Trekking Policy and Procedures
(This webpage is under development)
Nature Trail continues to develop its Trekking Policy, which so far includes the following prescriptive rules that each participant must accept and adhere to:
- Each Trekker to be personally self-sufficient in all kit
- Each trekker’s kit is to include:
- Quality serviceable rucksack (recommended 60-80 litres of internal stowage capacity)
- All food (quality sufficient for 3 meals per day for the scheduled number of days of the particular trek)
- Trekking clothing to suit the forecast weather conditions, including recommended list by Nature Trail, spare trekking clothes, thermals, wet weather outer gear, multiple spare socks, undergarments, etc.
- Individual shelter/tent, sleeping mat, sleeping bag suitable for the forecast temperatures of particular the trek trip
- Cooking stove, cooking implements (camp pot, utensils, wash-up sub-kit, take home waste bag, etc.)
- Personal first aid kit, personal medication and toiletries/hygiene sub-kits
- Remote toileting sub-kit
- Gear repair sub-kit (tape/sewing/etc).
- The maximum daily trekking distance limit is 10km (planned and/or actual)
- To accept our Trek Leader’s decisions and authority throughout the trek
- To actively maintain the group’s interpersonal cohesion
- To ensure no separation by individual participants from the trek group
- The planned overnight campsite arrival be no later that 2 hours before sunset
- Only trekking by good daylight for safety. No night hiking.
- Each participant to don on his/her wrist a serviceable, fully charged GPS tracking device as provided by Nature Trail only for the duration of a trek. This is provided by Nature Trail to each participating trekker free of charge, and returnable by each participant to the Trek Leader at the trek finish.
TREK PACE AND DAILY DURATION
- Nature Trail values and preferences participant safety, welfare and enjoyment in all our treks. These are prioritised over any arbitrary sense of rushing to meet a scheduled deadline or location on any given day
- Nature Trail’s trekking pace is easy-going and is dependent upon the particular terrain, gradient, track conditions, weather and other field factors. In any case the trekking pace is set by Trek Leader at his sole discretion with the safety, welfare and enjoyment and cohesion of the group foremost in mind and the Trek Leader always leads from the front.
- Nature Trail’s trekking daily duration is a maximum of 8 hours of hiking from daily start time (break camp) to daily finish time (camp site arrival). This includes enroute breaks. This may be reduced due to weather conditions and reduced daylight. The decision for each daily duration, as well as daily start time and daily finish time is the sole discretion of Nature Trail’s Trek Leader.