APPLICATION TO LEAD AN AMC MAJOR EXCURSION
(Use the F1 key to summon help for most fields)
(Forms and General Information: http://snebulos.mit.edu/orgs/amc/ )
1.
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
SUMMARY INFORMATION
Trip Title:
Death Valley and the Mountains of Western Nevada
Leader:
Carl Rosenthal
Co-Leader(s):
Dave Langley
Dates:
April 15-23, 2006
Total # of days: 9
Type of Trip:
Day-hiking
F) Participants: (not counting leaders) Minimum:
16
10
Maximum:
G) Advertised Cost: $1,500.
2. TRIP DETAILS
A) Executive Summary: Day-hiking in the canyons and mountains within Death Valley
National Park. (http://www.death.valley.national-park.com/info.htm#size) and Spring
Mountain National Recreation Area (http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/htnf/districts/smnra.shtml).
Climb spectacular high peaks. Enjoy desert wildflowers at their peak. Visit and stay in
historic desert and mining towns of eastern California and western Nevada (e.g., Furnace
Creek, Stovepipe Wells, Las Vegas). Fly to and from Las Vegas, NV.
B) Accommodations: Please describe your plans for accommodation(s).
Stay in motels
C) Meals: Please describe your plans for meals.
Group dinners included.
D) Permits: Does the trip require special permits (required on all U.S. federal lands
No
E) Equipment: Does the trip require special/technical equipment? Yes
Participants will need to bring crampons and an ice ax for safe travel on possible
late-season snowpack. Trip leaders will provide basic orientation and training regarding
proper snow-hiking technique
F) Pre-trip activities: Do you plan to get your group together before the major excursion for
an activity or social event?
No
G) Conservation/Education/Recreation:: Given that the AMC Mission Statement is as follows
G) Founded in 1876, the Appalachian Mountain Club is America's oldest conservation and recreation
organization. We promote the protection, enjoyment, and wise use of the mountains, rivers, and trails
of the Appalachian region. We believe that the mountains and rivers have an intrinsic worth and also
provide recreational opportunity, spiritual renewal, and ecological and economic health for the
region. We encourage people to enjoy and appreciate the natural world because we believe that
successful conservation depends on this experience. We fulfill our mission through the three
interconnecting pillars of the AMC: conservation, education, and recreation
G) How will this major excursion meet this mission of conservation, education, and recreation?
For examples, please see <http://snebulos.mit.edu/orgs/amc/mission/>
Education: geology, birds, wild flowers, western mountain animals, high-mountain terrain,
acclimatization & altitude safety, historic sites. Recreation: hiking
H) Outfitters: Will this trip require an outfitter?
No
Name: <If YES provide outfitter's name>
Safety record: <Provide information about their safety record>
Liability insurance: <Provide information about the oufitter's liability insurance>
Emergency response: <Describe the outfitters SOP in case of emergencies>
3. LEADER INFORMATION
A) Contact Information:
Leader:
Carl Rosenthal
58 Overlook Drive
Center Conway, NH 03813
(home) 603-447-1858
(work) n.a.
(e-mail) crosenthal789@msn.com
Co-Leader:
Dave Langley
P. O. Box 1044
Windham, ME
(home) 207-892-7391
(work) n. a.
(e-mail) dlangleys@aol.com
B) First Aid Training
C) To lead a Major Excursion, you must have current CPR and Wilderness First Aid (WFA) or
its equivalent at the time of your trip.
Leader:
CPR: 2/2007
WFA: 11/7/06
Other: <Describe course; expiration date>
Co-Leader:
CPR: <Expiration Date>
WFA: 5/07
Other: <Describe course; expiration date>
If CPR and/or WFA certifications will expire before your trip starts, describe your plans
for re-certification:
<Plans for re-certification prior to start of trip, if required>
C) Leader Experience and Training
New Leaders: If you are a new leader or co-leader, you must have submitted the form
“Application to Become a Major Excursions Leader”.
Experienced Major Excursions Leaders: Please list below the last three trips you have led
for the AMC including destination, type of trip (backpacking, skiing, etc.), dates, and number
of participants. Feel free to list additional trips you have led, particularly if they
demonstrate experience related to the trip you are proposing.
1. Washington state, 8/04, 18 participants
2. New Mexico, 6/04, 18 participants
3. West Texas & SE New Mexico, 4/04, 18 participants
Others: Many
D) Scouting: Have you or your co-leader led this trip before or traveled in the area? Yes
Co-leader has hiked all of the mountains and canyons included in this Excursion.
E) Special Experience: Are any special skills or experience on the part of the participants
required? No
F) Couples: Do the Leader and Co-leader have a significant personal relationship?
<If "Yes" please detail plans if one party cannot go>
No
4. RISK ASSESSMENT
Please assess the risks/hazards of your trip. Carefully consider each area of risk and how it
may affect your trip with specific potential hazards. Then, devise a plan to attempt to
prevent each hazard and to respond to it if it becomes necessary.
A) Climate/Terrain
Potential Hazards: Hyperthermia, sunburn, hypothermia, altitude sickness, possible hiking on
crusty snow
Response:
See participants drink water, apply sunburn lotion, lip balm, carry
adequate clothing, ascend at slower pace, descend in the event of altitude
sickness, bring crampons and ice ax
A) Foreign Countries
Potential Hazards: <Political concerns, crime, language translation.>
Response:
<Prevention or response to identified risks>
A) Transportation
Potential Hazards: Car rental
Response:
Purchase loss damage waiver insurance
A) Participants
Potential Hazards:
Response:
Experienced hikers in good physical condition, ask participants to
contribute to the group having a good time in a safe environment
A) Other
Potential Hazards: <Conditions unique to this trip>
Response:
<Prevention or response to identified risks>
F)
5. EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN
Please describe your plans for dealing with emergencies. Please use as much detail as
possible and attach additional sheets if necessary.
F) Emergency Communication
Will be hiking in a National Park and a National Recreation Area, will manage any accident
scene, get help from Forest Service Rangers on trail or at Visitor Centers or local rescue service.
A) Evacuation
<out of backcountry location, out of foreign country>
A) Medical Care
Southern Inyo Hospital 501 E Locust St, Lone Pine, CA 760-876-5501
Lake Mead Hospital Medical Center 1409 E Lake Mead Blvd, North Las Vegas, NV
702-649-7711
Before you leave for you trip, you will need to provide a list of participants and their
emergency contacts in case something happens to someone in the field as well as an itinerary
with phone numbers (where available) in case something happens at home.
6. COST INFORMATION
I) What deposits are will be required from airlines, hotels, outfitters, etc. (and when):
J) <List major service providers with their deposit rules>
K) What is the latest date for you to cancel and get a full refund? :
<Cancellation date>
L) What is the value of the deposit you will require of the participants?
$ 600
M) What will be your cancellation policy for the participants?
The AMC cancellation policy is based on the simple precept that your cancellation shall not raise
the cost of the trip to any of the participants or the leaders. Therefore, if you cancel, your refund
will be all that you have paid, less expenses already incurred and future expenses which can not
be avoided. If you cancel and the trip still fully books, then your fees will be refunded in full
with the exception that, after airline tickets have been purchased, you own the tickets and that
part of the fee cannot be refunded.
G)
H) Will trip run if minimum participant count not met? No
<If "Yes" describe conditions>
7. PRIVATE TRIPS
G) Are you currently (up to and including the time frame of this proposed trip) leading trips that
are “private,” i.e. not sponsored by the AMC? No
8. AMC OUTDOORS INFORMATION
Please see <http://snebulos.mit.edu/orgs/amc/info/Trip_Notice_Rules.html> for the current rules
and schedule for submitting notices for AMC Outdoors. E-mail both the long (150 words
maximum) and short form (50 word maximum) trip announcements to goeke@space.mit.edu ,
preferably in plain text format, at the same time you submit the trip application. Although the
trip notices travel a different route to the Committee, it helps to have the notices on the web site
when the trip is reviewed.
It your trip notice is somewhat preliminary at this time, that’s OK. You have plenty of
opportunity to change it before the publication deadline. If you don’t want to have the first
(long) notice appear at the normal time – see the above referenced rules – include your special
request in the body of the e-mail containing the trip notices.
After you trip is approved, please check your trip announcements as posted on the Major
Excursions web site: http://snebulos.mit.edu/orgs/amc/ ; we cut-and-paste directly from this site
to AMC Outdoors !
9. TRIP PROPOSAL AND APPROVAL PROCESS
Trips cannot come before the Major Excursions Committee for approval unless the application is
completed and received two weeks prior to MEC meetings for review. The ME Leader’s web site
has the Handbook and all required forms: http://snebulos.mit.edu/orgs/amc/handbook/ . As a
minimum we need:
 This application form
 A detailed trip budget/costing form
In addition the following are helpful during the review process, but need only be submitted after
your proposal is accepted:
 50 and 150 word notices for AMC Outdoors
 Trip prospectus – without application forms
Finally, we need to have on file at Joy Street (again, after proposal acceptance)
 A filled out Confidential Medical Form for leader and co-leader
 Copies of first aid certifications for leader and co-leader
We will accept snail mail applications, but electronic forms are preferred. Please save and
forward your electronic documents with the following naming convention:
Leader’s Last Name, Trip destination, Trip Activity (if applicable), Trip Start date.
For example: Zukroff-New-Zealand-Hiking-12-03-Application.doc
Email should be sent to both of the following two addresses:
Stacia Zukroff, Major Excursions Committee Chair at mecchair@amcboston.org
Heidi Reilly, AMC Travel Programs Coordinator at hreilly@amcinfo.org
Or, if you unable to send electronically, please mail a single hard copy to:
Heidi Reilly, Appalachian Mountain Club
Five Joy Street, Boston, MA 02108
617-523-0655, x356 (voice) 617-367-8878 (FAX)
10. CONCLUSION
By turning in this proposal, you are agreeing to the following:
I have read the Major Excursions Leader Handbook and I agree to follow all policies and
procedures of the Major Excursions Committee and the Appalachian Mountain Club in
preparing for and conducting my major excursion.
Questions? Contact Stacia Zukroff at mecchair@amcboston.org or 781-648-5503. She can
put you in touch with an experienced MEC mentor who can help you with trip planning.