When the vehicle arrives at the destination, the team leader must assign someone to clean the interior of the vehicle, check for any left-behind items, and begin preparing breakfast. After each day’s breakfast and before the team sets off, the leader must: (1) re-explain the day’s itinerary overview and precautions during the hike, (2) decide the duration of warm-up exercises based on the current temperature—warm-ups should last at least ten minutes to help prevent leg cramps or exhaustion, (3) assign and announce the lead and tail members, instructing all participants not to overtake the lead or fall behind the tail. Additionally, when reaching the destination, members must report to the lead to prevent anyone from getting lost without the leaders’ knowledge.
As the team proceeds toward the destination, various challenges will test the guides. There are no standard solutions to these situations—resolving them depends entirely on the guides’ on-the-spot adaptability.
During the hike, when encountering other teams, the leader or guide must proactively greet them. If meeting a team coming from the opposite direction, inquire about the latest mountain conditions such as huts, water sources, and trail status. When encountering a team going in the same direction, take the opportunity to understand each other’s climbing routes and itineraries—occasional mutual support is possible. Hiking is also a great way to make new friends.
Geographic Landscape Introduction
When the team reaches a location with a wide view or during rest periods, the guides should introduce the surrounding landscape and provide map orientation to help participants understand the general scenery of the area and basic map reading skills, as well as pace and breathing regulation.
Within the first kilometer of the hike, the leader should remind participants to: (1) maintain a moderate pace, regulate breathing, avoid mouth breathing as much as possible, and keep stride width within shoulder width. The guides should also monitor the condition of all team members. (2) Remove any unnecessary warm clothing.
Rest
During the hike, several rest periods are necessary to manage participants’ stamina and maintain overall team coordination. The leader and guides should decide based on the situation, but basic guidelines include: (1) if there’s a large gap between the front and rear of the group, the lead should increase the frequency of rest breaks and shorten their duration to close the gap, (2) each guide should ensure visibility of at least a quarter to a third of the team members within their line of sight; otherwise, they should initiate a rest period to regroup. This ensures that guides can monitor all members and prevents mid-group members from straying onto wrong paths or forming independent exploration teams, (3) rest areas must accommodate all nearby team members. Guides should decide whether to have team members rest in a single file or gather in a cluster based on terrain—not simply choosing the most convenient spot for themselves. Doing so without considering others’ space or blocking passage is considered selfish behavior. The duration of each rest period should depend on circumstances, preferably not exceeding five minutes, and participants shouldn’t wait until they feel cold before moving on.
During the hike, when taking a break, backpacks can be placed on large rocks, fallen trees, or tree trunks to make them easier to put back on. If placing a backpack on the ground, bend your knees into a half-squat position, move the backpack onto your thighs, insert your right hand into the right shoulder strap to shift the weight to your shoulder, then insert your left hand into the left shoulder strap. This method is only suitable for backpacks weighing 25 kilograms or less. For heavier packs, it’s better to sit down before putting them on.
Record
The leader should assign someone to complete written and photographic records using the activity log form. The written record should include a timeline of the day’s events and a travelogue detailing the day’s route conditions, campsites, water sources, and general landscape overview. The photo record must include at least: (1) mountain scenery, (2) hiking trail conditions, (3) participant activities, (4) camp life. Landscape photos should indicate the shooting location and direction. Reassign Equipment
After about an hour of hiking, the lead can confirm the physical condition of nearby team members as the best among the group. At this point, ensure all cooking equipment and food supplies for the day are accounted for. The lead’s forward group must have at least one set of cooking gear; otherwise, the lead must wait for equipment redistribution before proceeding fully with the team. This avoids embarrassing situations where the lead group arrives at a mountain hut without cooking tools or tent setup materials.
Upon reaching the destination, the lead must assign tasks: (1) prepare afternoon tea or dinner, (2) start roll call. This helps gather the team and signals the rear group that cooking has begun, encouraging them to quicken their pace.
The tail member should carry medical supplies, as the rear group tends to have weaker stamina and is more prone to issues, especially minor injuries. The tail member should be aware of each person’s condition and know how to motivate individuals as needed. The tail is fully responsible for handling any issues in the rear group and can report back to the leader afterward. Any disputes must be resolved during the debriefing session—no arguments should occur during the activity.
Getting Lost
Teams hiking traditional routes rarely get lost due to numerous trail markers placed by hiking clubs. Even at forks, fallen logs are often used as barriers, and open scree fields or riverbeds usually have stacked stones indicating the correct path. The most common causes of getting lost are taking shortcuts or choosing wrong turns in forest trails. In such cases, simply backtrack to re-observe and then continue.
Teams hiking non-traditional routes have a higher chance of getting lost due to potential map misjudgments and severe weather. In such exploratory routes, avoid hiking in bad weather to prevent the entire team from becoming stranded, which could result in emergency helicopter evacuations.
Bamboo Grove Trail
Small exploration or training teams often navigate through bamboo groves or tall grass. The lead expends significant physical and mental energy, and a moment of carelessness can easily lead to wrong turns or unforeseen errors. Team members behind the lead should promptly offer corrections, while the leader should rotate the lead role periodically to avoid misleading the entire team or exhausting a single individual, which could affect overall pace or lead the group into dangerous areas.
Darkness Training
Regardless of team type, it’s best to schedule one early morning light-load hike. The goal is to train participants in using headlamps for climbing and to help them find their own rhythm. The total darkness hiking duration should not exceed two hours to prevent fatigue and drowsiness.
Hypothermia Treatment
During the hike, in cases of severe weather, team members may develop hypothermia. Typically, affected individuals will show unstable steps, almost as if intoxicated. Immediate measures must be taken to ensure their safety, including: (1) using heat packs (each team official should carry at least three). Follow the usage instructions, and once the pack reaches optimal temperature, place it near the patient’s chest and heart area, (2) use a stove to boil water or carry a thermos to prepare sweet drinks such as ginger soup.
If a member becomes semi-conscious or unconscious, combine two sleeping bags. Place two heat packs on the hypothermic person’s chest. Importantly, the individual must remove all outer clothing, and another person should also remove outerwear to share body heat by closely embracing the hypothermic person. Team members should take turns providing warmth, while continuously drinking ginger soup to stay warm. If the person remains unconscious, immerse their feet in warm water, ensuring the temperature remains constant.
Altitude Sickness Treatment
During the pre-hike meeting, all participants should be advised to sleep and eat well two days before departure. Maintaining a normal routine can reduce the risk of altitude sickness. Symptoms of altitude sickness are similar to decompression sickness and mainly stem from the body’s inability to adapt to external atmospheric pressure. Adaptability varies by individual. The solution is to have affected members rest in place or descend 10 meters for about half an hour, then reassess whether to continue. If they can still walk, it’s advisable to wait until reaching camp to address the issue.
Conclusion
Returning from the campsite to the trailhead marks the near end of the activity, making it even more crucial to keep track of participants. Count everyone individually from the campsite to the trailhead to avoid leaving anyone behind, and do another headcount before departing by car.
Getting close to nature is what everyone looks forward to during holidays—a chance to find peace and enjoy the beauty of the natural world. However, insufficient outdoor experience often prevents people from fully enjoying the experience. Building field experience relies not only on stories from others or information from books, but more importantly, on personal hands-on experience. When in natural surroundings, avoid acting on impulse or being overly competitive. As long as you stay calm, think clearly, and act cautiously, you can overcome any situation. There are no fixed standards or definitive instruction manuals for wilderness knowledge—it’s all about how you flexibly apply your own judgment along with the gear and equipment you have.
The mountains will always be there. If it doesn’t work out this time, you can try again next time. Observe carefully and experience with heart—every pulse of nature will be right before your eyes.