Leading a Hiking Group: Leader, Sweep and Regroups

In groups of six, students hike a loop around campus taking turns as leader, sweep and regroup captain. They learn how a group is led on a real outing so that nobody gets left behind.

How to play

1. Draw a 1.5–2 km (1–1.25 mi) loop on the map around campus or a nearby park, with 4 marked regroup points.
2. Spend 3 minutes explaining the roles: the leader sets the pace and route, the sweep is always last and nobody falls behind them, and the regroup captain counts heads at each point.
3. Form groups of 6 with one colored pinnie for the leader and another for the sweep; groups start 2 minutes apart.
4. On each leg, the leader matches the pace of the slowest hiker and stops at the regroup point; there the group counts off and rotates roles (about 4 minutes per leg).
5. On one leg, the teacher asks a member to fake fatigue or a blister; the group must adjust pace and decide what to do.
6. Back at the start, each group spends 3 minutes discussing when the line got too spread out and how they fixed it.

Rules

• Nobody passes the leader or drops behind the sweep.
• At every regroup point, count heads before moving on.
• The maximum gap between leader and sweep is 20 m (65 ft).
• Three whistle blasts mean stop and gather: it's the emergency signal.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: choose an accessible loop and let the student lead a leg to set the group's pace.
• Hearing impairment: replace the whistle with agreed hand signals and a card listing the signals.
• Lower fitness: let the group use that student's pace as the reference without penalizing total time.

Learning goals

• Understand and perform the roles involved in leading a group on the trail.
• Adjust hiking pace to the slowest member of the group.
• Respond in an organized way to a simulated incident.

Equipment for a class of 25

• maps: 8
• pinnies: 8
• whistles: 4

Teacher tip

The typical mistake is a leader who pulls away without looking back; ask them to turn around every 100 m. Make sure each group carries a phone and the loop map.

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