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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Who and What Are the Obsidians? How Were
the Scheduled Hikes Selected? What
Clothing and Equipment are Required? What
About the Weather….Will it Rain?
How Do We Sign
Up for the Hikes? What Happens After
We Sign Up? What If I Have
More Questions?
Who and What Are the Obsidians? We are an 80-year-old, Eugene-based organization -- the area’s
oldest and largest outdoor activities club.
Our almost 600 members enjoy a wide variety of activities – including
hiking, climbing, bicycling, backpacking, camping, bus excursions, snowshoeing
and cross country and downhill skiing.
Each year, we schedule more than 200 member-led summer trips on coastal,
mountain and urban trails. For a complete look at our organization and our
activities, see www.obsidians.org
(or click on “Home” at bottom of this page).
Obsidians, Inc., is an entirely volunteer run non-profit organization.
How Were the Scheduled Hikes Selected? All of the hikes offered were selected on the bases of their year-after-year popularity with our own hiking members; their consistency in providing enriching outdoor experiences; their scenic beauty; their representation of the natural wonders available in Oregon; and their easy-to-moderate hiking requirements. By checking out the hikes in the “Reports” section on the obsidians.org home page, you can see what previous hikers experienced on these trips.
Most of our out-of-town hikes are in the 4-6 mile range and are rated “Easy” or “Moderate.” Generally speaking, “Easy” hikes are 5 miles or less and less than 1,000 feet elevation gain. “Moderate” hikes can go up to 10 miles and 2,500 feet elevation gain, but none of the hikes being offered are that demanding. Anyone in good health and reasonably fit shape should have no problem with the hikes being offered. If you are an experienced hiker in excellent physical condition and are seeking more demanding outings, let us know. In addition to our Olympic Trials hikes for visitors, our members will also be enjoying their regular summer trips. If a more rigorous hike happens to be scheduled during your visit, we’ll put you in touch with the trip leader and, if there is room on the sign-up list, you’ll be more than welcome to join the group. Urban hikes tend to be in the 3-5 mile range, with highest points in the Eugene area around 1,200 ft. These hikes will conclude before lunch, giving you plenty of time to get to the Trials.
What Clothing and Equipment are Required? For all out-of-town trips, each hiker should have a day-pack large enough to hold appropriate extra clothing (to put on or take off), lunch, water, snack, sun screen, mosquito repellent, first aid items, etc. Other items often included in what are called the “10 Essentials” may include a pocket knife, compass, whistle, etc. Your trip leader (and other Obsidians who may be hiking with you) will probably have necessary emergency items. All trip leaders carry Obsidian first aid kits. In terms of clothing, synthetics and micro-fibers are greatly preferred over cotton, which stays wet when it gets wet. Jeans, t-shirts and sweatshirts are probably going to be OK for most of the offered hikes…unless you get caught in a heavy downpour (this is Oregon, after all!). Good hiking shoes or boots are recommended…and, on some hikes, may be required (no sandals, flip-flops, open toes, etc.). Also recommended are hats, walking sticks (if you have them), sunglasses and something to sit on at lunchtime (even a plastic trash bag will keep your rear end dry). You might also consider an extra pair of shoes and socks to change into after the hike (you can leave them in the car trunk). On the urban hikes you won’t need to carry so much. A fanny pack big enough for a snack and a few other essentials will suffice. We always recommend carrying water. For hikes on sidewalk, comfortable walking shoes will do; for the Ridgeline Trails, hiking shoes/boots may be advisable.
What About the Weather….Will it Rain?
Summer usually arrives around July 4th. Until it does, anything can happen! We always go on our hikes prepared for cold, rainy weather…and hope for warm, dry, sunny days. You can’t count on the weather forecasters. Nor can you count on the weather where you’re heading being like the weather in the Willamette Valley. The coast or Cascades can be quite different. Take layers of clothing so you can quickly adjust to conditions. Your trip leader will be able to better advise you about what to take on your particular hike.
How Do We
Sign Up for the Hikes? All registration is done online. Check the online schedule, click on the Registration button and a sign-up page will open. Fill out all the information requested on that page and click “Submit.”
What Happens After We Sign Up? Your registration information will be passed along to the appropriate trip leader(s), who will be in contact with you via email to welcome you aboard and answer any other questions you might have. He/she will reconfirm the time and place to meet for the trip (and how to get there from wherever you might be staying in the area). Trip leaders want you to have a safe, rewarding and stress-free experience…so don’t hesitate to discuss your concerns with them. That depends on their ages and the difficulty of the hike. As a general rule, younger children may have problems maintaining the group’s pace, the hike’s distance or steepness (or pose other problems that could detract from a positive group experience). Minimum ages are 6-years-old for urban hikes, 10-years-old for out-of-town hikes. All minors must be accompanied by responsible adults.
The nonmember fee for all trips is $5 per person (no charge for those 18-years-old or younger), payable to the trip leader prior to departure. All participants are encouraged to share carpooling expenses with drivers upon return (the suggested rate adopted by the Obsidians is a modest 7 cents per mile). There will be no carpooling costs for the urban trips, even if cars are used, since the distances will be so minor.
Other than occasional bumps and bruises caused by simple stumbles, serious injuries are extremely rare. For the most part, the selected hikes have safe, easy trails and our experienced trip leaders take every precaution to protect the safety of their groups. All participants are expected to follow their leaders’ directions at all times. And, it should be noted, that the leader can refuse to take anyone on the trip he/she deems to be unfit, unprepared or in any way unsuited for the trip…with no explanation required. The first and primary concern of the leader is the safety of his/her group. As mentioned above, the leader carries a basic first aid kit and has established procedures for dealing with all types of incidents. Due diligence, however, requires that, in addition to signing up online, all participants will sign a hard copy of the release form before leaving on their trips.
The number of people who can go on any hike is strictly controlled. If you have to cancel, please email your leader as soon as possible so that someone on the waiting list can take your place. Although trips are rarely cancelled because of weather, they can be affected by road closures, forest fires, landslides or downed trees blocking trails. If a trip has to be changed, it will be replaced by a comparable hike. If circumstances force your trip leader to cancel out, an equally capable Obsidian will take his/her place.
What If I Have More
Questions? Email any other general questions you might have to otrials@obsidians.org. After registration, your trip leader will give you his/her email address and be happy to answer any questions you might have about the particular trip. |
Obsidians, Inc. and otrials@obsidians.org are not affiliated with USOC, USATF or EugeneO8
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Updated 21 Mar 2008
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