When conditions are good and the walk is easy, a leader's qualities may not be obvious, but when the sh*t hits the fan, a good leader may mean the difference between survival and disaster.
Here I will look at how to sow the seeds with your walking party that you are competent from the outset, someone to be trusted, believed, followed and obeyed, especially when things do not go according to plan. So here are a few simple measures that the prospective leader can take to smooth the process.
1. Leader preparation. It is essential that the prospective walk leader has developed their own bush skills to a high degree before undertaking the responsibility of leading others. More than adequate fitness, reconnaissance trips, gear preparation and meticulous route planning are essential to shortcut mistakes and inability to cope with a group.
2. Knowing the people you are to lead is essential. Appearances can deceive, as a strapping, muscular young man may fall apart the first time he has to scale a steep hill.
3. Start small. You will not know that the strapping young man above will fail – how will you know until it's too late that this fellow has neglected aerobic fitness and his bodybuilding training has ill prepared him for bush travel. You may be planning a moderate overnight walk through relatively challenging terrain as the group goal. Instead of taking the group to do this in the first instance, insist that one or two shorter, less challenging walks be undertaken and observe the group, including the way they interact as a group. Graduate to the main goal when you and the group are confident to do it.
4. Gear Preparation. Have a recommended basic gear list for each walk. Get the group together or see them as individuals and ask them to show you their pack and contents. Then look at the way they pack the contents. Suggest ways to minimise their load by taking out unessentials. Show them your own setup and assist them to become organised and neat before going.
5. First Aid. Many people are asthmatic these days or have allergies to certain foods. Ask each person if they have any conditions you, as leader, should know about. You may wish to carry spare anti-allergy medication or puffers with you. Ask the walkers to provide them to you prior to carry in case they lose their own. Stay current with a good first aid provider, preferably a wilderness first aid company and be prepared to use that training.
6. A Personal Locator Beacon is an essential nowadays for walk groups and the leader should have one at all times to not only deal with chopper-out emergencies, but also to give the group some peace of mind.
7. A Strong Right Hand is an invaluable source of comfort to a walk leader. Ensure you take along a competent walker you know very well and have walked with often before, one who is absolutely comfortable with your methods. This will bolster your own confidence as a junior leader, the group will see this competent and respectful interaction and respond in kind, trustful in your leadership.
8. Conduct a thorough prior map reconnaissance to locate close points along the route where emergency aid can assist (eg. large clearings, flat topped hills, road junctions across or near the route etc.). This state of mental preparedness you carry during the walk will translate to confidence through the group if they need to act as a team in an emergency.
9. Give the team tasks. In the lead-up to the walk, have a team meeting and ask what people in the team think they may be able to contribute to the effort. Some may want to get the group going in the morning, getting up early to get the water boiled for a cuppa and ensuring people's water bottles are filled etc. Some may have the menu all sorted and have packaged all the ingredients for the group meal for each night and guided the efforts in cooking.
Others may help by ensuring the campsite is pristine upon leaving and yet another may wish to be the tail end Charlie (suggest the deputy leader). Others may get evening activities going, like charades, joke telling or passing a hidden port bottle around, things they may like to map out prior to leaving. A team photographer could produce a digital album of the walk to share afterwards, getting the group together to smile when they may be tired and sore. The purpose of all these duties is to involve everyone in contributing to the success of the walk and maintenance of group morale.
10. The weakest member should be partnered with a stronger member, who will most likely be honoured to be given that responsibility. Reallocation of heavy packed items or assistance over difficult obstacles will help with group cohesion.
11. Forethought and Contingency Planning by a learning leader can mean the difference between cheerful achievement of goals and positive development of group spirit and friendship, while a happenstance approach to charging out on epics with minimal preparation, both mental and physical and can sometimes result in the opposite.
12. After the walk, assuming all has gone beautifully, with adequate challenge and little anxiety, why not have a social night out at a restaurant or a barbecue at a beach to cement the group identity even more – you may conduct an informal evaluation to ask, upon reflection, how such walks could be improved in future. Make the suggestion, then back out and let the group organise it.
After all, they've had a great role model to get them started.
Words_Marcus O'Dean