Crazy Talk

Leading Hill Walks

What? You want someone from the US, who obviously doesn't know their way around Scotland, who can hardly recognize or pronounce the place names, to lead walks for our one-hundred-year-old hill walking club? That's crazy talk. This seems to be an indication of desperation. And, indeed it is.

Mike was invited to begin leading hill walks. Our club, like so many other organizations that once thrived, is now dealing with an aging and declining membership. Leaders are harder to find. Sound familiar? Similar is happening with many churches and civic organizations, including our beloved Kiwanis Club of Roanoke. Maybe our hill walking club needs a dose of "outreach." So be it.

Consequently, Mike has been learning how our club develops walks and how those walks get included in the official program. Yes, he has led countless backpacking trips and hikes back in the US, he has taught classes about doing the same, he has adventured into the mountains on several continents, and he has hill walked several hundreds of miles in Scotland. Yet, he doesn't assume he understands how our hill walking club wants it done. He is finding that quite a bit is involved with this process:  route selection, route planning and grading, use of the national mapping system, transportation planning, a walk recce (reconnaissance), and listing in the club's official program. Luckily, many club members have stepped forward to help and mentor him; super nice people. Wonder how many will risk going on a walk he leads? Let's see how this pans out.