Hiking Challenge

[Anonymous]

I am thinking about putting together a novice level ultralight hiking team challenge in Northern Virginia for mostly beginner hikers. The main goal is fun and team dynamics rather than testing people to their maximum endurance. I was thinking about the route to be Chester Gap to Harpers Ferry on the Appalacian trail which is about 54 miles.

I want to have a prize for the first team to finish and a disqualification for teams that go over a certain amount of time.

Does anyone have any suggestions about how much time should be generally alloted? Remember that I want this mainly to be fun not a gruelling challenge made for endurance atheletes. I will encourage them to do many long day hikes and other exercise in preparation but many probably will not do a whole lot of preparation.

[Dale Wambaugh]

Why not throw in a few hooks to keep them from going too fast– like a road rally where you get points off if you’re going too fast or too slow. You could do a little geocaching, promoting wayfinding skills. You could award points on menus, accuracy in estimating food and supplies and for multiple use items.

[Anonymous]

That’s a great idea, I was actually just now toying with the idea of some scavenger hunt activities in Harper’s Ferry and other towns that the trail passes through on the way.

Sort of like the Amazing Race meets the Eco-Challenge.

[Dale Wambaugh]

My thought was to find those things that would build skills for the novices to use on their own journeys– wayfinding, first aid wouldn’t be bad, firestarting, shelter-rigging. It would be educational and good PR too.

There’s an idea– take a standard tarp common to the teams and show how many ways it can be rigged.

[andy winz]

Sounds like a great idea, I’m down in charlottesville and might be able to help out (i’m a WFA trainer and Orienteering instructor in my off time).

[Michael Neal]

ok sounds good, when I get together more details I will post them

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