- Rossmoor Trails Club Safari Guidelines for Safari leaders and all Trails Club Members
1. Members who wish to lead a safari should make a formal proposal to the Board. A
copy of the proposal should be kept in each board member’s notebook. All Safaris should
be revenue neutral, i.e., participants should pay the full cost.
2. In the proposal, leaders should provide a basic description of the safari including:
(a) leaders’ names, phone numbers, email addresses; (b) safari dates, location, place of
lodging; (c) estimated cost for each participant; (d) any parameters or limitations for
registrants, as described below in paragraph 6; and (e) whether the Safari is suitable for
Amblers, Ramblers, Trekkers, and/or Scramblers.
3. Safaris take much planning and energy, so every safari should have at least one co-
leader, both for assistance and to ensure that the safari may proceed should the other
leader be unable to continue.
4. Once the Board approves the safari, safari leaders will decide when to begin
registration. If a service provider contract is involved, the contract should be presented to
the Trails Club Budget Committee for final approval before registration begins.
5. At least two weeks prior to registration, announcement of the safari should be
emailed to all members and posted on the website and at the Gateway Trails Club bulletin
board. All safaris, as well as registration information, should be listed in a separate
“Safari” category on the Club’s website. Reasonable efforts should be made to contact
members without email. Representatives are encouraged to spread the word about the
safari to their hiking group as they hike together, and members without email are
encouraged to (1) have a Trails Club buddy who can provide them with the information
and/or (2) check the Club bulletin board.
6. Registration may be conducted by mail or email. Leaders might require registrants
to send an email with the required information at a certain date and time on a first-come,
first-served basis, or they might offer a lottery system. In other words, the type of
registration process is within the leaders’ discretion. Leaders should require that all
registrants submit a signed “Health Issues When Attending Safaris” form with their
registration. Whatever registration is used, documentation of enrollment process should
be maintained until the end of the safari. For those without email, registration might be
made by phone, in person, through their Club buddy, or any other means the leaders
choose. A waiting list for overflow registrations is recommended as cancellations occur
frequently.
7. Leaders, within their discretion, might wish to give preference to particular groups
of members, for example, those who joined the Club in the past year or two or those who
have a history of service to the Club. Leaders may also wish to exclude non-members or - non-hiker spouses/partners, particularly if there are limited spaces available and/or few
activities for non-hiking guests. These criteria should be stated in the application.
8. Should the leaders wish to exclude a member because of health concerns, the
member may furnish a medical clearance, in writing, from his or her physician. The
demands/nature of the hike should be made clear to the physician and his/her comments
should address them. The physician’s clearance is determinative, unless the hiker has a
history of difficulty completing hikes, e.g., significantly lagging behind, being unable to
complete hikes, failing to properly hydrate, or being otherwise unprepared. In any case,
the excluded member should be given the reasons for non-inclusion.
9. Safari leaders may wish to conduct a pre-trip meeting to distribute information
about the safari as well as blank medical forms, which should then be completed (or
updated if the hiker has already completed one) and carried on each hike.
10. During the safari, hikers should sign the usual hike sign-up sheets before each
hike. All guests must sign a Guest Waiver.
11. As the Club grows, it becomes increasingly important to offer enough safaris so
that members wishing to participate will have ample opportunity to do so, and members
should be encouraged to lead a safari from time to time.
12. After the safari, leaders should provide the Club President with as much
information as possible including contracts, lodging or dining provider emails, names and
number of people who participated, safari forms, and any other information that might
prove helpful for the next safari leader. This information should be kept with Club
records.
Approved by the Trails Club Board 3/9/16
