Vernon Outdoors Club HIKE TRIP SELF ASSESSMENT GUIDE
February 2025
|
TRAIL CHARACTER |
EASY |
MODERATE |
DIFFICULT |
VERY DIFFICULT |
|
DISTANCE* (km)
|
<8 km |
6-12 km
|
12-20 km |
20+ km |
|
ELEVATION GAIN/LOSS* (meters) |
<200 m
|
200 – 500 m
|
500-1000 m |
1000 m |
|
HIKING DURATION RETURN* (hrs) |
1-2 hrs |
2.5 - 5 hrs |
4 – 7 hrs |
7+ hrs. |
|
TERRAIN* |
Smooth, flat, defined pathway, few obstacles |
Rocky, irregular pathway. |
Highly irregular, narrow, complex path or sections with no visible pathway at all. |
Bushwacking, scrambling on rugged rock, absence of trail for long distances, Prolonged steep ascent/descent unmaintained or unmarked route |
|
COMMENTS |
Minimal experience needed. May be benches, frequent signage, washroom, etc.
|
Experience with single file (narrow) pathways, occasional signage or trail markers, Pit toilets, personal water/food |
Strong trail hiking experience needed, Infrequent signage, limited trail markers, Food/water required, fording of water crossings, Walking on logs. |
Wilderness trail experience required, navigational skills, Full equipment, safety gear, food, water. minimum full day or longer, stream fording, |
|
Approximate figures which can influence the overall trail grading when all trail characteristics are taken into consideration. |
|
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Candidates wishing to participate in a scheduled VOC trip should review the trail description https://www.vernonoutdoorsclub.org/hikes and determine one’s personal capability for safely doing a complete trip.
RISKS: Lack of ability or fitness to participate in a VOC trip from start to finish can compromise the safety of not only an individual participant, but of all the other participants. A medical emergency, injury or just simple overexertion or separation from the group, can force a late return to the trailhead or even an unexpected overnight stay in the open. If compounded by inclement weather, an unsafe situation can easily develop. For this reason, the VOC has graded the trail difficulties so that participants are aware in advance.
RECOMMENDED PRACTICE: The Monashee trails are mostly rated moderate or difficult, and come with a description of distance, elevation gain/loss and other useful information. If you’ve never been on a club trip, speak with a trip leader or participate in a mid-week, close-to-home “Ramble” to get a sense of the pace and distances covered for a given “trail rating” and your own comfort level.
If mid-week “Rambles” are too challenging, then avoid more difficult weekend outings until your ability/fitness levels rise accordingly.
Allowing participants to turn around and return to the trailhead on their own if the hike is too much is not recommended.
ENDERBY CLIFFS SELF-ASSESSMENT REFERENCE HIKE: For those who wish to “gauge” their capabilities against a benchmark VOC hike, the First Lookout on Enderby Cliffs is a useful reference. People that can reach that viewpoint (3 km from the parking lot) in 1 hr. and 20 minutes without difficulty would be considered typical. To keep everybody comfortably together, a desirable rule of thumb would be for trip participants to have a pace within 10% of this figure. In other words, between 70 and 90 minutes to reach that destination comfortably.