Becoming an activities leader

From day hikes to snowcamping to river touring, the Sierra Club's San Francisco Bay Chapter offers a remarkable variety of outdoor activities. In just one week of June, for example, you could hike Mount Tam (multiple times!), walk around North Beach, night-picnic in Tiburon, car-camp in Yosemite, hike with canine friends in Tilden Park, explore the architectural wonders of Piedmont, enjoy a picnic on the shores of Angel Island after summiting Mount Livermore, and explore the canyons of Mount Diablo.

This broad spectrum reflects the diverse interests of the volunteers who organize and lead these activities. All the Chapter's activities are led by these volunteers who want to share their love of the outdoors with fellow Club members. Any of the Bay Chapter's 42,000 members can apply to lead an activity - you can too.

Generally these volunteers are Club members who have participated in outings and been inspired to lead activities of their own. Each of the Chapter's activity sections and regional groups has its own requirements for leadership. To get started, first decide which group or activity section you want to lead an activity for. Contact the appropriate group or section officers, who will tell you what training and experience are needed to lead your proposed outing, and will then certify when you meet the requirements. Generally you will be expected to have more skills to lead a multi-day outing, such as a snow camp to a remote location, than for a short local hike, but all outing leaders are required to have first-aid training. Some activity sections have formalized training procedures; others rely on more informal mentoring by experienced leaders.

Once a member has been approved as a leader and taken the first-aid course, they can schedule activities that are announced in the Yodeler, on the Chapter web site, and in any newsletter that their activity section or group publishes.

Bob Solotar, vice chair of the Chapter Activities Committee and a long-time day-hike leader, noted that "all sorts of people" are activities leaders, and encouraged more members to apply to lead activities. "We want and need outings leaders and are always looking for people who are willing to be outings leaders."

Solotar noted the benefits of leading activities: "Leading is a good way to see new areas and meet like-minded people who are interested in similar things - and for me, it guarantees that I'm going to get out to the areas I want to get to." If you don't see listings for the kind of outings that you want, perhaps you need to sign up to lead them yourself!

To get started as a leader, choose an activity section or group, and contact its officers to find out its procedures. For the most comprehensive list of contacts, see the Leadership Roster.

If you have other questions, call the Chapter Office at (510) 848-0800.

Elly Benson