Become a UH chapter leader

Update 8/1: we have received a wonderfully overwhelming amount of applications. Far too many to respond to. We are keeping this open, regardless, and prioritizing applications from folks who are Disabled, BI&POC, fat (3X and over) and/or trans & non-binary.

Unlikely Hikers creates safer, supportive, intentional, body-positive outdoor experiences for hikers looking for community who might not feel welcome or comfortable in most outdoor group scenarios. We hike slowly together as a group––no hiker left behind! Before our adventure begins, we share guidelines and intentions to create the most welcoming space possible by sharing pronouns, prohibiting body-negative talk, acknowledging the land we are privileged to recreate on and creating a network of support around what it truly means to build community outside.

We are looking for leaders who:

identify as plus-size, fat*, trans, Disabled* and/or BI&POC

are present on social media, who will want to engage with Unlikely Hikers’ posts and repost things having to do with events. We would prefer for our leaders to have public Instagram profiles so our attendees can see who is leading their adventure.

are invested in social justice and aren’t confused as to why this would be a leadership requirement for an outdoors group

can commit to leading at least 4 hikes per calendar year, no more than 12

are ok with lower mileage and elevation gains for all hikes

have experience with leadership or feel confident in your ability to lead

understand that good leadership requires moments of discomfort

will politely and compassionately correct anyone who misgenders anyone

are courageous enough to make complicated or tough decisions for a single person or whole group when necessary

will follow our COVID-19 protocols while we are still in this pandemic

understand what it really means to leave no hiker behind. Being the slowest is many people’s biggest fear when joining a group. We want leaders who know what it means to defer to the hiker with the most needs without singling them out and that none of our hikers’ individual needs are an inconvenience.

can work past discomfort to address microaggressions if they happen. Your hikers need to see your allyship in action. Most things can be turned into a learning moment without singling anyone out.

will commit to our leadership protocols and not do their own thing, or just “vibe.” Of course, we want you to be YOU and we welcome your input in developing the best group experiences possible, but our protocols are deeply researched and they work.

will do a minimal amount of content capturing at events as described in our leadership protocols

*We understand that Disability is a spectrum. We are specifically looking for leaders who have an intimate understanding of the spectrum who want to lead hikes that are mostly flat, ~2miles and friendly for mobile devices.

*Comfort with the word “fat” as a nonmoral adjective for bodies is a requirement even if you describe your body differently.

Should you be chosen to become a UH chapter leader, you will become an extension of the community we’ve been building since 2016. We expect our leaders to not just rep us well, but to participate in all that UH is. We want you to grow with us and become a part of this family. Our leaders will occasionally have the opportunity to work on cool UH projects and join special adventures. We may even invite you to create paid content and host other events with us, too!

A few more notes before applying:

You will have semi-regular check-ins with our team. We want to be as close as possible in this process and intend to join you in person when possible.
Leaders will receive up to $50 in donations for their hikes
Groups are limited to ~12 attendees
The UH Squad will be managing your social media event invites as you get your footing, but this responsibility will be handed over to you at a certain point.
We are open to having affinity chapters. If you wanted to create a group for only Black women, only trans folks, only fat folks, etc. let’s talk about it!
We are looking for leaders worldwide. This is not just based in the U.S.

We are hoping to have Accessible chapters led by Disabled Unlikely Hikers. Please let us know if this resonates for you!

Name(required)

Email(required)

Location(required)

What are your pronouns?(required)

How many UH group hikes have you joined (best guess) and where?(required)

If you’ve joined us before, what do you enjoy about our group hikes?

Most of our social media is Instagram-based, what is your Instagram @:(required)

How do you identify? Be as specific about this as possible:(required)

How do your identities inform what you will bring to Unlikely Hikers?(required)

Do you have any leadership experience? Where/how? Why do you want to be a leader? (required)

What skills will you bring to Unlikely Hikers:(required)

Do you have Wilderness First Aid or First Responder certification? This is not mandatory, though we hope to be able to certify our leaders with WFA should we get the opportunity.(required)

Are you signing up to lead a basic group hiking chapter or an Accessible chapter?(required)

Basic Accessible

What concerns/fears/etc. do you have about possibly doing something like this? We all have them!(required)

Anything else you’d like to share with us?

Please note that we may not be able to respond to every applicant. We are currently wonderfully overwhelmed with applications and are stoked about your interest!