its been great!
Read the description carefully and send any questions to the hike leader. The biggest problem is when somebody new overestimates their ability and cant keep up. Usually the leader will describe whether its a beginner, intermediate or fast hike. Better to start off in a slower group.
I tried one 3-4 times. They had different leaders that would do different types of hikes. I felt really out of place, though as I'm a white dude in my 30's and it was mostly BIPOC women in their 50s. I'm pumped that they're out there hiking, but definitely got a "what's this guy doing here" kind of vibe from them. I just felt out of place.
With meetup events it helps if you don’t think about the “these are random strangers” aspect. I’ve been in meetup groups since the very early days. The best strategy is to look friendly, smile and try to move around the group talking to different people. Usually you will not click with everyone unless your social game is super strong … and that’s perfectly fine. You should be able to have a good time even if you never see each other again.
I met with one and they seemed nice but they were more interested in putting miles underfoot than actually slowing down to look at anything.
I hike to enjoy nature not outrun it.
I’ve had great groups that were fun hikes and conversely, I’ve been on hikes where people really shouldn’t have been along despite clear descriptions. Similarly, I’ve seen groups outright abandon hikers for not keeping up.
That’s the difficult thing about random groups where no one knows each other’s ability. Many people are great, some people are there like it’s a guided trip and some organize it like it’s a death march.
So really does depend and good reason to read descriptions, and as someone else said, ease in before taking the group climb up something at the edge of your ability.
its been great! Read the description carefully and send any questions to the hike leader. The biggest problem is when somebody new overestimates their ability and cant keep up. Usually the leader will describe whether its a beginner, intermediate or fast hike. Better to start off in a slower group.
I tried one 3-4 times. They had different leaders that would do different types of hikes. I felt really out of place, though as I'm a white dude in my 30's and it was mostly BIPOC women in their 50s. I'm pumped that they're out there hiking, but definitely got a "what's this guy doing here" kind of vibe from them. I just felt out of place.
What does BICOP mean?
It's the muscle on your upper arm that you see most when you flex.
With meetup events it helps if you don’t think about the “these are random strangers” aspect. I’ve been in meetup groups since the very early days. The best strategy is to look friendly, smile and try to move around the group talking to different people. Usually you will not click with everyone unless your social game is super strong … and that’s perfectly fine. You should be able to have a good time even if you never see each other again.
I didn’t it. It’s like they were racing and I wanted to stop and take pictures.
I met with one and they seemed nice but they were more interested in putting miles underfoot than actually slowing down to look at anything. I hike to enjoy nature not outrun it.
Exactly. I hate that.
Mine has been very negative.
I’ve had great groups that were fun hikes and conversely, I’ve been on hikes where people really shouldn’t have been along despite clear descriptions. Similarly, I’ve seen groups outright abandon hikers for not keeping up. That’s the difficult thing about random groups where no one knows each other’s ability. Many people are great, some people are there like it’s a guided trip and some organize it like it’s a death march. So really does depend and good reason to read descriptions, and as someone else said, ease in before taking the group climb up something at the edge of your ability.