Becoming a Walking Group / Mountain Leader

Roadmap

• Skill up navigation (NNAS Silver Award: done, Gold training: Oct 10/11)
• Get outdoor first aid certificate (Apr 19)
• Obtain D1 license
• Do 20+ Quality Mountain Days
• Book Mountain Leader Training (prerequisite: 20+ QMDs)

Step 1 of errrr... many

I think I'm a person who is very comited and focused once I've set a new goal for myself. Learning an instrument, moving to the UK or climbing Kilimanjaro. Somehow there was never a doubt I wouldn't achieve any of those goals.

I've always secretly wished I would one day lead groups through hills, moors and mountains, but never really pursued the idea. One of the many "I wish I'd be doing this some day."-dreams all of us have. With the outdoor industry still on the rise and the possibility to even study outdoors at university these days I still figured, I wouldn't really stand a chance of actually becoming a leader. Risking my well paid job to vanish for a couple of weeks for an un- or badly paid trainee leader position somewhere... well, if I'd be 20 I would jump at that. Not so now.

With that wish in my mind and the frustration of knowing that the cost of going along that path would be too high, all I really needed was a spark to ignite my ambition, to push me over the edge into a full commitment. That spark hit me late last year when I was asked by a friend who's running week-long walking holidays if I could imagine being a guide for those groups some day. I was rubbing my eyes, read that email a couple of times, just to be sure it wasn't a dream and I didn't misunderstand it.

After an enthusiastic happy-dance and a few bounces around my room, I sat down to catch my breath and type my answer along the lines of "Dunno, yeah... maybe. Sounds cool. What's going to be expected of me?" Inside I was still rejoicing, laughing happily, thinking "Hell yeah!!!!"

So I agreed to stay in touch, get some navigation skills under my belt, a first aid course and the D1 license. On top of that I would now really pursue the Mountain Leader Scheme and get at least to the stage where I can do the training course. Then do a trial week and see how I feel on the other side of the screen, haha. So far I've been a regular customer, not the guide. So here's my plan:

Skill up Navigation

I decided to follow the National Navigation Award Scheme up to the highest level and have recently completed the Silver which was great fun and I am now able to take a bearing (and back bearing), know how to figure out grid references and how to pace. So far I've used map and compass more to align features on the map to features around me. Now I have a few more cards up my sleeve and will certainly practice them before I do the Gold course in October.

This one will be the masterclass of navigation with relocation, night navigation and navigating around bigger obstacles with emphasis on being absolutely precise in everything I do. Will go to South Snowdonia near Dolgellau for the course and already looking forward to it.

Outdoor First Aid

I'll attend a 16 hour course in the Peak District mid April and I already have a lot of questions and potential situations in my mind where I'd be unsure what would be the best way to go forward. Someone breaks a leg in the middle of nowhere in bad weather... there's more than a broken leg that a guide needs to think of. There're a dozen wet and freezing people that can't be standing around for hours. Learning about what can and has to be done is not only valuable knowledge for leaders but also for me as a walker who goes out with friends.

D1 License

Literally down to time and money. I LOVE driving and will greatly enjoy this, but I need to save up around £800 to see this through. Hopefully will manage at some point later this year.

The Mountain Leader Scheme

This is more a by-product of my efforts to get the necessary skills for leading groups for my friend. In order to be allowed to the training course I need 20 Quality Mountain Days (QMDs) which means any day I spend at least 5 hours outdoors, learning something new, practising skills or being exposed to difficult conditions. Getting access to the assessment and hopefully Mountain Leader Award will need another 40 QMDs. But I'm not even thinking about that yet, haha.

So a lot to do over the next few years. I'll do it bit by bit, concentrating on the next step ahead. Just like climbing a mountain. Speaking of... there are a few mountaineering adventures coming up next year as well, so I'll be hard pressed to fit all this into my diary.