National Outings Training Trip - Lodge-Based Day Hiking
Sierra Club Outings Trip | Training Event, Lodge
Highlights
Includes
Overview
This training is full and we are no longer accepting signups.
If you are still interested in becoming a National Outings Leader, please review the "How to Become a Leader" page and submit your leadership application for review.
Welcome
This website will provide you with all of the information needed to give you a clear picture of what t
This training is full and we are no longer accepting signups.
If you are still interested in becoming a National Outings Leader, please review the "How to Become a Leader" page and submit your leadership application for review.
Welcome
This website will provide you with all of the information needed to give you a clear picture of what the trip is all about, who should apply, what to expect, plus lots more. In applying for this trip, you will be putting yourself in the company of an elite group of volunteer leaders offering some of the best outings in the world. There’s a lot of information here. Please read it in detail to assess whether or not this trip is right for you.
The Trip
Hugging the ridge line hundreds of feet above Lake Superior in Minnesota, the Superior Hiking Trail is one of the country's Top 10 trails, according to Backpacker magazine. The Chicago Tribune calls it the Midwest’s Appalachian Trail, although many think it is more scenic. This new trail was conceived in the mid-1980s, built to connect the area’s most scenic views. Since then an army of volunteers constructed a continuous 300-mile path from Duluth to the Canadian border, including bridges over 100 water crossings.
The 2016 National Outings Training Trip is located on the Superior Hiking Trail at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, a nationally recognized leader in environmental education. Wolf Ridge is a 2,000-acre wooded campus near Finland, Minn. that features comfortable bedrooms with private baths and showers, and tasty, healthy meals. Each night, after a full day of hiking, optional programming includes a fully tethered ropes course with a thrilling zip line, climbing wall, and more.
The setting at Wolf Ridge and the Superior Hiking Trail is a great place to learn how to become a Sierra Club leader. Enjoy the comforts of a lodge while engaged in the best, most intense training the Sierra Club offers with veteran trainers who are focused on your success, all on a trail with panoramic vistas and dramatic cascades and gorges.
Enroll in the Class of 2016 and join hundreds of other Sierra Club leaders in a 100-year tradition, started by John Muir, to lead people into the most beautiful, inspirational mountains, forests and deserts in the country to encourage stewardship of these special places. In addition, the friends you’ll make in the Class of 2016 will last for years and be a frequent source of support as you continue your leadership journey.
Requirements to Participate
Have the interest and ability to lead a National Outing at least once every other year but ideally once a year.
Register and pay for this training.
Fill out and submit the online National Outings Leadership Application.
Participate in interviews with the National Outings Volunteer Interviewer, Sponsoring Subcommittee Chair (or designee) and trip leader in order to be accepted to the training.
Prior attendance on a National Outing is strongly recommended. Prior multi-day group outings experience may also be acceptable.
An ability to use a computer and the internet on a regular basis in order to complete Home School, the homework phase of the training. This homework phase of the training takes between 40-60 hours of time before the field section in August and consists of planning, designing and submitting your own "mock" National Outing. Trainees are expected to be able to use the Sierra Club's Outings Extranet, the National Outings Training Trip Google Site and the online National Outings Trip Submission System.
Have the interest and ability to work closely with their Home School Mentor in a professional and timely fashion.
Have the ability to hike 6-9 miles per day.
Goal of Training Trip
This training trip is designed to teach the leadership and technical skills you will need to propose, plan, and conduct a National Outing with the field section concentrating on practical field skills. The skills you learn during this trip will apply equally for the different types of National and International Outings that you may choose to lead: lodge, basecamp, water trips, base camps, multi-sport, or backpack trips. During the training, trainees will:
Design and submit (using the National Outings Trip Submission System) an engaging and fiscally realistic outing that furthers the conservation mission of the Sierra Club.
Write an engaging brochure that will effectively sell the trip.
Plan an appetizing and accommodating menu.
Conduct pre-trip interviews with mock sign-ups and accept appropriate participants for the outing.
Participate fully in the field section of the training, both as a participant and leader-of-the-day.
Demonstrate safety awareness, sound judgment and decision-making as part of the leader-of-the-day team.
- Demonstrate professional communication skills and maintain professional working relationships with home school mentor, field trainers, fellow trainees and leader-of-the-day leader throughout all of NOTT (home school and field training).
Demonstrate the ability to manage all logistical aspects of a full day on a hiking trip based at a lodge. This includes Leave No Trace, route finding, hazard assessment and group energy level assessment, etc.
About National & International Outings
With more than 100 years of wilderness travel experience, and as a part of the largest grassroots conservation organization in the country, Sierra Club Outings offers more than 350 trips annually to unique destinations around the world. We aim to provide a variety of quality outdoor adventures for people of all ages. Our offerings include a variety of outdoor adventures in the U.S., Canada, and abroad, including backpacking, base camping, canoeing, kayaking, bicycling, rafting, sailing, skiing, snowshoeing, day hiking, service trips, lodge trips, and family vacations; generally 5–10 days in length; international trips may last up to three weeks. National Outings provides services to about 4,000 participants per year. The 350 trips per year are led by approximately 500 volunteer leaders supported by a small staff in the Outings Department at the Club’s headquarters in San Francisco. Trips are priced for the program to operate on a long-term, break-even basis.
The Ideal of Being a National Outings Leader: A free trip to exotic places around the world! The chance to explore a remote, pristine, inspiring spot in the wilderness. The chance to be idolized by hordes of devoted fellow-hikers! The opportunity to follow John Muir’s example and inspire someone to make huge strides in protecting the natural world. At parties, you get to say “Yes, I’m a leader for the world’s oldest, largest and most effective environmental organization: The Sierra Club.”
The Reality of being a National Outings Leader: Actually, these ideals can be the reality. However, in our case, the adage “there’s no free ride” is especially true. Becoming a volunteer leader for Sierra Club Outings takes loads of lead time, commitment, and training. For more than one hundred years, we’ve been offering wilderness trips, led by dedicated volunteers, to educate people about the need for protection of natural resources, and we’ve developed procedures to ensure our trips are safe and successful. We’re dependent on these volunteers, who are organized into subcommittees that are responsible for all offerings in their geographic area or their type of trip. For example, there are subcommittees for California backpacking, for the Southwest, for Alaska, and for Water trips in the West. There are 18 different committees in all, and many have their own set of special qualifications or requirements for leadership and for approval of proposed outings. While undeniably a lot of work, you’ll find the rewards far exceed your efforts. Our training trip will take you through the process step by step, and give you lots of hands-on experiences and case studies to improve your skills and help you gain confidence.
Upon successful completion, there are additional measures to ensure you’re not thrown into a sink-or-swim situation. You may become a trainee or assistant on a trip and work with an experienced leader who will mentor you and provide answers to your questions about setting up a successful, enjoyable, safe, AND inspirational outing.
Curriculum
We will cover the following curricula:
Working with the office staff and volunteer leadership
Trip Planning
Safety Management
Participant Welcoming and Pre-Trip Screening
Interpersonal Leadership Skills
Group Management
Decision Making and Problem Solving
Wilderness Emergency Management
Nutrition and Food Planning
Conservation through Outings
Cultural History of the area we are travelling in
Natural History of the area we are travelling in
Equipment and Clothing Selection
Health and Sanitation & Hygiene
Common Medical Problems and Prevention
Lightening Safety and Preparedness
Leave No Trace
Water Purification & How-To
Weather and Weather Prediction
Itinerary
Home School
Once you have been accepted onto the trip (after registering for the training, submitting an application emailed to you and participating in 2-3 interviews), you should begin to complete the homework assignments. There is considerable work to be done before the field section. Eighty percent of the work is in the planning and preparation and 20 percent is in the actual field time. The homework phase of the training takes between 40-60 hours of time during the spring and summer with deadlines specifically planned to meet volunteer/staff leadership and Sierra magazine schedules. The training will begin in the same way you will plan your future National outing:
Home School
Once you have been accepted onto the trip (after registering for the training, submitting an application emailed to you and participating in 2-3 interviews), you should begin to complete the homework assignments. There is considerable work to be done before the field section. Eighty percent of the work is in the planning and preparation and 20 percent is in the actual field time. The homework phase of the training takes between 40-60 hours of time during the spring and summer with deadlines specifically planned to meet volunteer/staff leadership and Sierra magazine schedules. The training will begin in the same way you will plan your future National outing:
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Due April 1, 2016: Trip Expression of Interest, Trip Title and Copy
You will work with your Home School Mentor to decide on the overarching trip plan you are considering. Your Home School Mentor will "approve" your outing in the same way that your National Outings Subcommittee Chair would. Additionally, you will write your trip title and 30-60 word trip copy (that would go in the Sierra magazine).
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Due May 1: Trip Budget
You will organize and plan out the actual costs of your trip, finalize your Trip copy and submit this information using our online trip submission system and receive your trip budget with feedback from your mentor. -
Due June 1: Trip Brochure
You will now have the chance to write the online trip brochure (same format as this one) for your trip. Your homework mentor will work with you to refine your drafts. -
Due July 1: Food Planning
Planning healthy and exciting meals for your mock trip is the most challenging step for most new leaders. Even though meals are provided in this lodge-based training, everyone will develop and refine a menu, recipe document, and shopping list. -
Due August 1: Participant Welcoming, Pre-Trip Screening & Leader of the Day (LOD) Planning
During this final homework step, you will welcome and screen at least two mock trip particpants for your trip and decide whether to accept them or not. You will also spend time with your LOD partner to discuss how you two will work together on the field trip during your one day of leadership and draft a Safety Management Plan for our field trip.
Field Trip
The field trip, August 16-20, 2016, is an immersion in Sierra Club best practices. Four veteran trainers will guide 12 prospective leaders through all aspects of planning, preparing and leading national outings. Although this is lodge-based training, lessons learned are appropriate to all Sierra Club trips. Regardless of the style of Sierra Club trip you want to lead, this trip is for you.
During each of three days in the field, two trainees will be Leaders of the Day, responsible for all aspects of the day hike, from safety management to morale. The days are long and full, and the trip is physically and mentally demanding. You will receive ongoing verbal feedback while hiking, at a nightly debrief, in a personal development plan at the end of the trip, and in a close relationship with other Sierra Club leaders in the years ahead.
The goal is to build your skills and leadership, and to ensure ongoing support through mentors and other Sierra Club resources, so that you are confident and comfortable to lead Sierra Club trips to help others Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet.
After the Home School and the Field Training
What the trainers will do: Upon successful completion of this training, the trainers will submit a "Training Trip and Trainee Summary" (based on everyones Leadership Development Plans) to each of the 14 subcommittee chairs who manage the 350 outings each year. Specific subcommittee staffing decisions are made by the subcommittee chair, not the Home School Mentors or Field Trainers. This summary will include a description of the training, what your strengths and areas of growth are, what subcommittees you are interested in and what leadership role the trainers feel you are ready for (e.g. trainee, assistant, provisional leader, or needing more technical or leadership experience).
What you will do: You will receive a written Leadership Development Plan during your development plan meeting. This will highlight what you do well, what you need to work on, which subcommittees you might fit best in and what roles these might be (based on your interests). About one month after the training trip, you should contact the subcommittee chairs (allowing them time to receive and digest the Training Trip Summary) to express your interest in leading and determining your next step.
Your placements will be based on your specific skill set, training trip performance and your time availability. We will also do our best to take into consideration your desired geographic location and/or activity type.
Logistics
Getting There
The trip begins at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, 6282 Cranberry Road, Finland, Minnesota, at noon on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016, and concludes about noon on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. Wolf Ridge is on the western shore of Lake Superior about 250 miles or four hours north of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and 80 miles or two hours north of the nearest airport in Duluth, Minn. A class roster will be shared to encourage car and room sharing before and after the trip, if desired.
Getting There
The trip begins at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, 6282 Cranberry Road, Finland, Minnesota, at noon on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016, and concludes about noon on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. Wolf Ridge is on the western shore of Lake Superior about 250 miles or four hours north of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and 80 miles or two hours north of the nearest airport in Duluth, Minn. A class roster will be shared to encourage car and room sharing before and after the trip, if desired.
Accommodations and Food
Food is a critical part of any Sierra Club trip, and even though food is provided at our lodge, the homework for the trip will include menu planning. All meals at Wolf Ridge are included, from lunch on Day 1 to lunch on the last day. Chef-prepared meals are served in the Dining Hall. In addition to a hot entree, breakfast includes fresh fruit, yogurt, granola and other cereal, and a variety of baked goods. We’ll make our own lunches from a variety of sandwich ingredients. Dinner is a featured entree with salad, vegetables and desert. Special dietary requests may be accommodated. Contact the leader.
Large dormitory rooms with three or four bunk beds will be used. Towels, sheets, blankets and pillows are provided. Our wing in the dorm has a clothes washer, dryer and refrigerator, and Wifi is usually available campus-wide.
Trip Difficulty
Candidates for Sierra Club leadership should be in good physical condition. Although the loads are light for day hikes ranging from 6.8 to 8 miles, the terrain varies from gently rolling to rugged, rocky, rooty and steep. Good hikers will appreciate the challenge, but if you’re new to the Superior Hiking Trail or Midwest hiking, don’t underestimate the effort required.
The weather in August is typical for the Upper Midwest, with high temperatures in the 80s and lows in the 40s, although colder and warmer temperatures are possible. Rain is possible anytime.
Equipment and Clothing
Sturdy, broken-in, lug-soled hiking boots may be the most important equipment to pack. If you’re flying, wear them. If luggage is lost, everything else on the equipment list that will be distributed to participants can be replaced at your destination, but comfortable boots are priceless. Overall, day-pack weights will be light for these day hikes: rain suit, warming later (a fleece pullover, for example), lunch, two or three quarts of water and the rest of the 10 Essentials.
References
Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Association: http://www.wolf-ridge.org/
Superior Hiking Trail Association: http://www.shta.org/
Conservation
With an average frost-free season of only 124 days (May 22-Sept. 23), growing vegetables is a regional challenge. Although still under development, the Wolf Ridge Organic Farm will have three 30’ by 96’ greenhouses and other resources to supply organic produce for 140,000 meals served annually at Wolf Ridge. We’ll tour the farm and talk about the benefits of eating locally grown food and land stewardship, and learn about other ways Wolf Ridge is reducing their carbon footprint through alternative fuels, energy conservation and other sustainability practices.
Staff
Map
Important Notes
- Carbon Offsets
- Carpooling
- Electronic Billing and Forms
- Electronic Devices
- Equipment
- Essential Eligibility Criteria
- How to Apply for a Trip
- Leader Gratuities
- Medical Issues
- Non-discrimination Statement
- Participant Agreement
- Seller of Travel Disclosure
- Single Supplements
- Terms and Conditions
- Travel Insurance
- Trip Feedback
- Trip Price
- Wilderness Manners