Running the trails for fun vs. being an organization
Often threads pop up with someone saying they want to start a guide service, take folks out on trail runs or do something else that turns their hobby into a job.
Well I thought I would provide some insight into what we have learned over the last year from my founding of Disabled Explorers till today and even though none of us get paid to do this it still takes up all the time of a full time job for the 5 of us.
Your Rig;
When it is just a bunch of friends or a local club gathering that hits the trail there is usually some reference to having your rig in good working order, a decent spare tire, some tools, basic recovery gear, trail radio, some snacks & water for you & your family and that is about it.
However when you hit the trail formally things get stepped up a notch. Breaking down has a huge negative impact on paying passengers or in our case with newly disabled or previously disabled who are new to backcountry travel. Sure a recovery situation might be a nice learning opportunity or get someone seriously hurt. Trail communication between multiple rigs has to be 100% and not some scratchy garbage setup that grates on your passengers ears. Snacks, well YOU better have enough for everyone, in a variety they enjoy along with enough to cover any emergency. How about grab handles, no sharp corners or other risk to injury inside the vehicle? Space for their backpack & camera bag? What if they show up with a little dog?
The Trails:
Sure as a club or group of friends you can run a trail that is new to you or just something that looks interesting. Hey if you get stuck or breakdown your buddies will all laugh about it around the campfire for years. If you get home late or get lost that just becomes part of the story also.
But when it is your operations reputation on the line you have to pre-run the trail, check it after major weather events for impact; know about other groups that might affect your schedule. Plus you need to be able to accurately tell people how long the day will be, how many potty breaks there are, where lunch will be what they sites are and as much as possible about the flora & fauna when your passengers ask questions. Not to mention the thought that has to go into your staring & end points for the event.
Permits & Insurance:
How many groups of friends or even 4wd clubs get a permit for a day trip? Here in Arizona we have a State Land Trust Permit, Red Rock Pass and other ways to cover the cost of land management. But often folks show up for a posted run without these cards and hope not to get caught.
However if you are running a formal outfit (and this applies even to us as a non-profit) there are permits to get far in advance, often a special event liability policy is required, Director & Officer insurance, increased limits or changes in auto insurance for the vehicle once you are taking passengers for a fee, group size issues and more. All those things those are not fun to deal with and even less fun to deal with the consequences of not having.
Emergencies & Injuries:
If you are lucky your group of friends or club might have a few people with CPR, First Aid or other medical training. Most of us have dealt with minor cuts, burns, sprains & other ailments. Maybe your group has even talked about that they would do in case of a major medical issue on the trail, but most folks just don’t think about it.
But if you are running something for profit or in our case non-profit but dealing with higher risk persons you really better have your ducks in a row. Who in your organization has backcountry medical training? What is your emergency action plan? Do you have emergency communication methods and redundancy? Do you have enough supplies to cover the number of people you are taking out? Are you properly trained to use the supplies you carry? Have you practiced? Have you mapped out the closest major medical care to your trail or event? And remember much of the training you will need has an annual or regular re-certification process so plan ahead for that. An expired Wilderness EMT card won‘t mean much in court.
Your People and their Image:
As a group of friends or a club you are who you are and that is that. Kind of like what Popeye used to talk about (wow that dates me!). Maybe as a club you get concerned about your image by stating no alcohol on the trail, by cleaning up trash, doing trail maintenance or other service projects.
But when you are a formal entity you have to always think about what you say, how you dress, what your rig looks like, what impact a picture of you off trail could mean, and so much more. You spend money to keep your rig cleaner than maybe you would otherwise, you make sure the seats don’t have rips or tears, you shower/shave/present yourself like a professional. And often you simply don’t enjoy the outdoor experience since you have to spend so much time and effort ensuring other peoples enjoyment (lucky for us that isn’t the case, it is hard work but the results are well worth the effort).
Cost:
And here is where the red ink bleeds on the trail! As a group of friends or a club each person bears their own cost to hit the trail. Breakage is on them, busted tires means a trip to get new ones, food and water better be bought before you hit the trail and make sure you stop at the gas station before the group meets.
But when you are running a guide service, taking passengers or in our case encouraging the disabled to access the backcountry. Well the expectation is that most if not all of the cost will be picked up by you. If you are a guide or taking passengers there is a fee that you charge. But what if they shred a tire on the trail you said what easy? What if they rip their pants on those thorny bushes? What if they eat more and drink more than you planned for? In our case we don’t charge for our help to the disabled. So while we might ask the able bodied 4wd clubs that help to cover the cost there is still those unexpected items/fees/repairs that pop up. Not to mention all the back office expense of flyers, phones, website, gear, maintenance, scouting routes, mailing & shipping items and more. Oh and don’t forget all the cost to create your operation, do the accounting, promote your operation, file & pay any taxes, meetings with Land Managers, printer paper, that medical gear and training mentioned earlier, driver and recovery training….the list just keeps on growing!
I am not trying to scare anyone off and I have in no way covered the full width and breathe of the differences between running some trails for fun and being involved in a more formal operation. I just wanted to answer the most common questions I get by phone, email, and private message.
We are blessed to have solid people running Disabled Explorers and great community support.
Overland Training – this is where I got my Overland Certification which covered pretty much everything involved in backcountry travel. They also have courses for Leadership and Guides
Flagstaff Field Institute – super cool guys that handle Wilderness Medical Institute courses. I took the Wilderness Upgrade for Medical Professionals which equals a Wilderness EMT.
Many of us are Amateur Radio Operators which really helps with trail comm. & emergencies
SPOT Global Messenger is another tool we rely on in case of emergency, to allow friends and family to track us and to call for mechanical help if needed.
Our sponsors have provided high quality gear we can count on: Sierra Expeditions, Extreme Outback, Rasta Skids, Tuffy Storage, Camping Lab Roof Top Tents, BajaRack, Dignified Motors, Sure Grip Hand Controls, SDHQ, and Total Vision Camera Systems
Often threads pop up with someone saying they want to start a guide service, take folks out on trail runs or do something else that turns their hobby into a job.
Well I thought I would provide some insight into what we have learned over the last year from my founding of Disabled Explorers till today and even though none of us get paid to do this it still takes up all the time of a full time job for the 5 of us.
Your Rig;
When it is just a bunch of friends or a local club gathering that hits the trail there is usually some reference to having your rig in good working order, a decent spare tire, some tools, basic recovery gear, trail radio, some snacks & water for you & your family and that is about it.
However when you hit the trail formally things get stepped up a notch. Breaking down has a huge negative impact on paying passengers or in our case with newly disabled or previously disabled who are new to backcountry travel. Sure a recovery situation might be a nice learning opportunity or get someone seriously hurt. Trail communication between multiple rigs has to be 100% and not some scratchy garbage setup that grates on your passengers ears. Snacks, well YOU better have enough for everyone, in a variety they enjoy along with enough to cover any emergency. How about grab handles, no sharp corners or other risk to injury inside the vehicle? Space for their backpack & camera bag? What if they show up with a little dog?
The Trails:
Sure as a club or group of friends you can run a trail that is new to you or just something that looks interesting. Hey if you get stuck or breakdown your buddies will all laugh about it around the campfire for years. If you get home late or get lost that just becomes part of the story also.
But when it is your operations reputation on the line you have to pre-run the trail, check it after major weather events for impact; know about other groups that might affect your schedule. Plus you need to be able to accurately tell people how long the day will be, how many potty breaks there are, where lunch will be what they sites are and as much as possible about the flora & fauna when your passengers ask questions. Not to mention the thought that has to go into your staring & end points for the event.
Permits & Insurance:
How many groups of friends or even 4wd clubs get a permit for a day trip? Here in Arizona we have a State Land Trust Permit, Red Rock Pass and other ways to cover the cost of land management. But often folks show up for a posted run without these cards and hope not to get caught.
However if you are running a formal outfit (and this applies even to us as a non-profit) there are permits to get far in advance, often a special event liability policy is required, Director & Officer insurance, increased limits or changes in auto insurance for the vehicle once you are taking passengers for a fee, group size issues and more. All those things those are not fun to deal with and even less fun to deal with the consequences of not having.
Emergencies & Injuries:
If you are lucky your group of friends or club might have a few people with CPR, First Aid or other medical training. Most of us have dealt with minor cuts, burns, sprains & other ailments. Maybe your group has even talked about that they would do in case of a major medical issue on the trail, but most folks just don’t think about it.
But if you are running something for profit or in our case non-profit but dealing with higher risk persons you really better have your ducks in a row. Who in your organization has backcountry medical training? What is your emergency action plan? Do you have emergency communication methods and redundancy? Do you have enough supplies to cover the number of people you are taking out? Are you properly trained to use the supplies you carry? Have you practiced? Have you mapped out the closest major medical care to your trail or event? And remember much of the training you will need has an annual or regular re-certification process so plan ahead for that. An expired Wilderness EMT card won‘t mean much in court.
Your People and their Image:
As a group of friends or a club you are who you are and that is that. Kind of like what Popeye used to talk about (wow that dates me!). Maybe as a club you get concerned about your image by stating no alcohol on the trail, by cleaning up trash, doing trail maintenance or other service projects.
But when you are a formal entity you have to always think about what you say, how you dress, what your rig looks like, what impact a picture of you off trail could mean, and so much more. You spend money to keep your rig cleaner than maybe you would otherwise, you make sure the seats don’t have rips or tears, you shower/shave/present yourself like a professional. And often you simply don’t enjoy the outdoor experience since you have to spend so much time and effort ensuring other peoples enjoyment (lucky for us that isn’t the case, it is hard work but the results are well worth the effort).
Cost:
And here is where the red ink bleeds on the trail! As a group of friends or a club each person bears their own cost to hit the trail. Breakage is on them, busted tires means a trip to get new ones, food and water better be bought before you hit the trail and make sure you stop at the gas station before the group meets.
But when you are running a guide service, taking passengers or in our case encouraging the disabled to access the backcountry. Well the expectation is that most if not all of the cost will be picked up by you. If you are a guide or taking passengers there is a fee that you charge. But what if they shred a tire on the trail you said what easy? What if they rip their pants on those thorny bushes? What if they eat more and drink more than you planned for? In our case we don’t charge for our help to the disabled. So while we might ask the able bodied 4wd clubs that help to cover the cost there is still those unexpected items/fees/repairs that pop up. Not to mention all the back office expense of flyers, phones, website, gear, maintenance, scouting routes, mailing & shipping items and more. Oh and don’t forget all the cost to create your operation, do the accounting, promote your operation, file & pay any taxes, meetings with Land Managers, printer paper, that medical gear and training mentioned earlier, driver and recovery training….the list just keeps on growing!
I am not trying to scare anyone off and I have in no way covered the full width and breathe of the differences between running some trails for fun and being involved in a more formal operation. I just wanted to answer the most common questions I get by phone, email, and private message.
We are blessed to have solid people running Disabled Explorers and great community support.
Overland Training – this is where I got my Overland Certification which covered pretty much everything involved in backcountry travel. They also have courses for Leadership and Guides
Flagstaff Field Institute – super cool guys that handle Wilderness Medical Institute courses. I took the Wilderness Upgrade for Medical Professionals which equals a Wilderness EMT.
Many of us are Amateur Radio Operators which really helps with trail comm. & emergencies
SPOT Global Messenger is another tool we rely on in case of emergency, to allow friends and family to track us and to call for mechanical help if needed.
Our sponsors have provided high quality gear we can count on: Sierra Expeditions, Extreme Outback, Rasta Skids, Tuffy Storage, Camping Lab Roof Top Tents, BajaRack, Dignified Motors, Sure Grip Hand Controls, SDHQ, and Total Vision Camera Systems
