Make Good Things Happen: Be A Leader

Who Needs Leaders? 

We need leaders! Every year the GLS leads 100+ official outings, each of which required two rated leaders. Next year we hope to lead even more. What kinds of trips? Two-mile park strolls (our most popular outings). Twenty-two miles Mt Whitney climbs (also popular). Backpack trips. Car camps. Griffith Park conditioning hikes. Flower walks. Moonlight hikes. The kinds of trips you would want to go on. The kinds of trips that will not t happen if there is no one to lead them.

What Are The Qualities Needed For Leadership? 

Judgment, inspiration, awareness, and current membership in the Sierra Club are the most important qualities in a leader. Fitness, gender, height, hair color, sexual orientation, income, and educational level do not matter.

Why Be A Sierra Club Leader? 

One GLS leader was recently heard to extol the benefits of leading trips: "You can go where you want, with whom you want, at the pace you want." Another once told me she was gaining leadership skills and confidence that applied to her professional life. Others have felt fulfillment from sharing the wilderness experience with others. Beyond the personal benefits of leading there are many benefits that leadership brings to others. Without leaders many people are too shy to venture into the forests or onto the mountains. Without leaders no one would know when to show up for a group activity, or where to park. Without leaders there would be no outings.

How Do I Become An Officially Rated Leader? 

It is easy to become an officially rated Sierra Club leader. There are three steps: a seminar, a First Aid/CPR class, and a provisional hike. 1. The Leadership Training Seminar is a one-day seminar generally held in the spring and fall.  The syllabus covers conservation, navigation, the outings program, problem solving, and other related topics. Make sure to sign up ahead of time. For enrollment information, visit the Leadership Training Seminar website.  An First Aid/ CPR class within the prior year is required to become a leader. You may take it in any approved class. The Angeles Chapter has recently been providing CPR classes free to leaders and provisional leaders. The final step is to lead a provisional hike. You plan and lead a hike under the supervision of an experienced leader. You will receive your rating certificate and patch as soon as the Registrar receives all the paperwork and the Safety Chair approves the application.

Can I Lead Without An Official Rating? 

There are many other ways of contributing. Anyone can organize conservation projects, educational tours, picnics, dinners, theater visits, museum trips, or political fundraisers. You do not need to be an official rating to be a true community leader. The Sierra Club and the GLS need people who can lead indoors as well as outdoors. Your leadership and participation can make the difference.