Just a couple of reminders – or new information, depending – to help our members take advantage of the RMCC and all it has to offer.
ACA Sanctioned Trips versus Pick-up Trips
Thanks to our volunteer Trip Coordinators (TCs), our TripMaster schedules a variety of flatwater and river trips each year. ** TCs orchestrate the logistics, deal with ACA paperwork, and sometimes lead on the water. We are always clear that TC are not guides. All participants are responsible for their own safety at ACA sanctioned events, but the group must follow ACA guidelines for a safe water event. As a Paddle America Club of the ACA, we do, however, benefit from coverage of the ACA’s liability insurance (DURING an event, not in transport to or from an event). That is why each member either joins the ACA (annual membership $40 per person) or purchases a per-event membership ($10) and signs the ACA waiver.
Pick-up trips are basically ‘none of the above’. There is no ACA sanctioning, nor event fee, nor liability insurance. Basically it is a trip among friends/acquaintances. It is up to the interested participants to orchestrate the logistics, lead on the water, and decide on safety measures and responsibility.
To help keep this distinction, ACA/RMCC sanctioned trips are listed on our website calendar and advertised in posts either from our TripMaster or the TC her/himself. Pick-up trips are not listed on the calendar, but can be advertised to both members, via the GoogleGroup, and to non-members by word of mouth/email/etc.
Bottom line:
– Check the calendar and join the Google Group to hear about boating opportunities.
– Volunteer to be a TC for an ACA-sanctioned trip – you will get lots of help if you are a newbie to TCing. And you don’t have to be an expert boater!
– Dream up a lake paddle, river trip, river cleanup project or other pick-up event and advertise it via the GoogleGroup.
For more detail on all of the above, see our website, especially our Trip Organization page or contact one of the club officers.
** In 2022 we had 14 Trip Coordinators, 22 boating events (6 flatwater and 16 river trips) with 252 participants. We sponsored 9 day trips and 13 multi-day trips, half in Colorado and half in MT, NE, UT, and WY.