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Have you ever heard of hiking clubs for seniors before? While hiking clubs do have different meanings, a hiking club is often used to describe a group of individuals who regularly enjoy hiking, often together in groups.
Meetup is one of the best know platforms for finding hiking and backpacking groups. Many have no or minimal costs to join.
If you are an avid hiker or if you just enjoy going hiking, you may want to think about joining a hiking club. They provide a sense of community and an abundance of hikes to choose from.
As it was previously mentioned, hiking clubs are often used to describe groups of individuals who have a love for hiking. The majority of the time, you will find that hiking clubs for senior members prefer hiking together rather than hiking solo.
Hiking with other like-minded individuals is ideal for a number of different reasons.
#1 Reason To Join A Hiking Club for Seniors
- Hiking with someone that loves hiking just as much as you do can be fun and exciting.
- It is also important to mention safety. You can read more about senior hiking safety here. Most importantly, when you hike with multiple individuals, especially experienced hikers, you are not alone.
- You are less likely to have an accident or find yourself in a dangerous situation.
#2 Reason To Join A Hiking Club for Seniors
In addition to going on traditional hikes with each other, there are many members who like to travel to distant locations. Not all hiking trails or national parks and forests are located near your home. Many times, these types of trips require car camping, backpacking, or staying overnight at a hotel.
One of the many reasons why these types of long-distance hiking trips are done through clubs is because group members can split the costs
What does this mean for you? It means that if you like hiking and backpacking adventures that are not in your immediate neck of the woods, but you don’t have friends or family members who would like to tag along with you, you may want to think about joining a hiking group.
#3 Reason to Join a Hiking Club for Seniors
It is important to remember that not all hiking clubs are the same.
There are some groups where members only meet up for hiking adventures. But then there are groups that provide much more.
For instance, there are clubs that have monthly or even weekly meetings. These meetings are often used to plan hiking trips, discuss the latest hiking gear, and so forth.
There are also groups that use fundraisers, like car washes or barbeques, to help pay for their member’s hiking adventures. In all honesty, you will find that the benefits all depend on the hiking club that you choose to join.
Speaking of choosing an outdoor club, there are a number of important factors that you should take into consideration.
For example, you will find that many charge their members small monthly or yearly fees. You will want to find a group that is easily affordable for you.
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You may also want to take your schedule into consideration as well. Do you have time to attend all the monthly or even weekly meetings?
If your hiking club schedules meetings periodically, that may be a condition of belonging to the group, not just attending the scheduled hikes and backpacking trips. This will help you grow comfortable with those that you will hike with and visa versa.
Final Word
If you would like to join a hiking club for seniors, you want to first try and see if there are any local groups in your area. Depending on where you live, there is a good chance one already exists.
You may have a local meet-up or even a number of them to choose from. You can usually find information on local hiking clubs by using the internet or by asking those that you know for recommendations.
If you are still coming up empty-handed, you may want to think about asking hikers at local trailheads if they know of any groups in the area. Most importantly, hikers are a friendly group of people and will point you in the right direction.
As you can see, hiking clubs are a fun way to share your love for hiking with others who feel the same way as you do.
Although there is a good chance that you will be able to find a group near you to join, you can also always start your own. The Meetup app is user-friendly and very affordable. It provides a valuable service for those wanting to form groups.
