Denver Evening Hikes

Updated 10/18/24:
If you’re not a fan of early wake up calls, this group is for you!!

10/18/24 UPDATE: The group’s cash ledger is here for transparency. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-sIRwkrQsShvnhvhy-sb61_SLzAPZgIbrvIdlPW37Xs/edit

It costs money to have a Meetup Organizer subscription! Contributions to chip in are greatly appreciated. The organizer will update the Pledge amount to make it reflect the total amount needed to bring the group current. The Pledge amount shown is the lifetime costs of subscriptions minus the Venmo donations (Venmo donations shown on the spreadsheet for transparency). This will reflect the actual amount of Pledge donations needed, since Venmo isn’t accounted for in Pledge (just Pledge donations). When the subscription renews on 10/30/24, our lifetime Pledge amount is $588.61 (the Venmo donations have been subtracted from the total cost to show this Pledge amount).

➡️ This is a laidback hiking group that is SLOW HIKER friendly. Hikes are started as a group & we finish them as a group. We wait for each other. You will be removed if you do not respect this.
➡️ While we normally do not leave anyone behind, I respectfully ask that you only join hikes if you have a similar pace to the group organizer (~30 minute miles for easy trails, ~45-50 minute miles for hard trails). If you are behind the last hiker & have difficulty remaining within eyesight of them, please be prepared to finish the hike solo as we will not be able to wait for a last hiker if they are too far behind. Please also drive solo versus carpooling if hiking paces are not similar. Times for hikes are estimated with plenty of breaks & a slower pace already accounted for - keeping to this pace helps respect everyone’s time.
➡️ Yes, it says Evening! The group has evolved to include many start times, usually not before 8am but there are exceptions where we wake up very early!
➡️ Hikes/walks are 2-10 miles within 3 hours of Denver, with some overnight trips planned in Colorado or neighboring states.
😋 We rarely make reservations for eating after hikes. This means we need to be flexible if a restaurant can’t accommodate us. We usually just choose another place to eat in this case.
➡️Harassment of any form is not allowed. You will be removed if you violate this.
➡️Do not talk about politics, religion, vaccination or any other hot topics. If you discuss something of this nature during a group event (including carpooling), it needs to be surface level & you can’t allow it to escalate.
➡️All are welcome here, as long as you are respectful.
📖 ACTIVE vs NEW MEMBER: You’re a New Member if you have never attended an event. You’re an Active Member if you have attended at least one event.

EVENT CANCELLATION:
*Events will be canceled if the weather is not hikeable (thunder or snow storm).
2024 UPDATE: *If the RSVP list drops to below 10 people the day before an event, the event will be cancelled.

*ATTENDANCE POLICY FOR ALL MEMBERS:
1️⃣ Attendance penalties for carpool no-shows or same day cancellations.
➡️ For hikes with limited attendance/waitlists due to group size restrictions or limited car space: attendance penalty for canceling less than 2 days before the hike without notice. It will be included in the event’s info if this attendance policy applies to the event.
➡️ This is to help ensure our carpools can be full so more people can attend & the host’s time in planning a carpool and driving there is respected.

2️⃣ In the event that attendance drops to zero on the same day of the hike (for reasons not related to severe snowstorm or thunderstorm), this will count against any all members who do a same-day cancellation or a no-show for that particular hike — regardless of communicating with the host (special circumstances excluded). This is to prevent the host from being bailed on last minute by everyone and to respect the host’s time spent planning & organizing the hike.

➡️ Active members are allowed 2 of these kind of instances (#1, #2), removal from the group happens at the 3rd occurrence for active members.
➡️ Each of these type of above penalties counts as 1 penalty for New Members, group removal at the 3rd penalty.

3️⃣ Automatic group removal if you cancel after a cancellation deadline (usually 2 days before) for an event with restaurant reservations or payment incurred by the host (I.e. paying for a pontoon boat). 2024 UPDATE: Automatic group removal if you are a no-show for a Rocky Mountain National Park hike, or if you cancel your RSVP past the deadline without communicating. There are no 3 strikes for this kind of penalty, 1 strike and you’re out! ⚾️ *exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis.

*ATTENDANCE POLICY FOR NEW MEMBERS (have not attended any events): removal from the group after 3 same day cancellations or no-shows without any communication with the host (special circumstances excluded). Includes any penalties related to carpooling.
Communicate! If you’re unable to attend a hike for any reason, please communicate with the host so that your absence is not counted against your membership. If there is communication, you won’t be penalized.

*ATTENDANCE POLICY FOR ACTIVE MEMBERS (have attended at least 1 event): unlimited no-shows/same day cancellations, no removal from group (except for the special instances described in earlier sections). Life happens! We saw you at least once, and hope to see you again!

*LATENESS: we’ll usually wait 5 minutes to start hikes. The organizer is usually too occupied & cannot respond to direct messages on an event day - comments are better. You may need to catch up with us, but our group is on the slower side so it’s doable!

WAITLIST/EVENT CAPACITY: There is always a waitlist for Jefferson county hikes due to their government group size restrictions. There is sometimes a waitlist for other areas due to other group size restrictions or limited parking. Hikes are overbooked because the RSVP number does not reflect the final attendance, as people typically do no-shows and same day cancellations, which is typical for Meetup groups.

Happy hiking, whether you are here or elsewhere! Look forward to hiking with you! 🥾⛰