Hiking Trip Leading Basics

The ability to plan and lead a trip goes very far, beyond just a weekend in a bush. See those expensive organised tours or outdoor excursions people advertise to you when you travel overseas? As long as you have a car and a group of friends, you can self-guide everyone through, explore another country's nature, and cut hundreds of dollars off your travelling expenses. After all national parks or wildlife is entirely free to enjoy, and the joy goes beyond the park itself. People also find the towns they pass through, the cafes they stop by, or the pizza place they get dinner from, to be sometimes more memorable than the hike itself.

The first thing you think of after the "let's go on a hike" question is where to go. Before you head off and draft a plan you first need to know how hard the hike is. Why does it matter?

The main thing you first consider is who you're bringing to a hike, and what type of difficulty suits them. Is it a group of adventurous friends who all know what they're doing? Or is it with your parents or relatives on a family gossip trip? Be on a couple of hikes with your friends, know where they struggle, and you'll gauge where they are. If you've never been on walks with them, then start off with something as easy as a walk in the park, and level up from there.

An easy way to guess is to see whether they have done something similar before. Those who have done 20km walks will very likely be fine with 20km walks, and those who have done 15km walks will also likely be okay, but those who have never been on a hike... maybe? This is where you'll take a gamble. There are always people who are very fit, have done other sports before, or somehow just go shopping a lot where they can handle walking for long distances. Some might struggle for the first km and can become a liability down the track.

Leading a public trip, such as with a bushwalking club? Then this usually goes the other way, plan the route first, understand the difficulty, and set expectations. There will always be people fitting to the level you are looking for after all.

Quantifying difficulty

A couple systems come into play. The most layman one is Beginner - Intermediate - Hard on a common sense approach. Beginner is usually a walk in the park, with well-paved concrete tracks no longer than 10km. Intermediate usually refers to a full day of walk, 15-20km on dirt tracks. Hard walks will involve all sorts of terrain- usually rock scrambling and off-track bushbashing.

The purpose of the system is to advise you on what skill is expected of you on a bushwalk. The main thing to take note of is on a Grade 5 track navigation skills will be expected. For other grades, normal trip-leading skills will suffice. National park-maintained tracks are usually in very good condition, easy to follow and well-signposted. Never rely on the grades itself as it is not really an accurate reflection of how hard a walk is. The hardest walks you've heard of usually involve unofficial tracks created by fellow hikers, and will not appear on national park websites. Sometimes you can find grade 5 tracks easier than grade 4.

Figuring out difficulty (for participants)

Two main things come into play: 1. Distance and elevation gain, 2. track conditions and terrain

1. Distance and elevation gain
   The longer the walk is, or the higher one needs to ascend, will naturally require more physical strength out of those in the trip. Doing 30km a day certainly drains more energy than 20km. On relatively flat tracks, most people will be fine doing 20km in one day, with 30km requiring more experience (or else they will struggle towards the end). For elevation gain, most people will also be fine with 300-500m climbs depending on the weather (steeper tracks are slightly easier in winter). Combining both factors, such as a steep track with continuous ascents and descents, a 10km track with 1000m elevation gain may even be hard for some. This reflects the difficulty and duration of the walk.

2. Track conditions and terrain
   Track conditions concern people mostly in hard walks. Most people will be fine with simple rock scrambling, but not everyone is fine with lengthy off-track bushwalks and hard climbs. Off-tracking involves heading away from a formed track, walking through scrubs and juggling through the bush. This can be hard for some as breaking through scrubs requires a bit of physical strength, and doing this for an hour or two can significantly drain away one's energy. Lengthy scrambles or climbs are not common but if they are present one's upper body strength and previous scrambling experience will determine whether this is suited for them. There are people who get traumatised after their first off-track bushwalk and similar walks are naturally out of question for them.

Trip leaders: understand your ability, be realistic

If you can't do a walk yourself then you can't expect everyone else to do it. Obviously, as the leader the authority is on you and you can always make decisions to turn back, but why bother planning the entire route if you don't intend to finish it? 

Being a member on trips you might have done some really hard walks, but it usually requires much more skills to lead a walk than to be on one. Have you been on enough of them so you know what people normally struggle with? If something unexpected happens, such as accidentally walking off-track (in places where this could happen), are you confident enough to come up with instant solutions?

For trip leaders, there are usually two skills you'll need in addition to the expectations of participants. 

1. Navigation
   Obviously as the leader you lead the way. Different types of tracks will require different levels of navigation. In well-paved walks google maps will suffice, but you can't google map yourself in the wilderness. Ease of navigation is independent of the difficulty of the walk- a walk that you find easy might be hard to navigate, while some technical walks might be national park managed and are clearly signposted.
   
   Different apps are out there to help with navigation, along with the traditional method of a map and compass. The best tool for navigation is still your eyes, where you see the track you are walking on, any signs or cairns people put up, or geographical landmarks such as a hilltop, cliffedge or a creek. Keep your eyes on the move- not just on the map, but on the track. Spot something interesting, see the scenery, and check on the group behind you. The map is not a single solution to wayfinding and so you shouldn't be glued to it.
   
   There are usually 3 difficulty levels of navigating a walk.

   1. Google map trip leader
      For walks with good mobile phone reception, such as in the city, or popular walking destinations (lookout or reservoir walks), a basic online map will be sufficient. Some people bring no maps and it is also perfectly fine- there are clear signs pointing directions. Google Maps is not ideal for hiking as a lot of tracks are not mapped. Apps designed for hiking (eg. Alltrails) all fall under this category. OpenStreetMap shows a lot of hiking tracks but since it is community-contributed it should not be relied upon.

   2. Offline GPS navigation
      When mobile phone reception goes off or outside of easy popular walks (grade 3/4+ in AU or anything 10km or more) requires the skill to navigate offline. Knowing where you are will help deduce time to reach your destination and make decisions such as turning back. Some tracks may become unobvious when vegetation opens up and a map helps confirm you are on the right track or helps direct you back. Even driving on remote unpaved roads will require this- Google Maps can't take you everywhere. An app that works offline and allows you to download maps (eg. Avenza Maps) and the ability to use it will fall under this category.
      
      Offline GPS navigation has become advanced these days where if multiple devices are loaded with offline maps it's rare they will fail. With an adequate understanding of the terrain, they can also be used in off-track scenarios. 

   3. Map and compass
      GPS has limitations- it does not work well in forests with thick canopy. Trees are physical barriers and can cause signals to be reduced till it's unusable. GPS locations under these conditions can therefore be inaccurate. Map and compass are still the gold standard in navigation. It's either a paper map or a phone as a digital map to set compass bearings.

2. Managing the group
   Have you been on enough similar walks and know what people will struggle with? Even the most planned-out trips will see people struggle, some expected and some unexpected. If someone can't scramble up a rock, and can't carry the weight of their pack, will you be able to seek alternative solutions or assist with it? For hard trips with technical parts, the ability for alternative arrangements or to improvise solutions is the main ability to look for.
   
   Not everyone will be on the same pace or ability as you and you will need to be able to wait and plan breaks. Planning breaks and setting a realistic walking pace are key to fatigue management so everyone gets the strength to complete the walk. On long trips, it is common for people to be exhausted at the last 1/4 and exhausted people can be a burden.
   
   Be realistic with your expectations. People will struggle no matter how prepared they are so early identification will help with managing the group in the long run. See how far you've gone in the first hour, and expect that to decline as the walk goes further.
   
   Not all groups are the same and there are no set rules for how to manage a group. If someone struggles on a trip there is little you can do, so prevention is key. If someone is going (or likely to) struggle, then don't let them come and see what you've expected to happen.

Where to go

Another day, another walk. The easy way to start is to ask a friend and there are usually places they'll suggest. 

Nowadays the internet has everything, but if someone has been there lately what they suggest will still be far more up to date than most online sources. Plenty of websites offer information on where to hike:

Some other less typical ways of finding places to go. Few people do this but can be fun to explore.

Usually, a common point to start (out of all those sources) is to ask yourself: what do you want to get out of the walk? Hiking is for everyone and different people might be looking for different things. Some might want to enjoy wildlife, some wish to challenge themselves, some will be seeking good scenery and some prefer a social walk. There's no right or wrong and multiple purposes can be stuffed into a walk, eg. a walk to a scenic lookout with some wildlife spotting. However, knowing what you're trying to seek will help find the perfect route. Imagine how exciting it is knowing how you will enjoy the walk before even going on it.

Generally, people look for places with good scenery and plan a walk. Eg. Ruined Castle in Katoomba looks cool, and there is a walking track to Scenic World which is well connected to public transport, so let's go there. Know where the cool stuff is, then plan a route linking the good stuff. Usually, mountain summits or lookouts will have good views, but it can also be something unexpected like side trips off the track.

First step of research

For every trip there are always these points to gather:

1. Is the track open or closed

2. How to get in/out of the track

3. Difficulty - is it within my ability

4. Duration and length of the walk

It's important to do this in sequence so if the conclusion of one step is a no there won't be effort wasted. It's frustrating to research on a track then knowing that it's closed. Difficulty of a track is covered in the section above.

Track closure: check national parks before heading off

If you're doing a track not managed by national parks, or other activities such as canyoning, then this will likely not impact you. However as long as your walk involves even a tiny bit of national park tracks it is still good to check.

"But that feels pretty alright to me!"

Head to a track marked closed and you'll likely be faced with these barriers. It's always tempting to jump over and keep walking but this is always risky, particularly when heavy machinery is used. Sometimes tracks are closed just because of a landslide and rangers might be cool with it, but it's best not to try your luck.

Going there: Train, bus, ferry or car?

Most of the time it's quite straightforward- catch a train, perhaps change to a bus and you're there. Driving to a walk is another topic and will be covered below.

In Sydney the only special case is Bundeena in Royal National Park. Take a train to Cronulla and catch a privately operated ferry. The fare on the ferry is reasonable and is a unique way of getting there.

In Hong Kong, many bus routes lead right to the start of the trail, with just two popular exceptions: Sai Wan Pavillion served by an expensive shuttle that you might be better off going by taxi, and East Dam of High Island Reservoir where a minibus runs only on weekends.

Plan ahead as many hiking trailheads are only served by infrequent public transport.

Train timetables can be easily found on the website of major transport operators. 

In Sydney head to TransportNSW.info or google "[Train line name] timetable". Try to use a timetable and not google map directions. Also check for weekend trackworks in the same website or by planning the trip and see if the exact train departure shows up. There are only 4 regional intercity rail lines in Sydney: BMT - Blue Mountains, CCN - Central Coast & Newcastle, SCO - South Coast and SHL - Southern Highlands.

Length and Duration of walk: Give everyone an estimate

It's much more easier to understand if you tell your mate we're going on a 6-hour walk, than telling them we're going on a [walking track name]. The duration of the walk comes from two factors: distance and elevation. Some hiking websites will provide this but if you plan your own trip this can also be easily estimated. Deduce the duration of a walk using given info on these two parameters, or by looking into a topographic map (detailed later below).

A super easy estimate of duration out of distance:

• 4 km every hour: a walk involving children and the elderly

• 5 km every hour: most people, beginner or intermediate. This is the normal walking pace of most people.

• 6 km every hour: experienced people or people in bustling cities tend to walk this fast. Most people will find it hard to follow so if this is your estimate you need to know those on your trip well.

Anything more than this is considered running and is out of the question. This includes short water breaks so stopping briefly will not impact the estimation. However long breaks, such as a lunch break, will.

Elevation can also be estimated with a similar rule, and added to the duration based of distance:

For every 100m uphill it takes 10 minutes to complete.

Downhill can generally be accounted as normal walking speed, however for steep downhills this will take longer and extra time should be allowed.

Read more: Naismith's rule

Respect private property

Just that a track (or a road) is marked on a map does not grant you access. There are times when walking tracks transverse through private property (this is clearly signposted), but other than that hikers should steer away from private property.

In Australia trespassing through the fence of a farm presents a biosecurity risk for the owner. It has become a very significant issue lately where farm owners often turn down casual visitors. Many farms have sensors around their fences and trespassing acts will easily be detected. This includes their driveways- stopping, parking, and doing u-turns are often not welcomed.

More progressive places such as Scotland allow open access to most of the country's nature, including farmlands, for recreational purposes. Still, a common sense approach applies when in private land- no camping, respect livestock and leave gates as they are. This includes national parks in Britain as well, which double as grazing grounds for livestock. If gates are open, leave them open, and if they are closed, close the gate after passing.

In Hong Kong, walking tracks often pass through villages. Enter and leave quietly through public roads, and support local businesses where you can. Some hikers cause a nuisance to local residents and some villages have started to put out signs deterring visitors. More respect creates a brighter future, and it will be unfortunate if ignoring signs becomes a necessity.

Many governments (All states in Australia, or Hong Kong) publish topographic maps for public use. The maps detail hiking tracks for use by bushwalkers, and terrain for off-track uses. Another webpage covers old topo maps for fun and this focuses on practical uses.

An old sketch map vs a modern topographic map. Topographic map is now the standard of bushwalking yet sketch maps are still frequently used in canyons.

In most parts of NSW, a ratio of 1:25k is used. Occasionally bushwalks in regional NSW will involve the use of 1:50k maps but this is unusual, with the main example being Warrumbungle Nat. Park. Hong Kong uses an odd 1:20k but in practice, this slight ratio difference doesn't impact actual use. 1:50k and 1:25k will see a massive difference in terrain detail and the ability to zoom for details.

Topo maps can be purchased from major hiking gear shops. Popular maps (eg. Katoomba) will be well-stocked but others are mostly printed on demand.

Finding a topo map

Average topo maps cover a large area and multiple walking tracks will likely fall within the same one. Having some general ones (eg. Katoomba) in your phone storage is a good idea. Searching based on the topo map catalog is one way but alternatively if you're loading them onto Avenza it can be easily done on the Avenza Maps app. Go to shops > search on map and find where you're going

There are usually two options: The community-contributed Getlost Map and the paid NSW topo maps (or in some states maps are published for free). Getlost maps have more tracks and NSW topo looks more fancy. Either way they both serve the same purpose.

Knowing the basics of topographic maps we can now plan our walk using it. Let's say you are heading off on a walk to a scenic lookout for some of the best sceneries in Barrington Tops National Park. The furthest you can drive up to is the red cross, and the lookout is at the orange cross. A simple yet very rough estimate will be counting the boxes, since the track is mostly straight.

9 km will equal roughly 2 hours of walk. However this track will normally take more than 2 hours due to its elevation. To see how much a hiker has to climb we zoom in and look at the contour lines.

That will be 860m of vertical ascent. We can estimate that the vertical climb will take 1.5 hours, bringing it to a 3-4hr hike one way depending on the fitness of the group. 

All these estimations can be done not just in pre-planning but on trips. When someone asks how far are we from the summit, count the elevation. When someone asks how far are we from the carpark/campsite, count the grids and tell them we're already halfway. Knowing how we're tracking maintains morale and aids decision-making.

Walking off-track? There's typically only two scenarios where you need to go off-track: 1. You are, for whatever reason, returning to the proper track. 2. You are going to a landmark, be it a summit or a creek.

Off-track walking is usually really slow. Thick bush presents an obstacle to even the most experienced and at times you'll be moving at less than 1 km/h. A lot of places people go to have at least some form of track so this is usually a last-mile option rather than something done regularly.

1. You are, for whatever reason, returning to the proper track.

This can happen at the end of the day when you're returning to the carpark, ending the hike, or simply leaving the track by mistake. A walking track or firetrail is a long clearing that is normally easy to identify, ie. you got out of the bush, you saw a track-looking thing and you'll know you are back on track.

In this case only a generic sense of direction is necessary. People will set compass bearings for reference but they do not have to be accurate and it does not have to be strictly observed. Why?

Let's say you are at the red cross on the map. You are going back to Link Trail, the black dotted line. All three yellow arrows, while being different in directions (and compass bearings), all get you back to the trail. The left arrow will take longer than the right arrow, but given that 1 grid = 1km, the difference in distance is far less than 1km and is very insignificant. 

In most cases, a generic direction will work. Formation of the sense of generic direction can sometimes come with terrain as well, eg. in this case the trail is higher than your location (red cross). As long as you keep going uphill you are back on track, and going downhill may mean going the wrong way. In this case the slope is smooth and elevation change will be fairly hard to sense.

After an hour and the help of our rough estimation, we got back to the track, just before sunset. There's simply no way to miss this track.

This is all logical deduction, using a topographic map to give yourself a picture of the nearby terrain. Sometimes you might hear stories of people wayfinding from a peak down to the main track. There's no track and they know it's the right way as long as the terrain keeps going down. No GPS and compass were even used, just knowledge of the terrain and a bit of logic.

2. You are going to a landmark, be it a summit or a creek.

Let's take this example. You are at the orange cross, and you know where you're going is on the far eastern creek. There's no track but it's very easy to get there. No compass was even used, why?

From the map, we can see a steep slope starting from the orange cross on a plateau. The slope is so steep that it's almost impossible to miss. That's a landmark that we can follow, and as long as we follow that slope, cross a couple of creeks, and we'll end up somewhere on Far Eastern Creek.

The same logic applies to staying on a ridge. As long as you're not going down a steep hill you're walking in the right way.

We are going to the red pin but as you can imagine, a creek is also a landmark that we can follow. Now we are at the creek and the only thing we need to do is to scramble down the creek and we're there!

Example 2: navigating to a place, ie. a summit, a scenic lookout or a campsite

There is some common sense knowledge that helps us imagine what to expect. On a campsite, we'll expect a massive opening and campfire places people have used. In this case, we are going to a lookout at Mt Caley, which is on the side of a cliff. Your tripmates just want a good view so it doesn't matter which cliff edge they end up in, as long as there's a view. 

You are at the red cross and your destination is at the yellow cross. In this case, there isn't a clear landmark to follow, so you set a compass bearing and start walking. (the image below is a 1:50k map but one grid is still 1km)

Heading back since the cliff edge is a prominent landmark it was followed until it vanishes to the left. At this point a compass bearing back to the red cross is set, and the group made it back to a proper track.

Example 3: We've got a Gpx file from someone who has done the trip before. Gpx files simply contain a series of dots (with coordinates) which are joined together to form a route. Starting from the campground it was a hard scramble up and the gpx file assisted with where an upward route might be.

Then we got to the blue arrow. A canyon is a fairly obvious landmark where it descends down in a gorge, and without even using a map we identified the landmark. The canyoning continued till yellow arrow where we exited the gorge. Time to head back to the campsite, we thought. The gpx file tells you to go right but this is not necessary- from the map you see the slope is gentle, so all you have to do is to simply go straight. A river and the massive opening of a giant campground helps you identify that you're home.

Now you've done your first 4 steps of research and know which way you're going. You're confident with your route and you might already have invited your friends. You know how long the walk will generally be but there's one more thing to be accounted for.

Have an escape

A lot of unexpected things can happen on the walk. The weather might be hotter than expected, people have become really tired, or a technical bit took longer than planned. They are not emergencies but it's simply not the best choice to keep pushing on. People who are in various states of fatigue will not regain all their energy within minutes. Pre-trip work will minimise this but they are not fool-proof and will still happen.

You won't need a solid plan B, but you will need to know how to form a plan B, or exit plan if it happens. 

If going back was too hard your exit plan might also be heading to wherever there is public transport. In this case from Grassy Hill alone, there are already multiple points of exit. When considering which route to actually take, look into your team and see how much further they can go, and weight against difficulty of the walk out. If your team is already very exhausted then pick the closest way out, but if they're still fine you can go for the one with more public transport options (in this case, Chek Nai Ping or Fo Tan).

Not all exit plans are formed when no one can go any further. You can always alter the route mid-way depending on the ability. In this case, there will be a climb to a 900m hill if they continue, and you know your team won't make it. Therefore you took an early exit down to Ng Tung Chai.

Being flexible with your plan will help you think through these unexpected scenarios. Coming up with a solid exit plan usually isn't needed and what's needed in pre-work is knowing the potential ways out. In this case, you know all the places you can divert to, and on the spot, you pick the best one and go for it.

Having a bubble

A time bubble/buffer is an extra time you plan for in case something happens. Slower than expected pace plus unexpected scenarios such as getting lost, having an exhausted member, or rough terrain will use more time than usual. 

Normally 1-2 hours of extra time will be allocated in addition to the expected trip time. This bubble should be adjusted on the trip and in case of a slower group, an extra buffer will be needed.

A bit more time also means less stress. If someone is slow you can afford to let them take their own pace, and you can also take more breaks when the exhaustion starts to kick in.

There are many ways to include a buffer (or bubble) in your trip. Get a long lunch with good views in the middle of your hike, and adjust the time of your lunch depending on the progress. Take a full break if time is good, or a shorter break to absorb some delays.

Altering plans - making the call

Trips have a time limit of when it has to be done or when the group has to get to a campsite. This is mostly at the time of sunset, but in general, these scenarios will require a decision to head back to be made.

1. Sunset is expected and the group is not prepared for a night walk. This includes not having a torch, or simply not mentally prepared for one.

2. Sunset is expected and daylight is required to return to the main track

3. Sunset is expected and daylight is required to get through a technical part of the walk, or it becomes unsafe to do some parts of the walk at night

4. We really need to catch the last bus/train

5. It is forecasted that after this time the weather will go really bad

Sun setting is not the end of the world, and a lot of things, off-tracking included, can be done in the dark. When daylight is running low it will need to be used productively, getting through the hard bits and leaving the easy bits in the dark. When planning the trip the time of sunset has to be taken into account and if daylight is relatively essential for a trip, there needs to be a rough idea of when to make the call to head back (or speed up). 

The time to make the call is usually the time needed to get back to the proper track/ time needed to end the hike, plus a time bubble of 1-2 hrs. Keeping track of the progress on the trip can help deduce this, but a lot can still be pre-planned, eg. if we don't get here at 1 pm we need to go back.

Hot weather: expect a crawling pace

It's not uncommon to see temperatures of up to 34 degrees nowadays. Long ascents can take very long under these conditions and there is simply no way to force things through.

Normally for pure steep ascents, one can do 600-800m per hour. At 30 degrees this becomes 300-500m, and at 32-33 degrees this will become 200m per hour. Summitting a 600m tall peak will therefore take 3-4 hours under this condition, triple that of the normal pace. It is normal to find yourself taking a break every 15-20m of climb, and a long break every 50m. Your body simply needs time to cool down and frequent breaks plus drinking water facilitates that.

Be realistic with your goals when you plan: On normal days you can do 20km without issue, but on a very hot day this becomes 10km.  You simply do not have the energy and water to continue further. If you wish to do long hikes, start with something simple and push yourself bit by bit. Plan more breaks, and prepare to carry large amounts of water.

Camping trip? Hit an early start. Start right after sunrise at 6 am, and most walks can be finished before the sun reaches its hottest at 12-2 pm. 

Bring enough water. People can run out of water and suffer from dehydration or even heat stroke on a hot summer day. It is completely normal to turn people away if they do not bring enough water, for their safety and the wellbeing of the group. Water is also the one thing that needs to be strictly enforced on day hikes. A general rule for how much water to bring:

1 hr hike = 500mL water

This means a 6 hr hike will require 3L water, and 8 hr hike will require 4L. Water can be heavy but is essential in hot weather. Some people consume less water, and some consume way more, so this is just a guide. It's fine to mix and match drinks- a bit of tea, juice, energy drinks, as long as the total volume reaches this required level. Remember that the amount of water to carry is proportional to the duration of the hike, not the distance.

Calculation of how much water to bring should also include the allocated time buffer. If it's a 6-hour walk plus 2 hours of buffer, take 8 hours worth of water.

Has someone run out of water, or does not have enough water to sustain the remaining hike? Call for exit plans, and prepare to end the hike.

Road types: Sealed, Unsealed, Fire trail

2WD (wheel-drive) vs 4WD: What's the difference

Never underestimate a normal city car on 2WD- they can handle way more roads than you can imagine. Many fire trails and unsealed roads are fine for 2WD vehicles and 4WD while bringing extra comfort is not essential. Only under these cases will you consider having a 4WD:

• A very rugged fire trail that is marked as a 4WD track on a map

• There has been recent rain and signages indicate that it's 4WD only

• Fire trails that very few people have been to and are overgrown 

2WD vehicles are mostly fine on fire trails to reach a campground or a carpark of a popular trailhead. Still, it'll be safe to have a backup plan, such as a 4WD where passengers can transfer onto for the rough part, or plans to walk part of the fire trail if road conditions become too bad.

Road conditions can be read from a topographic map and planned beforehand. 

Plan for longer trips: Hema maps can come in handy with surveyed roads and conditions printed. In this case, the Menindee Wilcannia Rd is unsealed and SH8 (ie. Barrier Hwy) is sealed. The new legend is different but follows a similar principle in displaying road conditions.

Now people have seen your planned hike and want to come. There are always well-experienced people and people who might still be beginners. Who's a suitable person for this trip? 

Skill Matching

As mentioned before if someone has done something similar before they will likely be fine. Look into what walks they've done and try to deduce their skill level.

Beginner and intermediate walking on well-formed tracks: Tells you the distance they can endure
Helensburgh to Otford (~15km)
Great North Walk - Cowan to Berowra (~10km)
Lyrebird Gully Circuit - Berowra Valley National Park (~12km)
Walks around 10-15km or less are classed as beginner walks.  They will usually be fine for trips with a distance of ~20-25 km but not beyond this level. For trips of 20-25 km, people will generally not need any prior experience.
Ruined Castle (~20km)
Wentworth Falls & Lincoln's Rock (~20km)
Coastal Walk Bundeena to Wattamolla (~20km)
20 km range trips are the ideal distance if one is aiming for a long walk, eg. 30 km. 

If your trip is a serious intermediate trip, involving scrambling and a bit of off-track walking, experience in 20km range trips will be essential. This ensures they have the basics and endurance before adding new items to their skill base. These techniques can be learnt while on the walk and therefore prior experience doesn't matter as much. 

However, walks with a lot of bushbashing/off-track walking will require prior experience in this field. Imagine someone who hasn't done this before and realises that they hate it- they'll be suffering on the trip. Walks in Kanangra and Barrington Tops tend to be bushbash heavy but look for how they describe, eg. bushbashing for 5km in the trip. It takes more physical strength than usual to bash through thick plants and it's a technique itself to move around this sort of terrain. 

It will be hard to see how well someone scrambles by looking into their experience. Surely there are some scrambling-heavy walks like Cradle Mountain Summit Walk in Tasmania, or some simple stream treks in Hong Kong, but scrambling technique can only be deduced by seeing one perform it themselves. Look for how their arms and legs move, how they maintain safety while on a rock, and whether they are confident. People with a lot of experience in hard trips, trips in remote terrain or overnight trips, will certainly be fine but for intermediate hikers it'll be a blind guess unless you see them performing it.

Beginner canyoning trips will require good scrambling skills. Most canyons involve scrambling over rocks in wet terrain and having a solid foundation in a dry environment will set participants well into a brand-new field. 

Let's Practice

Scenario A: Royal National Park Coastal Track, 30km.
Features: long day walk in well-paved track
Participants:
Alpha, Ruined Castle Walk 20km
Ben, Bondi to Coogee 5km
Charlie, Wentworth Falls walk 15km, also experience running long distances (50km a day)
Who will you accept? Alpha will be fine, Charlie will also be fine (despite his lack of hiking experience- you see how the skills in running long distances match with what's needed in this walk to complete a 30km walk). Ben will not be fine as he hasn't done anything similar and will likely struggle.

Scenario B: Ruined Castle > Mt Solitary and back in one day, ~25km
Features: A rocky scramble up Mt Solitary. Elevation climb of 300-500m but on a decent dirt track.
Participants:
Denise, has done Grand Canyon loop track at Blackheath 15km and some easier walks
Emily, done a day walk just to Ruined Castle 20km and climbed the ruined castle rock
Felix, has done the entire Six Foot Track in one day, 30km
All participants may in fact be fine. Emily and Felix are ideal candidates. Emily's experience is similar distance-wise and something to prove her scrambling skills. Felix only has experience in similar distances but on an easy well-paved track. He will most likely be fine given the rock scrambling bit will be easy to learn on the spot. Denise may lack experience but Grand Canyon track shows her capability in intermediate walks and handling elevation. A trip leader may take Denise giving her a chance to advance her skills, but too many people with this skill level will slow the group down.

Determining Group Size and Experience Distribution

The second main factor in deciding who to take. An easy-intermediate walk can generally accommodate 10-15 people but anything beyond that will require groups of 8 or fewer. Groups of 4 are more comfortable to lead, with 8 being generally the maximum for a walk. Groups larger than 8 will move slowly, be hard to manage and vulnerable to splitting up. Split-up groups may be lost, gone the way not originally intended, and difficult to manage.

From Scenario B we see how beginners to that difficulty can be included but too many of them will become an issue. Imagine a group of 8 where 4 with the experience of Emily and Felix and 4 with the experience of Denise. The group will move at a very slow pace and may potentially have many struggling members needing extra care. In the end, the group might have to turn back early or may end the walk a lot later than expected.

As a trip leader, you'll therefore decide that you can take beginners but not too many. Capping the number of beginners and filling the other spots with adequately experienced people ensures a smooth trip while being inclusive. For a group of 8, having 2 beginners is a good number. Some beginners will perform well yet some well-experienced people may suffer. This keeps people who may struggle to a manageable number, it's fine if 2 people are struggling but 3 or more will be a pain to manage.

People often joke about an 80% rule, if a group comes out with 80% of its members then it's a successful trip. While it's a joke that is indeed true where there wouldn't be a trip where no one struggles. If 80% of people are fine, then it's a good trip.

Overnight hikes

Other than the usual day hike skills there are two essential techniques: The ability to carry heavy weight for an extended time, and the ability to properly pack all gear into a suitable backpack. 

Every overnight hike will involve carrying an 8-10kg backpack, sometimes up to 15-20kg if it's in alpine conditions. All the usual scrambling and walking will be done with this massive load. The weight may drag you in unexpected ways and require way more strength than a usual walk.

With this massive weight comes the importance of proper gear. There needs to be a good backpack, with a hip belt and good back support for comfort, the size to carry all items, and straps adjusted to the person's height. Weight distribution needs to be done right with the heaviest item in the centre closest to the person. Lightweight gear also becomes essential with tents at 1kg per person, reducing the load to carry over long distances. 

The ability to pack things can be learnt in a non-bush setting, ie. in the city, but the skill of carrying weight will be hard to spot. Most people will require the experience of other overnight hikes, which demonstrates this skill well. Some backpacking might demonstrate this skill as well but for most people there wouldn't be a chance and will need a first overnight hike to demonstrate that.

Beginner overnight hikes will therefore focus on shorter distances of around 10-15km a day, on well-paved tracks without much steep elevation or difficult terrain. Greater focus is on carrying proper gear, as even if someone struggles a well-fitted backpack will be helpful. Once someone is used to carrying heavy weight they will be more prepared for longer or more remote overnight hikes.

10 Greatest Lies on Mountains in Hong Kong:

1. "Just around the corner" 轉個彎到:
   there's still a long way to go

2. "The hardest part is over" 最辛苦嗰段經已過咗啦:
   nah, bro, there's more coming up ahead

3. "This is easy" 好簡單啫:
   It's fking hardcore

4. "One bo'oh'o'wa'er is enough" 一枝水就夠:
   Water is very important in the mountains

5. "We still have water" 仲有水啊放心:
   This is sort of a phrase you use when you know there is no water refilling nearby but you are running out of water. If you hear this phrase on the hills it is not a good sign.

6. "I am just a newbie" 我係新手:
   Obviously, I'm not a newbie. It might be a humble way to say.

7. "We'll meet tmr at 9 am. If you are late, you pay for our breakfasts." 聽朝 9 點等，遲到請食早餐:
   Please be punctual

8. "It will be done in a short period of time" 好快得啦:
   You can never say a fixed time when you are on the mountain. Please make sure you reserve time.

9. "There's coke down there" 山腳有可樂飲:
   Sort of a boost of morale after a long/difficult/tiring journey

10. "I will never hike again" 我以後唔行山啦:
    I will definitely come back

This essentially sums up what to expect on a trip. Communicating with tripmates, checking on everyone, making sure everyone is on time, and most importantly having fun. 

Get to know everyone before the trip- it's a part of socialising and also a way to identify potential candidates for stuff-ups. Is someone saying they have just one bottle of water? Have they partied overnight? Do they feel unwell even on the train? Do they not have any food? These are signs that something needs to be done. Check on and rectify issues before you're in the middle of nowhere and it becomes too late. It's easier to send someone home at a train station than at a carpark deep in a national park, and once on the hike, it'll be hard to get them to turn back.

Coaching members through terrain

Good communication is not just about delivering what they need to know, but also not saying what they don't need to know. A bit of help can give confidence over a scramble, or getting down a steep slope, but always keep instructions to a minimum. Too many instructions can overwhelm people and shift the focus away from the terrain ahead. 

Use simple phrases, eg. Left foot here, right arm here. Comfort them that they are safe, eg. there's a good ledge you can step on. Don't forget to acknowledge their effort, having eg. nice, very good, you're doing really well in between conversations helps boost their confidence.

Having complete beginners? Teach them the principles before coaching them. A safe scramble over rock should always be done with three-point contact, ie. either 2 arms and one leg in fixed position and moving the free leg, or 1 arm and 2 legs in fixed position and moving that free arm. This gives enough redundancy in case something comes loose, as this position forms 2 sets of attachments. 四腳爬爬 is often used as the equivalent in Chinese.

Spice up your trip

Got to a place and your members still have energy for some fun? Improvise a bit and you'll always find somewhere to explore. Get people to try a rock scramble, jump into a river/creek/pool for a swim, or explore random caves. People tend to remember and love these fun bits of a walk more than a scenic lookout they saw on the way.

Managing slower members

Is someone running massively behind? It's better to split the walk into groups than to have everyone wait, if possible. In each breakout group try to allocate at least 3 members, of which one is competent in independently leading the walk (preferably a co-leader), and one is decently experienced. This gives much more flexibility in the division of labour, ie. one can focus solely on the wellbeing of the members, and in case they need someone to carry some load it can be better distributed. If this is not possible then everyone in the group must cater to the pace of the slowest member.

Most beginners, even in their worst state, can complete a walk if they are given enough time. Give them confidence and the opportunity to take a break if required, and they will make it.