered to all comers at all state parks. In addition to “basic training,” we are also offering advanced training that goes into the finer points of the art of theme-based interpretative hikes. The point I want to leave you with is that if you’ve always wanted to try your hand at leading interpretative hikes, you are in the right place and now is the right time. All you gotta do is make the decision to do it! Do NOT worry about what you know or
don’t know about nature or the outdoors—you already know more than 90 percent of the public you will be leading. There isn’t a better way to serve the mission of our organization than helping open the eyes of those who stream from our urban centers looking for an outdoor experience. They are hungry for it, they seek it out and they want to learn more. You can be a facilitator, an interpreter, to help them appreciate our shrinking wilderness. Protection of our resources only comes from those who value them. You can play a role in this important story. You will find in the process that you—the hike leader—had fun, were satisfied and fulfilled also. It’s a classic win-win. Your training and background as a Master Naturalist is also a resource. . .share the wealth; pass it on!