With the current Walk Coordinator stepping down a replacement is required and the role of Walk Coordinator is one of the most important in the group. A hiking group lives and dies (pardon the pun) by each new group hike and a schedule of forthcoming walks.
As a Walk Coordinator it is important to ensure there is a schedule of walks and for there to be at least a few walks every month. Sometimes this means putting on one’s own group walk, but it is far more important for there to be other walk leaders active to keep the group going and to make sure there is a variety of walks.
This will involve networking with people during hikes and online to field walk ideas, speak with other walk leaders and to encourage others to step up to leading hikes. Ideally with more walk leaders it takes the pressure off a Walk Coordinator to plan their own hikes to keep the group going.
As Walk Coordinator you will have access to the Summit Good email list and to the admin functions of the Summit Good website. Once a week you will send out a group email as well as update the Summit Good’s Facebook page. You will review walk descriptions sent by other walk leaders to make sure they have the rights details and to assess the suitability (and safety) of a route. Thus it is essential to have a good knowledge of the Lake District, to be familiar with hiking various terrain (marshes, crags, woodland, etc.) and be aware of how changing weather and seasons can impact walks: hot weather means carrying more water and possibly starting early to avoid the worst of the heat, walking in Winter limits a hike to about six hours duration, high winds make it dangerous for scrambling and ridge-walking, etc. Such awareness is crucial to determining if a walk is suitable and safe for the time of year and for adverse walk conditions.
When a person leads a walk for the first time for Summit Good, the Walk Coordinator or an experienced walk leader must be present to discretely supervise and assist where necessary. Or it could mean being a back-marker (secondary group leader in the rear) for large groups.
Good communication skills and a professional written tone are important too. Often the Walk Coordinator is the first point of contact online when queries are submitted via email or via Facebook.
Finally, the Walk Coordinator creates new webpages on the Summit Good website for posting new walks and for updating the schedule too.
Per week the admin and official online communication duties usually take no more than a few hours- and these can be spread out over the week. It also means a commitment to lead at least one walk per month too.
If this is a position that interests you then please contact the group by replying to this message (should be sent out via email). And if you want a more detailed breakdown of what exactly the Walk Coordinator role involves please drop me an email. I am stepping down as Walk Coordinator and hope for there to be a replacement 🙂
My name is Miles Saunders-Priem and my email is: mspriem@gmail.com
Good luck! And happy hiking.