Mentored Hike and Urban Walks Leader Course

The Foothills Mentored Hike and Urban Walks Leader Course is designed to provide Mountaineers members with a supported or mentored pathway for becoming a Hike Leader and/or an Urban Walks Leader. Priority registration is given to Foothills Branch members, especially those interested in leading for the GoHike Course.  Leader permission, including an application is required. On the application form choose Foothill Branch, Hiking and Urban Walks Committees. If you have previously submitted an application, just say that in your leaders permission request.

The first course session is a required Zoom orientation  on December 3, 2024, 6:30 to 8:30 pm. A participant survey be administered to help course leaders determine specific course content. The course may consist of online zoom sessions, practical field work and field trips, assigned homework, and opportunities to gain leadership experience. The course is designed to be flexible, in that prospective leader candidates may be at various levels in the process. It is a course expectation that leader candidates will individually create a plan for meeting the required steps to become a leader, which may include attending the Foothills New Hike - Urban Walks - Backpacking leader seminar, or equivalent with another branch, and completing navigation, first aid, a mentored trip and any other branch requirements.

It is the intent of this mentored leader course to provide a supported, loosely structured, route to earning your leader badge in a small community of leader candidates, supported by experienced volunteer leaders, instructors and mentors, and the community of Foothills Hiking and Urban Walks Committees. The course will accomplish this by taking participants step by step through the leader development process, including practical aspects such as understanding the leader requirements, navigating The Mountaineers website, strategies for successful trip planning, developing your leadership goals, expectations and style, creating effective communications (pre-trip, at the trailhead, on the trail), and practical on-trail scenarios. 

Our course will start with a required Zoom orientation  on December 3, 2024, 6:30 to 8:30 pm. A participant survey will help course leaders to determine specific course content.

The GoHike: Beginning Hiking Course is a leader intensive course. To serve our course participants we need trip leaders, course instructors and volunteers. Our mentored course will focus on serving beginning level participants, defining your role and style of leadership in a beginning community and building leadership experience. All of which is foundational for leading all levels of trips.