Hiking with a partner.

Thrre are many good points here. JohnL, I agree if it is an experienced hiker and one is reasonably close to the trailhead and in minor discomfort, or decides on a quick change of plans, then yes, I don't see the need to turn the group back.
I would usually be more inclined to have a co-leader or someone with knowledge of the area head back with someone not feeling good,

If it is a non-organized group, with no true leaders, then the liability issues change completely and my thinking is in line with others here - it is best left up to the group to assess and decide

Of course..... I'll start by saying there certainly are situations in which it logical that one member (or 2) will drop out or turn around without escort as has been documented nicely. That's understandable, however, in general I'm a strong beleiver in "group hikers remain a group".

Perhaps it comes from doing a fair bit of my hiking within my family group, so I'm quite used to hiking within either visual or taking distance with much of the group. It's one of the beautiful things about "group" hiking, spending time with enjoyable people. The way I see it, there are 2 primary reasons that I would hike in a group setting with folks from here or other internet hiking communities. 1) For the social aspect, and 2) safety concerns (primariy in winter).

Well............... stands to reason, If you do not stay together as a group, you pretty much negate the whole purpose for "being involved in a group hike". Every group hike I've been on with people from here (people like Peak_bgr, Bushwhacker, Masshysteria, Hiilman, Lurkette, JimB, crazamama and others) we've not only hiked together, but spent a huge amount of the time enjoying each others company. No leaders, no isolationists, just cool people hanging out and walking in the woods, which for me is as much the objective as reaching summit X is.

Now, I've certainly learned (and accomidate) individual hiking styles. When I hike with my family, I generally go uphill much faster than my wife likes. To go her pace would be uncomfortable for me. I just go my pace and wait up for her on occasion. I often find that I hike alot slower than I normally would in a group. I expect and am pretty cool with that before hand, so it doesn't cause undo stress at hike time.

I've done a few bushwhacks (including winter ones) with people from here (and other bb's) and with that type of hiking, it was pretty much understood and went unsaid that, We hike, find our way, struggle, and summit as we start, TOGETHER. It has to be that way for me.

solo hiking is it's own style and to be enjoyed, but if you commit to being a member of an (informal) group, then the mindset should change for the individual accordingly.

Puck said:

My concern is, when hiking with somebody, don't you look out for each other? It sounds like they were on coinciding solo hikes. Do some hike "every man for himself" and "if you are not out when I reach the car I will send help." When you are with somebody you can watch each other. Remind each other of the turn around time. Watch for signs of panic, hypothermia etc...

Click to expand...

You are probing a frequent factor in many accidents and near accidents.

A group starts out together and the fast ones run on ahead.

What happens?
* The beginners and the tired ones are generally the ones left behind.
* Decisions are frequently made by the group at the front without input from the laggards.
* The laggards feel an implicit pressure to push onward no matter how tired they may be. Are likely to skip drinking, eating, and generally taking care of himself to "save time". (Meanwhile, the jackrabbits are well fed, watered, and have taken care of them selves during all of their waiting time.)
* Who is most likely to have an accident or problem? The beginners and tired ones.
* If someone up front has a problem, someone else soon stumbles on him.
* If someone at the back has a problem, how long before someone (who has been running ahead for who-knows-how-long), stops, waits, decides to go back, and finds the person with the problem? Up to twice as long as he has been moving plus the waiting time--or more if returning is slow (eg uphill). (There was a case in the Whites of a group that got back to the trailhead, reported a member to be missing, and went home out-of-state...)

Other aspects:
* Split groups have also been known to take different routes or miss a turn, etc and end up in different places not knowing where the others are.
* The people running ahead can commit the laggards to follow even if they need to turn back.
* Many leaders will occasionally wait for the laggards to catch up, but many (most in my experience) will start up again as soon as the laggard arrives (or in some cases as soon as the laggard comes into view). The laggard is not given any chance to communicate with the group, eat, or rest. (The rest of the group is frequently well rested, impatient, and starts off fast...)
* The laggard may "not want to hold the others back" and tell them to go on without him.

Net effect:
* People who are separated from others become, in effect, soloists whether they are competent or comforable soloing or not.
* Shared gear may become unavailable to them (eg food, shelter, cooking gear, etc)
* In case of an accident or a problem, no or at best, delayed help.

My viewpoint:
* One should decide at the outset "Is this a group hike or a bunch of soloists starting together?" (I have no problem with either--I solo about half the time including winter. My probem is groups that start as a group and then split into defacto soloists or subgroups without agreement of ALL members.)

Techniques for keeping a group together:
* The basic priciple is that ALL members of the group stay in communication at (virtually) all times. Or at least frequently. (Eg within shouting range. 2-way radios can also help.)
* A looser version is that each group memeber keeps contact with the person behind and stops if contact is lost. (And shouts ahead to stop those ahead.) Requires that each member stay aware at all times.
* Two "officers": one on point, one at sweep. (No one gets ahead of point, no one gets behind sweep.) The leader can be point, sweep, or neither. Point and sweep stay in contact such that sweep can ask point to stop at any time. Sweep should not be one of the slower hikers. Sweep can keep an eye on the slowest (and potentially weakest) members of the group--thus the leader frequently takes sweep.
* It may be more difficult for a leader without helpers. If he stays on point, he can control the pace such that the last group member is within sight and/or shouting range, but he may not be aware of the status of the slowest members. If he stays on sweep, he will be able to collect and watchthe laggars/people with problems, but not be able to stop the jackrabbits.
* Occasionally count down the line to see that everyone is still here.
* All group members stop at all trail junctions to make sure all take the same route.

For an account of a recent occurrance within this community, see the thread "Ice Climbers Rescued On Mt. Washington" in "General Backcountry", post #82, 02-01-2005, by Panama Jack. A courageous post--kudos to Panama Jack for his candid report. He describes how he was having a bad day (all of us have one of these now and then--I certainly do) and was left behind. His condition became serious and he had to deal with it by himself. Which he did. (Another kudo--and glad you pull the fat out of the fire.)

(Another) My viewpoint:
Unless they have arranged otherwise, the memebers of a group make an implicit agreement to cooperate with, keep an eye on, and help the other memebers if they have any difficulties. If one is left behind by the group without prior agreement, the implicit agreement has been broken by rest of the group.

What to do if you are left behind (or become accidently separated from the group or someone else is hurt and the party can only afford to send one member for help, etc):
* Switch to solo mode. (This may require experience and some confidence to do.) You now have to look after yourself. Move at a comfortable pace for yourself. Eat. Drink. Take care of yourself. (If you catch up to the group and they run off immediately--stop and take care of yourself.) (This doesn't mean thow a tantrum and sit down for the rest of the day to make them come back to you--you still have to act responsibly.)
* Adequate preparation: make sure you understand the navigation, and have the gear and knowledge to navigate. Ideally, you should have appropriate gear and knowledge to be self sufficient for a reasonable amount of time.

Switching to solo mode requires knowledge, experience, and confidence. Frequently not something a beginner can do well. Thus a group (or a member of the group) should keep an eye on the beginners and make sure that their needs are taken care of.

Lone member of group turning back because of a problem:
* Ideally someone goes back with him.
* In practice, this tends to be a judgement call based upon a number of factors including risk to the turnee, desire of others to reach a goal, and a variety of social factors.

An organized group has procedures for certifying leaders, generally teachs informally (runs beginners' trips/brings beginners along on trips), may teach courses (eg a winter school), and has/generates a common heritage (in terms of procedures etc). The participants (particularly the leaders and frequent participants) also get to know each other. All of these factors tend to improve the functioning of a group on the trail. (Some people can find these groups the be overorganized and stifling.)

This BBs is less organized. It is a group of people with a common interest in outdoor recreation. There is no formal certification process and no prior common heritage. (Of course subgroups develop a degree of common heritage by going on trips together.) This leads to a wider range of procedures and possibly a greater of less group coordination on the trail.

Conclusion:
As stated earlier, I can operate in either solo or group mode and feel that either (or perhaps modes that I haven't thought of) is perfectly reasonable and valid. But I do feel that the group should agree on a mode before they leave the trailhead (even better if before they leave home) and stick to it on the trail unless they explicitly agree to change. It can have a significant effect on our enjoyment and safety in the outdoors.

Meta comment:
I'll admit that this has been a little long-winded, however I hope that some of you find it useful.

Background:
I have been one of the fast ones, and at other times the laggard. I have lead and followed. I have taught and been the student. I have rescued/helped rescue others (nothing dramatic), but fortunately have never had to be rescued myself. And I have spent time with both organized and disorganized groups.

Doug

Within the context of this thread I believe this is pertinant.

The other day my wife who is a teacher informed me that she named me as leader and organizer of an outing to the Adirondacks of a group of about 15 12 year olds. There will be 5 adults including me and my wife. I've never done anything remotely like this before but my brain went quickly into gear and I thought of this:
Bring radios.
Make a list of stuff to bring for each participant to take home to their parents including food and water.
Choose a mountain like Hurricane or Cascade.
Personally check each participant's pack contents.

I'd like to go at the front and have fun with the speedy guys and maintain radio contact with the sweep.

Any advice?

Neil said:

Within the context of this thread I believe this is pertinant.

The other day my wife who is a teacher informed me that she named me as leader and organizer of an outing to the Adirondacks of a group of about 15 12 year olds. There will be 5 adults including me and my wife. I've never done anything remotely like this before but my brain went quickly into gear and I thought of this:
Bring radios.
Make a list of stuff to bring for each participant to take home to their parents including food and water.
Choose a mountain like Hurricane or Cascade.
Personally check each participant's pack contents.

I'd like to go at the front and have fun with the speedy guys and maintain radio contact with the sweep.

Any advice?

Click to expand...

You asked...

Unfortunately, your duty here is to the kids. Your having fun is secondary. But I'll bet that if the kids have fun, it will be fun for you too. I certainly enjoy sharing something I enjoy with others, you may too. Seeing something that you are familiar with though the eyes of a beginner can also be enjoyable.

Suggest you take sweep. The people mostly likely to have problems usually gravitate to the rear. Designate a trusted and knowledgeable helper as point.

I'm tempted to suggest you try to organize the kids into subgroups, each of which is attached to an adult, but my guess is that the kids will separate into groups of their friends.

Talk to someone who works with sizeable groups of kids in the same age group.

If an overnight, get a group campsite separated from other campsites...

I presume this is a summer trip. Might be worth having a rain date or altnative bad weather activity (eg if an overnight, indoor camping or camping under a fixed roof).

Younger kids tend to be more susceptible to hypotherimia (smaller bodies, less dicipline). Sometimes it can be very hard to tell, for instance, only a parent might be able to detect the personality changes that can occur in the early stages.

A little story: a friend took her son (at a similar age) and a friend on an overnight in the woods. She gave them the list of don'ts for camping in bear country. The next morning they told her that they had taken candy bars in the tent (maybe it was their sleeping bags) overnight...

Ejnoy...

Doug

Neil,

Switch off with your sweep person from time to time. They may want to have fun up front too. Changing positions gives you an opportunity to assess the hikers in the front pack as well as in the back pack. With five adults you can hike in the middle group as well.

Teach trail etiquette to the group.

Don't allow yourselves to get too spread out. That way you may be relying too much on your radios and not enough on personal contact. Use the radios in a necessity, not just to chat.

Check everybody's water bottles at rest stops to ensure people are drinking properly.

Before the hike, make sure everyone is comfortable peeing in the woods.

Think of some good hiking stories to tell the group.

Have fun.

JohnL

In the winter - I'll keep checking in with whomever I'm hiking with - unless a larger group agrees to split into sub-groups. If someone insisted on turning back alone, I'd be OK with that as there were no signs of trouble and 1) the trail was very well travelled that day, or 2) I would be returning via that route.

In warm weather and decent conditions, I think it depends on what people agree to. I do long backpacks solo, so I don't see a problem with splitting up. Still, when I'm worried about someone - I'll stick around, whether I met them on the trail or started out with them. For example doing the 100 mile wilderness one August, people set up loose affilitations as we walked together and we made sure that people were sticking with hikers that were injured (one took a nasty header and cracked a rib, the other just had very badly blistered feet and was hobbling).

All good points and I HAVE to agree with JohnL that every hike and every situation is different and that generalizations in either direction can be wrong.

Warren's story about the Pemi reminded me that I still haven't written up the loop within a loop Pemi trip report . . . yet another thing for my to do list.

However, that is a perfect example of a group that split where the ones in the rear of the pack were perfectly well equipped to handle being by themselves. The only problem that time was that we did NOT find the note and spent the entire night worrying that the crazy guy with the insane eyes and the killer demeanor had killed and buried John, Meri and Warren. Now that was an amusing story.

The two who returned the next day from a warm night in town with cold beers to start back on the "inner Pemi loop" were probably counting their blessings that they had not stayed as they watched the two of us recross Franconia Brook which had gone from shin deep water to chest deep water overnight.

Who you are hiking with and what shared equipment there is plays a BIG role in determining hiking styles.

And yes, Tramper does stay back with me always and we'll see how much that tries his patience on our upcoming "BIG" trip together . . . Just kidding Tramper, I have been told I am now officially faster than a snail

sli74

Experience has shown that radios work great for a group with greatly differing speeds. They can be used the etiquette necessary to preserve the peace of the woods-- an earphone works great and idle chatter is discouraged.

If contact is lost, then the group turns around and seeks the person with the malfunctioning radio. I can't imagine what ethic suggests "relying on a radio too much". After all, people use them every day in occupations far more riskier than hiking. If a communications link breaks down, its like any other piece of gear getting damaged.. you should have a definitive plan on what to do and a means to overcome the problem.

Neil,

As a Scout leader I've been doing just what you're proposing for many years. My advice, assuming you're going on a day hike with school kids in moderate weather ...

1) Make it fun for the kids. If this is their first hiking experience, and they have a good time, they might be hooked for life on hiking and the outdoors. There should be a view at the top to reward them, a fire tower is even better.

2) A group of 20 is too big to control without military style discipline - which won't be fun. Consider breaking up into two or more parties with at least two adult leaders in each group. Each group should be autonomous, taking alternate routes if possible. Some areas in the ADK's even have a maximum group size, 10 I think in the High Peaks.

3) Allow plenty of time. A group of 12 year olds that size will probably only make 2 miles an hour, plus 1/2 hour for every +1,000ft in elevation. Cascade (4.6mi RT, +1,800ft) or Hurricane (6mi RT, +1,600ft) should take about 5hrs, but add time for lunch, water breaks, pictures, and cool stuff along the way.

4) Out of 15 random school kids you'll have at least one who will not be fit enough to make it without significant coaxing and encouragement. Be prepared to have a kind hearted assistant help this kid out, otherwise he/she will monopolize your time and you won't be able to effectively lead the group.

5) You will also have at least one who will need some minor first aid such as blisters, scrapes, sunburn, or over heating. So you will need at least one person trained in first aid and a first aid kit for each group. In case of more serious injury, written permission to administer first aid, as well as medical history and insurance information should be obtained from the parents in advance.

6) Use a broad spectrum insect repellent containing DEET(n, n-diethyl-m-toluamide) and R-326(di-n-propyl isocinchomeronate). Use sun screen.

7) Go ahead and bring a couple 2-way Family Radios or cell phones, but don't rely on them, in the mountains their range and coverage is limited.

8) Everyone should have a day pack with: raingear, lunch, water, camera, and trail map. Leaders should carry more extensive gear, in addition to the usual stuff consider bringing binoculars, area maps, bird and plant field guides. And, make sure the kids all leave their personal electronics in the car.

As for group hiking protocol, as others have pointed out, it all depends on the situation. Too many things go into the decision, weather, time of day, group goals, individual abilities, the route, ease of route finding, and natural hazards to give one answer.

In ordinary circumstances I agree with Doug and JohnL, have the kids buddy up with their friends, put your trusted adult at point with the map compass and binoculars, and yourself at sweep with the first aid kit. Then let the group move spread out at it's own pace, stopping every so often to close up ranks, especially at trail crossings or hazards.

However in risky circumstances, such as hiking in the dark or a storm, you should go to the front and tighten up the group.

Some suggestions for destinations:

Goodnow Mt., the trails were in great shape when I hiked it a few years ago and there's a fire tower at the top, good views of the High Peaks. The trailhead is on 28N near the Visitor's Center which is worth seeing.

Blue Mt., again a fire tower at the top, and there is the Adirondack Museum almost across the street.

Indian Pass, from the Loj to Upper Works. This is a longer hike (10mi) but not much change in elevation, some of the best scenery in the ADK Park. Two groups could park at opposite ends and exchange keys part way. This is also a good possibility for an overnight.

Best of luck...

Martin

Neil said:

Within the context of this thread I believe this is pertinant.

The other day my wife who is a teacher informed me that she named me as leader and organizer of an outing to the Adirondacks of a group of about 15 12 year olds. There will be 5 adults including me and my wife.?

Click to expand...

Not mentioned yet is who are the adults, what is their experiance/fitness level and their expectation of the hike? The same goes for the kids. In a group that size group dynamics can make or smash any plan or any attempt to manage a crisis. Designating a leader is most valuable in the case of a crisis and leadership is most likely to be tested (and perhaps fail) during a crisis. Know who you are with.

DougPaul has done a better job of expressing my own perspective on this question than I could have done. His writing reflects a backcountry ethic that is too often not learned or practiced. A few real life examples from my search log books:

1. Guy goes out for an easy dayhike with family, decides it's not challenging enough. He leaves his family to continue on their planned loop around a very small mountain; he takes a shortcut up and over the top. When he reaches the place where a slip will almost inevitably cause a fall, that's what happens. His family goes home father-less and husband-less; he goes back to town in a plastic bag somewhat later.

2. Family group leaves a ten year old kid at camp while they go fishing. Kid decides almost immediately that he really doesn't want to be alone and tries to follow them, unsuccessfully. He falls into the appropriately-named Icicle Creek and then runs and stumbles for a couple miles farther into the Washington mountains. Luckily for him, he stumbles onto a group of Scouts, who treat his hypothermia, keep him with them overnight, and march him out to the trailhead en masse in the morning.

3. Sports camp group takes a day hike. Two members decide to take a shortcut. Well over a hundred people spend the next 36 hours looking for them until they're found. (Some of you will remember this recent example.)

If you start together and don't stay together from start to end, you're just an assemblage of people who parked at the same trailhead that morning. You can subdivide into smaller, self-sufficient groups, but dropping a single member is very often a recipe for a SAR mission.

Mountain Choices.........

Not to hijack this thread further, but Neil, just a further thought or two, not on "what to be careful of" but on the more positive "what an opportunity you have". To help younger kids explore the region that is such a passion to you.

You've received excellent "group leader" advice, so far (mafogle has obviously been there, done that ). As for Mountain choices, the general assumption is too throw "softball choices" cuz they are new. It's logical, but I'd suggest not to go too softball on them.

While the youth of today is (in general) more unfit than years gone by, the average boy (or girl) of boy scout age is as fit and capable as many adults. With phys. ed. they often are exposed to more exercise than many adults are. My daughter was 6 when she did Hurricane and Cascade and 8 when she did Wright/Algonquin, my son was only marginally older. Granted, they had/have more of a hiking background, but their fittness level is average (to above average) for kids thier age. They spend plenty of time, sitting on the couch playing gameboy . Besides, I've seen plenty of kids on those summits, or headed that way, every time I've been there. Phelps too.

One of the most important factors in begining hiking with younger kids is pride. They will take a great death of pride in "climbing a mountain" if it is, in some way, challenging to them. More than many adults could know. One of the most special things about hiking with kids is sharing that pride and excitment with them upon reaching (in their mind) a "tough summit". Whether they be your children, or kids in the scouts in an outing. These are kids of 12-13, not 6-8, so there is a significant difference in cabability too. Just be reasonable.

Another factor (as was mentioned) is the "WOW" factor. Their is a significant difference between the open summits Cascade / Hurricane / Wright's summit than say popular softball choices like Mt. Jo, Owl's Head or Indian Pass. Upon reaching those summits, thier pride will swell. They will have climbed Everest in their minds. That view, couple with the pride they feel will become the future "hook". In fact, do it right and you'll be able to capture that pride enough so that maybe, someday, it will carry them up the tough ones like Cliff or Couchsachraga (it did with mine).

A few years ago, my son's troup did Wright/Algonquin and several were unfit hikers. We went slow and a few opted only for the Wright portion (and rested at the junction) with another leader (who was likewise unfit). ALL were able to take a measure of pride in what they did. The end (spectacular open summit of Wright/Algonquin) justified the means (the physical work of getting there), so to speak.

Just take your time with them, do a local pre-hike (if you can) to explain the craft of woods-walking first and mentally let them know what to expect. You'll be fine. Enjoy, be careful (but employing some of the excellent advice in this thread) and have fun. Do it right and YOU MAY POSITIVELY IMPACT SOMEONE'S LIFE for years to come. This is an opportunity, not an obligation.

The Gonzales article

Puck,
I read that article too, i thought that the fact that the highest percentage of survival rates in serious situations is that of infants and toddlers was interesting. I think it is interesting that people can get caught up in their own arrogance and feeling of higher intelligence when the only thing that they need to do is let the sole instinct of survival kick in. Whereas the toddlers aren't swayed yet into a false feeling of arrogance and over-intelligence. if they are lost, they simply try to get shelter and survive.
i am interested in reading his Deep Survival book, have you read it yet?

I just read this thread (because I just joined recently), so I'm sorry if I'm going back to earlier discussion about hiking partners - but it reminds me of a rather funny thing that happened to a friend and I on our way to Marshall and Colden last summer.

We had just gotten past Marcy Dam, and my friend stopped to use an outhouse at one of the campsites. I, being somewhat sleepy after climbing Skylight and Grey from Elk Lake the day before, sat down on my pack and closed my eyes. I saw a couple coming up the trail, so I moved further off the trail - apparently out of sight of my friend when she came out of the outhouse. And apparently I fell asleep, because I didn't hear her call my name when she didn't see me. About 20 minutes later I thought, "she really should be done in there by now!" so I went to check the outhouse and she was gone. I chased her all the way to Avalanche Lake, where she was just about to leave after waiting 20 minutes for me, after thinking she was chasing me and finally realizing that I might be chasing her, and then going back to thinking she was chasing me again. This wasn't a bad situation because we both are experienced solo hikers, knew our itinerary, and figured whoever was behind would meet the other person coming back down Marshall. But it was rather funny, especially when we revealed to each other that we were each getting frustrated with the other for not waiting! Moral - always make sure you know where your partner is when you come out of the outhouse, and never fall asleep on the trail!

slow is the goal

I aslo try to have the slowest lead so we dont get lost. As I am often the youngest "old guy" in the group it can be easy to set lofty goals that all can not meet. I have found that by bringing up the rear I get to enjoy much more of the scenery or allow for quick naps and swims at quiet spots. A few years ago I was with a friend on the NLP trail. it was his first long trip and I led on the first two days and he took a beating trying to catch up. After day 2 we switched and set a reasonable goal for the end of the day and then he went off while i broke camp did chores etc. by the time i caught up it was lunch and we repeated the same and i caught up by dinner. Only problem was on day six when he stopped at the wrong campsite 2 miles before our preset destination. when i arrived near dark and he was not there i worried and retraced but could not find. i hunkered down for the night and went back out at first light and found him fit and fine but awful scared hiking up the trail. the spot he camped at was only a few hundred yards off the trail but might as well been miles. For the rest of the hike he left notes at the registers with time he went through and that allowed for better communication. we also use this when climbing peaks. This has helped me to enjoy the experience all the more because the clock is not the focus. years ago when i was a runner i experienced the same thing. time was my gauge but age caught up and didnt allow me to move as fast. as i started to slow i noticed things i never did before and found a new interest in running. moral here - goals are great as long as they are reasonable and its not the destination that brings joy it is the journey and joy is most enjoyed when shared.

Here's another angle, someone posts a hike looking for partners and gets a few. There are 30 odd posts leading up to the hike, organizing, joking around etc. and in the end 5 people are planning on meeting at the TH at 6 am sharp. These people sort of know each other based on past hikes and postings and its a strong, experienced and confident team. At the TH a 6th person shows up who read the thread but didn't post. It turns out, unbekownst to the crew of 5 that this person is a weak hiker and was kind of hoping, subconciously in all likelehood, that the group would somehow get them up the mountain.
Lets say this becomes acutely apparent as the group is approaching Alen Brook and it's now clear that the 6th hiker is going to need some serious babysitting (tired, ill epuipped, not enough food and water etc.) to get back to the car let alone make summit. Now what? Has something like this ever happened to anyone here before?

BTW I really appreciated the posts on the group kid hike. I read them attentively and they will make a big difference. Thanks!

I've been leading private and for Outings Clubs for almost 30 years and its happened to me on many occasions. The most usual instance is the person who misrepresents their experience, ability and fitness so as to be allowed on the trip.
2nd in frequency is the person who misunderstands the difficulty of the endeavor. If the leader of the outing gets a chance to prescreen, I see this as the leader's fault.
The least frequently occuring is the parking lot show-up.

In all 3 cases, its really annoying because it can spoil the day for others.
IMHO, while it can be maddening, you have a human obligation to make sure the person doesn't come to harm. If its Summer and balmy, you can alway sit the person down to wait for the group's return on a trail hike if the time frame is reasonable. Or, with a clearly marked trail, you have a little conference and level with the person that they simply must turnaround and go back.

On Allen Brook, a "trailless" peak, my call is go slow and finish the climb together, or one stays behind with the "victim" and continues slowly.
The primary obligation, though, is the person's safety, if not comfort. As harsh as it seems, sometimes picking the pace up on the way out, a mile or two from the trailhead, can be a good negative reinforcement to keep the perp from doing it again.

Neil said:

Lets say this becomes acutely apparent as the group is approaching Alen Brook and it's now clear that the 6th hiker is going to need some serious babysitting ...

Click to expand...

Why do you think there is a small graveyard just past and to the left of the waterfall?

Don't know how I missed this thread when it started!

I'm slow. I'm particularly slow on the uphills. Comes from too much time driving a desk. Downhill I can go faster.

So what I like to do in a group is stay within a few minutes of each other. I often will hike the sweep position, especially with a group of beginners and at least one other experienced person to take the lead. One extra benefit of that is none of the beginners feel they're holding anyone back, so long as I'm there bringing up the rear.

A couple weeks ago Skimom, Brian and I were hiking in the northern Presidentials, in rather severe conditions (15 below, 70-80 mph winds). I was the slowpoke in that group, not by plan but by capability. (For those of you who don't know her, Skimom's hiking speed would fare pretty well at Daytona!) The other two would hold up every once in awhile to make visual contact with me, and every once in a longer while they would wait for me to catch up. That was perfect. We each hiked our own hike, but the safety factor of group contact was never in doubt. No one felt put out or left out. They were excellent hiking partners.

And the next day, on our way down the hill, I left them in my dust!!! (Yeah, I would occasionally wait for them to catch up, too. )