I was going to call Adventurer's Project's supporters today, but I woke up very late today I think that I better write here first. Enthusiasm for hiking and the trail are great, but it's like a fuel that burns hot and fast. I think that I have an idea, perhaps even a plan to convert it into a more efficient, longer lasting one? Rubber bands have been known to break. With all this heightened attention on the subject, I find it to be more important to be better when things are more normal, or even adverse. And Adventurer's Project has done well with that.
When, or if, it converts into a chapter, I can sum up my agenda in two ways. One is that I think that the chapter functions are more obligatory and should be handled as such. The other thing is trail promotion, which I have to admit that, yes, we've been good at doing it in smaller markets, but we may have to be more frequent with them? In terms of that, you really should be at 3 day festivals and should do those 3 times annually. And you need 9 volunteers to staff the shifts at a three day festival. I've seen something like a 31% participation rate before. That means that the chapter needs a support base of about 40. But that's anticipating having a really good program.
I can get that, but I can't assure sustaining it indefinitely through out the years. And when you drive up the energy, the tensions might be likely to follow? Based on what I just wrote, it may not be healthy for it to remain in this "high mode" if you would? But then you break the group's pattern and it might be hard to sustain a cycle of high/ low? And you've got presiding officers who just can't do a robust term. I guess what you need is someone with a bit of tunnel vision and relentlessness who can rein them in from time to time?
But if we look at ourselves like most other churches and community organizations, as I hear, you can be looking at a 10% participation rate? And of course, that means that you have to drive up the support numbers towards 90 or so? I think that ultimately, while things are exciting, get to 40, but somehow stay on course for 90. In terms of trail promotion, this chapter has to do things. One is recruit new supporters to keep it own numbers up. Then they're the most visible, public things out there and it won't matter how good the program is if the trail's maintenance is failing, so they have that, too. But the chapter has bigger and better things to do than to get too consumed with trail maintenance.
I have a defined skill set when it comes to these sorts of things. I was talking to a supporter out here and I mentioned something about the COVID-19 vaccines in light of how quickly they were developed and I brought up a common procedure of wait and see, which the public in general isn't doing. It says that you have time. It says that you don't have to draw a conclusion right now. Instead, you should draw this thing out to the max, which until that time expires and let things unfold as they should. As a rule, you just don't accept hypotheticals. Granted, 3 to 5 months out for some of us isn't a whole lot of time, but with the amount of people taking it being so great, you'll still know more down the road than you do now. It's not good to pass judgement right now.
As for the hiking public, I think from time to time that they've given me more credit than I deserve? Or they're at risk of it? Far SE Ohio has been like a wild frontier, or like a remote outpost. I have a little bit of involvement with greater matters, but also I've been far too busy with this region and I haven't been able to get too diverted with other matters over the last 6 years. In fact, I've willfully detached myself and I'm getting indications here on my end that I don't know it all. But another thing that I've learned and abide by is essentially Star Trek. In this case, it's the 208th Rule of Acquisition, which states that "sometimes the only thing more dangerous than a question is an answer." I've learned with establishments that sometimes I don't want to know too much. Things have been around for a while and likely go on indefinitely. But answers might make you act up?
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