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~ Canes Practices ~

A pond on a Crooked Canes outing in the NY Capital Region.

The Crooked Canes is an informal group of individuals whose interests, skill and experience vary widely. Their common connection to one another is the enjoyment of group outings led by a volunteer member.

Every participant must have read the information on our Acknowledgement of Risk page and submit a completed Acknowledgement of Risk Agreement Form before participating in an outing. Participants must also be aware of and follow generally accepted practices associated with the activities of an outing including Leave No Trace.

Practices of the Crooked Canes also include the following:

  • Before attending an outing, you should become as familiar and prepared as possible for hazards and contingencies by reading the outing description and other available information, and by evaluating your own abilities against the conditions the outing may present, including length and difficulty, so as not to compromise safety or convenience of yourself or others — for everyone's enjoyment.
  • Pre-registration for an outing is generally not required. Meeting times and places are included in outing descriptions. The leader is always willing to discuss issues that a prospective participant may have about a particular outing.
  • Pets are not permitted on outings.
  • Carry emergency contact information as well as your own name when on an outing.
  • At the time schedules are planned and published, it is impossible to anticipate all conditions that may be present at an outing location and how they may change. One must stay attuned to conditions affecting one's entire day, from home to the outing and return home.
  • It is each participant's personal responsibility to provide for their own use, to carry and know how to use, essential items such as water, food, clothing, flashlight, map and compass, pfd, traction devices, emergency rations and equipment, and first aid supplies, among other choices depending upon the nature of an outing.
  • Outing end times, if provided, are an educated guess. The nature of an outing may change once underway. It could be longer, shorter or altogether different from the trip description per prevailing conditions, group decisions, and the leader's discretion. If you have post-outing plans you should assume only that there is a possibility of being back at a particular time.
  • If an individual or individuals wish to do anything other than stay with the main group, do so only in collaboration with and approval of the outing leader under specific conditions and instructions that should not be violated in any way. Such approval will be given at the leader's discretion.
  • On land or water we wait for everyone to catch up at intersections or where there are major direction changes that may not be noticed by participants not in visual contact with people ahead of them.
  • Personal flotation devices (pfds) are required to be worn and securely fastened when on the water.
  • Properly sized bike helmets are required to be worn when biking.
  • Every member is encouraged to volunteer occasionally to lead outings. The more leaders we have, the stronger the group becomes. First time and novice leaders or those leading a particular outing can count on help, coaching and assistance by experienced outing leaders.
  • We encourage car pooling. Car pooling helps us arrive at outing start points together, on time, provides additional socialization opportunity, and saves money. Over time, everyone should offer to drive their vehicle unless for some good reason they are precluded from doing so. Costs should be shared based upon distance traveled, and drivers should not have to ask for it. How much? Crooked Canes have generally been comfortable with a rough calculation of cost for the trip divided by the number of people in the vehicle, driver included, rounded to a somewhat higher number that does not generally require making change and gives recognition to gas not being the only expense in sharing a vehicle. The driver and passengers can easily work this out among themselves. Below are some 'Rule of Thumb" examples. The total cost shown gets divided equally among people in the car, including the driver:
    Short trip (e.g., CTL to Moreau State Park, 25 miles RT): total to be shared: $6 - 9
    Medium trip (e.g., CTL to North Creek, 60 miles RT): total to be shared: $15 -21
    Long trip (e.g., CTL to Cascade TH, High Peaks area, 150 miles RT): total to be shared: $36 - $48