Membership News – March 19, 2019 – Kamloops Hiking Club

Membership News

At the end of February and early in March, KHC had 145 members who had renewed. In the first two weeks of March we have had 67 new members register for the the 2019 year for a total of about 217 members so far, with several others underway Registration will stay open until we reach our estimated capacity.
We touched base with a few past members who had not renewed to get a sense of their reasons. About 50 members never came out to single event so it was probably just the wrong fit for them. Of the remaining past members, various reasons were cited – moved, changed personal circumstances, did not get started on a fitness program, only wanted to hike a few hikes in the prime season (April May, June) and so on. For those reasons the Club can’t do much, but we also had some other concerns that we can address. Some past members cited these reasons – the hikes are always full, the hikes are too hard, we want to bring my dog, and we wanted to hike with my family and friends (on Club events). For these we can do something and so we have started a process to make some adjustments to our program.
First off all, the hikes are not always full (we checked our stats over the whole year) , but the most popular ones at prime times tend to fill up, but there are also cancellations so even those events have openings. Long term members know to look ahead and plan ahead and book a space in advance. But, we have proposed some additional improvements too (as noted next).
A new type of event is being tested with the first event already posted – Battle Bluff for Everyone. Large groups are a challenge, but if the location is right and we recruit several leaders, it can be done. Parking and carpooling are challenges, but with the right location, it can be done. Click the link to see the information.
A similar approach can be taken if an event is posted and fills up. A second leader might offer to take a second group (of slower or faster hikers) and more spaces could be opened up. A leader could even post a second event at the same location and same time, but stagger the start. Watch for events that use this idea in the future.
For hikes that are perceived as too hard we are asking for our leaders to consider an occasional easy or moderate event. We are actively recruiting new hike leaders or co-leaders who have an interest in easier/moderate hikes. Contact us if you can help out.
The Board will be looking at moving KHC to be a more family-friendly club. We have revised our procedures to make it easier to bring a child of a member already. See the Minors Page for more information. WE are still respecting a leader’s right to make choices about non-members (guests, minor guests, and dogs), but we have also added a new hike category – Family Hikes, specifically designed to allow children of members to share in KHC hikes. Watch for a new event to be posted once conditions improve. Details of what is involved in Family Hikes is on the Minors Page.
We have added a new category Dog Walks for any leader who wants to lead an event with dog owners in mind. See the Our Furry Friends Page for more details.
We have also improved and streamlined the process for bringing Guests on a KHC event. For most events, however, we want to save places for members so we want to limit access for non-members, except on larger events like Battle Bluff for Everyone or for any hike that will not fill up. We are continuing to try to avoid a lot of extra work for those of us who have to process Guest passes and the hike leaders who have to manager the requests. See the Guests Page for more information.
The overall goal of these initiatives is to support and retain members.

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Retired now, I get into the outdoors most days to hike, paddle, camp, snowshoe, run, walk, or explore. More information can be found at: KamloopsTrails.net.

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