About The Anchorage Adventurers Meetup Group

Welcome to the
Anchorage Adventurers MeetUp

There are a lot of different outdoor groups, clubs and organizations in Anchorage. Anchorage Adventurers is not a group per se. As such, it does not intend to 'compete' with clubs and special interest groups for 'members.'

This MeetUp is a resource: a web site, message board, list server. It is a way to help people make connections. MeetUps create a way to enhance opportunities for people: locals and visitors, singles and families, young and not so young, to meet to share interests and time while enjoying 'the great wild life' together.

The Adventurers MeetUp Mission is to get outdoor enthusiasts together for the purposes of:

- experiencing local, regional and far away fun hikes and other outdoor activities at all skill levels,
- learning tips, tricks and techniques for safe and comfortable outdoor adventuring
- networking with the group and its members to expand and enrich your sphere of partners for outdoor adventures
- enhance your outdoor experience while living in or visiting Alaska

This is all done with the purpose of enjoying all that nature provides while meeting other outdoor enthusiasts and staying fit and healthy.

Why become a part of the Adventurers MeetUp:

Getting outdoors with this MeetUp group is a great way to get introduced to hiking and other general and Alaska-specific outdoor adventures. As a group member, you will benefit from the experience, motivation, and support of many other people. The group will introduce you to local hiking, biking, kayaking and other outdoor venues and in some cases places to adventure far beyond our own backyards. With over 450 members signed on in our first 4 months as a group, the Adventurers is a terrific way to meet new outing buddies who hike, bike or otherwise exercise outdoors at your level and speed. Most importantly, because we do a variety of outings each week, you will have the opportunity to work your way into better physical and mental shape prior to going out on your next extended adventure.

Who Should Join:

The group is for everybody. We welcome outdoor enthusiasts of all abilities and experience levels. We encourage both the new and experienced, the young and old, the slow and fast to get off the couch and to take a hike or become an active part of our many other adventures each week. This group works because on any outing you will find someone that matches your fitness level, your hiking speed, and your personality. However, you should be willing to make a commitment to push yourself to meet or exceed what you have accomplished outdoors before. While there is no requirement and certainly no pressure to participate, we do encourage those who join to commit to at least 6 outings per year; consistency yields both health dividends and experience.

Who Should Not Join:

While everybody is welcome, this group may not be for everybody. If you don't like laughing, sweating, pushing yourself, climbing hills, getting dirty, hanging out in the wilderness with the bears, bugs, and moose, and/or experiencing mild levels of exhaustion at the end of an outing then this group might not be for you. If you don't like climbing hills on foot or bike or paddling that last mile in a sea kayak, or if you are not ready to push yourself a little bit more, there are plenty of other highly recommended groups available in the MeetUp system that are more likely to fit your style. By becoming a member of the Adventurers MeetUp we like to think you have made a commitment to challenge yourself and exceed your comfort zone and as we get to know you, those are expectations we will have of you, just like we have of ourselves.

Out of shape? Slow? New to hiking, biking, kayaking or other pursuits?:

We have many members so there will likely be somebody walking or pedaling or paddling at your pace and your speed. This particular MeetUp group welcomes all types, especially those who are new to the Alaska outdoors or who have limited experience. However, we do expect you (1) to know or quickly define your limits, (2) to know the rating system the group has published for the activity you are attempting, (3) ask questions and inform the group before the event begins about your experience, ability and motivation, and (4) always practice judgment that balances your desire with the safety of both you and the group as a whole. We encourage you to bring an ?outing buddy? who shares your motivation and fitness level. We do care about you, but we don't want to sacrifice our hike, bike ride or kayak trip to make sure that you are keeping up. If you find that this group?s activities consistently exceed the commitment you are willing to make for your own effort and improvement, we encourage you to try one of the other local outdoor groups on meetup.com or one of the many local outdoor clubs.

Distances/Pacing:

Terrain and conditions can vary significantly on a hike or bike ride or paddle adventure. However, our members find that they can join in on an event that is appropriate to their fitness and commitment level. If we were to make a generalization on speed and endurance for Adventurers activities it might be that we hike about 2 ? 2.5 (or a few of us 3 ? 3+) miles per hour. Because of the steep nature of the glacially carved and deposited terrain all around us we can also say that we will be gaining at the bare minimum, 500? of elevation on any hike or bike ride. Even a typical hiking or biking location like Kincaid Park or Johnson Trail (along Turnagain Arm) goes up and down so much that it would be rare on a 2-hour outing here to not cover at least 500-1000? of elevation gain and loss. If your idea of a hike is from the car to the office in mid-town or around one of the local off-leash dog parks, ramp up the activity level and come out with us; but, realize it takes a while and a serious commitment on your part to build aerobic and muscle fitness.

New Members:

To be an active MeetUp Adventurer, simply fill out a Profile. Here are a few tips for filling out your profile:

1) Do not include any personal information on the Member page (ie phone number or e-mail addresses) Our pages are not private, thus, your profile information will be visible to everyone including programs designed to capture e-mail addresses for spammers.

2) You may or may not choose to list your last name. It is helpful if you use at least a last-name-initial so we can tell the difference between Bob S. and Bob T. If you wish to change your "name" click on account (on the right upper corner) and you can edit your name at any time. We frown on using aliases (ie anything but your real name that your family, friends and co-workers use for you) because it makes it REALLY difficult to get to know you.

3) While your picture is not mandatory, it is requested. This is one of the ways we can more quickly and personally get to know the other folks we have said we want to go outdoors with. If for some reason you just cannot or will not put up a personal photo, please at least put up an image of something that reflects your interests and/ or your personality. We are a close knit group and request that you *please post your picture* so that we can put a face with a name. None of us want to go hiking or backpacking or kayaking with strangers or weirdos. We assume that if you don't have your visible picture posted in 'bright light' then you might have something to hide. If you do not have a photo, ask someone on the first outing you participate in to be sure they take a few ?good? pictures of you. And, if you need help getting a picture onto the website, just ask one of the people you meet in the group or any of the Assistant Organizers (their names are on the Welcome page). Any of them would be able and happy to help you.

4) We kindly REQUEST that you fill out each profile question. If you have an incomplete profile (ie unanswered questions or one word answers), your request may be banished by the Adventurers powers that be. After all, if you aren't willing to spend the time and put some thought into completing a 2 minute profile, you are probably a MINO (member in name only; aka "not an active member"). Also, if you do not use a real name ? usually the name your family, friends and co-workers call you (usually) ? we may warn you to replace the screen name or alias with a real name or banish you from our MeetUp site.

When Do We Meet:

We have a get together the first Monday evening of each month (except when there is a conflicting holiday Monday, like in September, when the MeetUp will be the second Monday of the month). That gathering is typically pretty low key with lots of time to get to know other MeetUp members. We have been trying to rotate these to various city parks and recreation locations such as Kincaid, Russian Jack and Hillside Chalets/ trail systems; to Beach Lake (Chugiak), Bartlett (Muldoon area), Ruth Arcand (Abbott Loop area of Anchorage) and eventually other quick and easy locations so we can encourage lots of members to come out and introduce themselves to each other and to the variety of outdoor resources and opportunities that abound in our community.

Many of the Adventurer activities and events are scheduled based by a member contacting an organizer with a request to post an event to the calendar. There are a few ?regular? activities such as the Tuesday night ?Heart ?n Lung? hikes and the ?First Sunday? hike series but for the most part activities are all over the calendar. Please note that no organizer will post an event for a member who does not have a picture, profile and real name attached.

If you want to initiate an activity you can; you might say that the MeetUp is a democratic institution in that way. All can and are encouraged to be ACTIVE participants AND initiators. You need not be an ?expert? to say ?I would like to go to ?..? and by posting it as an event on the calendar, inviting others to join you. If you have not been there before, you can let that be known when you submit the activity and have it referred to as ?an exploratory?, thus making it clear that the view around the next bend will be just as new to you as to every other member who RSVPs ?YES? and participates in the outing.

We typically announce a MeetUp time then plan to depart no more than 15 minutes after that stated time. Pay attention when you read event announcements to note if the posted times are to meet at the event location or at a carpooling location. We can and do wait 15 minutes, any more than that and one person?s tardiness is cutting into everyone else?s recreation and adventure time.

We are an informal bunch of folks getting to together to share our interests and love of the outdoors. We do our best to do things safely and within reasonable limits. Each person needs to take responsibility for their own participation and for their own actions when they do participate in MeetUp activities.

About RSVP'ing:

OK, now that you are a member of Alaska?s largest and most active Adventure MeetUp group, what now? Events are posted on the Calendar and occasionally on the Message Board. There is no obligation to attend every event. There is also less urgency to RSVP 'No' if you will NOT make the event; however, if you RSVP 'YES', we will be looking for you. Whether you RSVP with a YES, Maybe, or No, a short note in the little message box helps the organizer and others know your intentions or motivations. Or you may add some little tip you have to share about the outing in that message box. Please make it a habit to use the RSVP function and the little RSVP message box. If you are looking for a ride to an event that is the place to say ?Need a ride, willing to help pay for gas. Here is my cell phone #.?

If you sign up for a hike or other outing and can't make it, EVEN AT THE LAST MINUTE, please change your RSVP or call the organizer. If you RSVP YES, we will be looking for you.
That being said, BE EARLY to the meeting place rather than late

About Departure Times:

Please show up 5-15 minutes *early* to events. If you have not been to the MeetUp area before assume that you will get lost; in which case, plan on being 30 minutes early. If you are not very good with directions request the organizer's cell phone number. NOTE: The organizer will leave no more than 15 minutes after the posted start time. If you are the "fashionably late" type, the group may have departed.

We try to encourage carpooling when and where we can. However, before piling in with others, discuss what your plans will be for the event. On many of our hikes for example, participants turn back at different times and locations. If you have not talked out your plans with others who may be in the car, there may be a day, or a cold dark evening, that someone gets left behind without a ride. So, please talk, plan, and act accordingly.

Where Do We Meet:

We have hikes and other activities scheduled at various Anchorage, Eagle River and Mat-Su Valley area locations. These locations may include Kincaid, Bicentennial, Russian Jack Parks and various greenbelts to name a few of the Anchorage in-town locations. We have many events in the Chugach State Park and have been going more and more to the Hatcher Pass area beyond Wasilla and Palmer. Make sure that you double check the locations because start points or carpool points will vary from event to event and organizer to organizer. Be sure to call or e-mail (early) the organizer if you are unclear about a meeting location.

What about Fees:

As an unincorporated, informal group we do not have any defined dues or membership fees. If you like being part of the Adventurers MeetUp and participating in our activities your voluntary contribution is requested. No one personally benefits from any contributions members make. We have operating costs, which while not high, do include the cost of maintaining the web site (paid to Meetup.com) and the cost of promotional materials like ink and paper for fliers and postcards. We certainly will accept any donations but we are OK if you just want to participate! After all, we are doing this because we love the outdoors (and/or we hate life?s' little cubicles) and are passionate about sharing this with the community.

If we collect enough $$$ we would like to use some as a fund to cover the cost of cabin reservations One of the group goals is to have an ?event? every month of the year at a public use cabin. Right now a member makes that reservation and it is their money holding that reservation until members who use the cabin pay them back. We would like the MeetUp group to have a little fund that could pay for those reservations upfront, to be paid back by the members who go on the outing and use the cabin.

A few dollars here and there contributed by each participant is the way some MeetUps handle this. Others just ask for a $25 contribution one time a year or one time forever. If you are willing to part with a few $$$ to help keep this group going strong, your generosity will be gladly accepted in any of these forms.

About the Leaders:

These are leader-less hikes and other activities! We are not guides and we don't lead the hikes, bike rides, family outings, kayak trips or other events per se. We don't have anyone who is wilderness-certified and most of us don't know basic first aid or have map skills that we can depend on. Because we are just a group of outdoor enthusiast that meet-up, which means that you want to control your own pace, choose your own route, pick where to eat and when to turn around.

If you don't like a posted activity, organize your own and submit your event information to any of the Assistant Organizers. We will post almost anything that is fitness (cardio) or outdoor adventure related. Members have generated trail runs, marathon participation, family & kids outings, bike rides on paved trails and bike rides over mountain passes, hikes and backpack trips, sea kayaking and lake kayaking and Inflatable Kayaking (IK) on rivers, geocaching, photography, berry picking, bike to dine (and wine) and more. There have been suggestions that have not yet resulted in outings but might for: horseback riding, sailing, packrafting, fly-in basecamp mountain adventures.

The outdoors and your willingness to say; lets go do ....... is the only limiting element on what the Anchorage Adventures might choose to do for outdoor adventures.

About Posting a Hike or Other Activity:

Meet-up only allows us a limited number of assistant organizers. Therefore we save these slots for the most active leaders of various events. Anyone can post an event by going through one of the assistant organizers. However, we will stop posting your events if (1) the safety of others are put at risk on your hikes, (b) the ratings come in low, and/or, (c) if we get negative feedback on the activities Otherwise, we encourage you to become suggest and motivate event on the MeetUp calendar.

When you want to post an activity, contact an assistant organizer (AO). Use the on-line template we have for outing information (to be posted on the web site in late August). Complete all areas of the template. If the AO asks for more information, provide it. They are doing their best to make the MeetUp group work seamlessly for all of us. AOs will usually post what you submit. They do not have time to reformat, second guess or otherwise fill-in the blanks if you do not use the submission template.

In order for us to post an event for you we also require that you have a complete Profile on the Members page. People want to know who they are going outdoors with. And, we expect you to respond to the e-mail you?ll receive after the event asking if you participated and asking for you to post comments and photos from the event. As an event organizer we think it is your responsibility to post your own comments and photos if you?ve taken any and to encourage every other participant to post comments and photos too. We post a lot of photos from our events and we have yet to find a limit to the number of photos that may be posted from an activity.

Risks and Disclaimers:

When you sign up for MeetUp.com, all members of MeetUp must agree to their Terms of Service . Section 5.2 specifically releases the Organizer and Assistant Organizers from any liability related to incidents that occur at MeetUp gatherings. However, just to make sure, I am adding a short statement here to which your membership must be an implied agreement to: Waiver of Liability.

> BY SUBMITTING YOUR PROFILE, OR EVEN SO MUCH AS REGISTERING YOURSELF ON THE ANCHORAGE ADVENTURERS MEETUP WEBSITE, YOU ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOURSELF.

> IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE ABOVE STATEMENT, PLEASE RESIGN AS A MEMBER.

Wild Animals:

There are brown and black bears, moose, wolverines, lynx, porcupines and other animals in the local hills and mountains and they may cause people bodily harm. We try and avoid them, at all costs. The Organizers and Assistant Organizers have no control over wildlife.

The Other Type of Wild Animals: Harassment Notice

The Anchorage Adventurers MeetUp is an outing facilitator only and therefore does not tolerate or condone harassment in any form including unwelcome advances, verbal kidding, sexual harassment, etc. Please notify an organizer if you feel that you are being harassed and the offender will be removed from the MeetUp member roster.

Comments:

This sounds great... but I have suggestions/feedback... what do I do? If you have constructive feedback, feel free to write the organizer at any time! If you just want to complain for no reason, we request that you find a psychologist. One can be recommended if you do not already have one.

Summary:

Clubs and groups can have distinct personalities; some are laid back, some are more aggressive, some are younger, some are older. We have many members so likely there will be somebody participating at your pace and your speed on any given activity. However, not everybody is a PLU ("people like us"), therefore the organizers reserve the right to give you the old eight-ball (i.e. kick you out). If you have a bad experience with a member or a hike leader, please let me know.

The organizers are just volunteers. Do not expect more of them than you would expect to give if you were an organizer of this group or any other group in which you have voluntary membership. And, when you see them, thank the AOs for the time and effort they give in making the Adventurers MeetUp group the rousing success it has been in it?s formative months.

Everyone is welcome to be an active part of the Anchorage Adventurers MeetUp. Let's see, experience and enjoy the outdoor pleasures of Alaska together with friends, old and new.

Doug Van Etten
Adventurers MeetUp organizer
907-244-6610