Slow and fast Hikers - can they hike together?

 One of the biggest issues when hiking together with your friends is the speed. The pretty straight forward reason why we want to hike with a group is to share the experience, not be alone, and to have a great time. But what ends up happening is that the slow hikers speed up for the faster hikers, or the faster hikers slow down for the slower hikers. In the end, both isn't ideal. We are prone to injury or simply get extremely annoyed for always having to pay attention to others. This can take away from the entire experience and creates tension in the group. There are a few options that you have and a few tips I can give you to have a great group experience, even if your speed is different.

The most important thing to figure out for yourself and as a group is the question: "What do you want to get out of your hike?" If you simply want to hike for the experience, then speed does not matter. You can take your time, adjust to the slower hikers, take more rests and have fun with it. When hiking with a specific goal in mind or hiking on a unique timeline, you need to come up with a plan that fits everyone in your group. All of you need to be aware of the timeline and be committed to it. With a timeline in mind, you need to be honest with yourself. If you know someone or yourself won't make it, plan a different trip, adjust or be realistic and join at another time.

Plan together so all of you know what to expect and are on the same page. Choose a route everybody feels comfortable with. It might also be good to do a pack shake down together. Go through each other's gear and check where you can save on some weight. Especially if you have an inexperienced hiker in your group. Help them understand what they need to take.  One way to avoid a slow hiker is making sure they don't carry double the weight, simply because they don't know any better.

Find out what each other's strengths are. Maybe someone is the best cook, someone likes to get up early to make breakfast, while the other one does not mind carrying an extra 2 water bottles or tent stakes. It might also be great to have a leader. That does not mean having someone who bosses you around, but someone who knows the plan, has an overview of the trip and responsibilities in the group. Having someone who can make the tough decisions if the group cannot decide helps keep the peace. Aim for someone with the most experience and track record. Let newbies make a few safe mistakes, it helps them learn. But don't let them fail or create embarrassment. It's all about learning and gaining confidence while navigating the outdoors safely.

If you are determined to be with your friends, there is a high possibility that the original hike needs to be adjusted or changed. Walking as a team is not a solo expedition. When hiking with a group, you need to go in with a certain mindset, to adjust and take care of each other. Go on a trial hike and figure out everyone's hiking style and speed. Afterward you are able to either go along with your hike, adjust the timeline or adjust your mindset. The slower hikers might to speed up or do longer miles, but the faster hikers might need to slow down to make sure everyone feels comfortable. If you are really competitive, a group hike might not be for you. Think about an alternative. You can do your hike at the speed you want to and still have a group experience if you add them as your support crew to help you along the way. A group hike means taking care of each other and making sure everyone is safe and supported. Everybody in the group needs to step up in their own way to make this a great experience for the team.

I can't stress this enough. Communication is key. If you hike with a group, you have to communicate. I am a slow hiker myself and have made the mistake of trying to desperately catch up with my group that I rolled my ankle, stumbled blindly and gut hurt and frustrated in the process. Doing this over long periods takes away from the experience and just helps you get injured faster. For the faster hikers, it is the same thing. If you slow down for everyone, you get utterly frustrated, bored and also get injured faster. The key is communication. Let your group know if things are going too slow or too fast. Once you have communicated what you struggle with, you can sit down and find a solution that fits everyone.

Especially during the first few days or weeks, everyone needs to find their rhythm. Be patient. If you are a fast hiker, find spots where you can wait and let the others catch up. Define an end spot where everyone meets back up at the end of the day to eat and camp together. If you have a sketchy section ahead, wait up and get through it in a group. If you take a look at guided hikes, you can see that the guide normally walks last and either has a support member walk ahead or has given the leading responsibility to someone who is willing and experienced. I call it the Hiker Sandwich. That way, you make sure nobody gets left behind and are able to identify an injured hiker.

What we did while hiking the PCT

When I first took off from the monument, I realized really fast that hiking at your own speed is important to stay safe and have an enjoyable trip. If hiking for a week or two, it might now matter adjusting, but doing this over the course of 5 months it's a different story. During the first 2 weeks, I made the mistake of wanting to catch up with a few people I had just met on trail. But trying to do that, resulted in my crying on the side of the mountain, filled with pain and frustration. I learned from it and decided to hike my own hike and to now worry about a group. Soon after, I would always end up with the same people at the campsites and realized that they were faster hikers, but were doing the same amount of miles a day as I was. This, in my opinion is the key, to successfully hiking in a group. As long as the daily goal is met, you can hike as fast or slow as you want. We grew into a group and sometimes met up for a break, but always ended up meeting at the end of the day. What I loved about my tramily, is that once they came across a sketchy section, snow traverse or river crossing they waited. They simply waited. We did the part together before we would find our groove again and hike at our own speed. The only difference was the snow section. In my opinion, if you hike in the mountains, you stick together. You won't be able to hike fast anyway if the snow is high. Safety first. Help and motivate each other when hiking across mountain ranges. The closer you are, the safer you are.