Lessons from Growing a Hiking Community in Austin, TX
What a year it has been! First, if you’re reading this and have been to one of my many hikes this year, thank you. I appreciate it more than you will ever know.
One of the year's biggest highlights was watching so many connections form, people fall in love with parks they’ve never seen, and people share stories with each other.
That was the whole goal of this thing: to get people outdoors to form connections with others and nature.
I wanted to take this time to reflect on what I’ve learned during this whole process. The end of the year puts me into my reflection zone.
Here are five things I’ve learned about building a small hiking community from scratch.
1. Overcommunicate
From creating an event, promoting it, and running it, I needed to be present every step of the way. When forming a community, communication is what makes or breaks a participant's experience.
Imagine making it to a trail without knowing where to park, where to find the group, or what route you are taking that day. It would be a nightmare.
And that's not to say I was always perfect at it. Sometimes, Google Maps would do an odd thing and lead people down a random private dirt path, or a parking lot would fill up, and people would need to find their way to the trailhead.
I learned that it’s better to over-communicate so people know what to expect and are as prepared as possible.
2. Make New Connections
Making an effort to chat with everyone in the group helps to deepen connections. I’ve had so many wonderful conversations with people who had just moved to the Austin area (literally days before), wanted to meet people who love hiking, or just wanted to get outside and see a new park.
It’s hard to cycle through large groups and meet everyone, but I try to chat with new faces I see at my events so they feel welcome.
I think this is the important part of building any community; without connections, what is there?
3. No Comfort Zone
As someone who is an introvert (INFJ specifically), I had to constantly remind myself that stepping out of my comfort zone would bring nothing but good things along this journey. In the past, I would have never done anything like this before.
My social anxiety, which I want to note is not tied to introversion, would have made standing up in front of groups of people nearly impossible. Through my work the past few years in therapy, I’m so happy I can come out of my shell and be a leader. As a result, I have met so many amazing people on the trail and seen so many familiar faces on hikes that follow.
This world is not only built for extroverts. Introverts are more than capable of being leaders, especially for what we are passionate about!
4. Be Open to Feedback
During and after each hike, I always made an effort to ask people how they liked the hike, if they would like to see anything different, or if they had any feedback.
Asking these questions let my participants know I cared about their experience and comfort during the hike, which was important to me as the leader.
After each hike, I send a post-hike survey for hikers to rate their experience and leave feedback anonymously. This has allowed me to see what I’m doing right and what I can improve on.
5. Take Care of Everyone
At the start of every hike, I always set up my hiking table with a hand-painted banner I made that reads “Roam the Outer Space” so people can easily find me.
On this table, I have granola bars, water, and electrolyte packs for people to take so their basic needs can be met and they can learn about what is important to bring on a hike.
I’ve had countless people express gratitude for the snacks and water and how they did not expect someone to come that prepared. As someone who has led and participated in guided hike experiences, I always incorporate things I’ve appreciated from those events into my own.
Guided Hikes in Austin, TX
That wraps up what I’ve learned about leading hikes in and around the Austin area. If you want to join an upcoming hike, follow me on SweatPals! I love to see new faces, and you will be welcomed with open arms and maybe an outdoor fact or two.
I also want to note that I was running this show solo—planning destinations, designing my promotional graphics, sharing on social media, gathering materials, etc. It has made me understand what it truly takes to run a show like this (respect to those who do this professionally). But I want to give a special shout-out to my intern, aka boyfriend, Austin, who has been present at every co-ed event and is the best supporter I could ask for!
See you on the trail,
