Meetup Ratings and Featured Comments
Number: 258 recent ratings
Average:
"Awesome group. Phenomenal folks. Lots of really fun events."
"Very nice and interesting people are always at the hike."
"Definitely my favorite Meetup Group!"
"A great way to get outdoors and have some fun at the same time."
"Because it's the best hiking group around. <---------that' s a period."
"Good times."
"It's great to take a nice walk with some very good people!"
"Maura is the best. Thank you!"
"If I could only be in one Meetup group, this would be the one I'd pick. You'll never meet a more generous group of people."
"The organizer made everyone feel welcomed!"
"This is a great causal friendly group. It's a wonderful to get out and get some exercise with the chance to talk and meet new people."
"Awesome group!! Had a great time and was nice meeting all old and new friends after a long time."
"This is the best group."
"This is a great bunch of people"
"Maura is the best Organizer ever!"
"Nice people."
"Because this group is really diverse and a lot of fun."
"Just a great bunch of interesting and friendly folks. Everyone watches out for each other."
"This group is friendly and diverse. About 50/50 men to women and various ages. They made me feel comfortable from the start and I felt at ease with them throughout the entire day. If you are a somewhat experienced hiker and are looking for a really friendly group of people to spend some time with enjoying nature, this group is a great choice."
"A great way to meet others and to see the city!"
"If you like getting out with terrific people and seeing some beautiful sights and someone else is doing all the detail work...hmmm. Maura, do you do vacations??? ;-)"
"Maura does a superb job at selecting great CA locations and offers one of the most active meetups. She is an excellent organizer and she does her best to make all comers comfortable. She is always prepared with route maps and good planning."
"This is a great meetup group for old and new hikers alike to join up. Everyone is very laid back and everyone has a great time."
"Hiking couldn't be more fun that with this group!"
"Maura is awesome! Very friendly group."
"Maureen is the best organizer, the group is very cool, the hikes are great."
"It was so much fun! Everyone was amazing and no one seems to mind my very loud personality. We Will definitly be going on more meets with this group."
"Awesome :)"
"Very nice people"
"Very laid back and down to earth people. I felt very comfortable going up to everyone to start up a conversation."
"Nice group, good people! There's a wonderful positive energy about the group!"
"You will never forget them in your life, because they are very nice to each other. This is not only a hiking group, and it is a place, which you can share your life with others..."
"It was amazing for me. We had great time with great people, everyone is so friendly, and funny."
"It was awesome. Great bunch of people. I'm glad I showed up for this one and I'll be there for the next hike too."
"This is a great group of people."
"As usual, this was a blast. Wonderful people, beautiful hike and great food."
"I like this group, and Maura is the best leader"
"nobody smells bad, even after a hike"
"Such a friendly and fun group! And great hikes, of course!"
"This group is more like a family for everyone now!"
"the number of people were less but the attitude the fun and frolic never dies in Maura's group!! i love this group even more...."
"This is a great group of people to hike with, eat with, drink with and to celebrate just getting through another week with."
"Awesome! Great group of people, getting together just for the joy of being in good company outdoors."
"Friendly, fun group!"
"enjoyed it!"
"Excellent bunch of people... "
"Full of friendly hikers and exciting events."
"Hey - I'm a hiker now! Thanks for the inspiration."
"Glad I joined the group and really enjoyed the event"
"Always a good time with friendly people."
"It is a fun group with great hike leaders!"
"Everyone is really pleasant and personable. Had a wonderful experience!"
"All the people that I meet today were friendly. Seems like a good group."
"I hope to participate in more events with this group. Thanks Maura for organizing it!"
"Fantastic!!!"
"People in the group are super friendly"
"Fantastic group."
"More than just a hiking group."
"Thank you for hiking. It was great. "
"Nice to meet everyone!"
"Fun! Fun! Fun!"
"As I mentioned, everyone I talked to made me feel right at home!"
"Everybody is fun and friendly!"
"After going out on 10 hikes in 6 months I think I can say this is the most well-organized, open-minded and overall super-fun hiking group. If you are new to Bay area and want to make friends' this is the place to be."
"The group has evolved since my last period of active participation a few months ago. It's now easy to intermediate hikes, many more social events."
"A great group of folks. "
"Great people."
"The best part about this hiking group were the breaks so others could catch up and/or enjoy the views."
"Meetup group is great. Maura does an awesome job having venues for all levels."
"Very friendly. Will go with them again."
"After just one meeting with Maura I can say that she is a sweetie and seems like a genuine person. Very helpful and gave me some great tips about the group and their hikes, and made me feel like I'd been a member forever as did everyone else. Now more than before I can't wait to attend a hike so I can get tired and take a break with all these fun folks "
"Enough people showed to make this a great activity and day..."
"Very friendly."
"Awesome!"
"i had a great time everyone is so friendly and the hiking conversations are so varied and fun."
"Fun people!!"
"I had a wonderful time this morning and enjoyed all the people in the group. I'm looking forward to the next hike."
"Maura rocks!!! Thanks for organizing these great events!"
"Chris did a nice job of organizing the hike. He chose an enjoyable route. Thank You..."
"Great group of people!"
"Wonderful group of people and look forward to more meet ups."
"Great hikes and choices for a myriad of hikers from beginners to serious trekkers."
"We're one big family."
"Wonderful diverse group of upbeat folks. Makes for fun hikes and socializing. Great Leader! Thanks Maura!"
"If I happen to be free when ever one of this groups events are planned I always do my best to make sure I can go."
"good people"
"Always a pleasure."
"Fun and friendly group. I love positive people!"
" a bit more leisurely paced then my speed..."
"good"
"The people were great and Maura was an awesome organizer."
"I met a lot of terrific people, ranging from other 1st timers to people who had been with this group for a while. I like the wide range of ages and interests that this group attracts and like hearing about what other groups people were involved in too! "
"I was pleased to meet other people and share some of their life stories. I hope to meet other people in the future and perhaps, form some friendships along the way."
"very nice"
" A real cool group, I must say! People are friendly, sharing, and there for you. I also love the hikes... scenic, just gorgeous. "
"This is wonderful to have met this nice and joyful group just by chance. Really nice people and they accomodated every one nicely and one does not need to be a great hiker to be part of this. It was such a positive experience that I shall recommend it to my friends and acquaintances. "
"Friendly, fun and knowledgeable people. I'm thrilled to be a part of this group! "
"Everyone really cares about you. You're not just another number in this group."
"This group is alot of fun to be with."
"Great group, easy going and relaxed which, is really nice for the Bay Area. "
"Great people, This is the best hiking group around."
"I wish I new about this group when it first started, I would have had a lot more fun these past few years."
"Fantastic group of people!"
"fun"
"I'll be back. A friendly, open group."
"Great people, great hike!! Looking forward to the next. Thank you Maura for organising, Nicole for the carpool and everyone for welcoming me."
"Well organised and well attended. You get to meet an interesting range of people and enjoy the outdoors at the same time - perfect!"
"This is my first time with this group. It is great. "
"It was my first time and I found the people on the hike to be friendly."
"Nice and friendly people made it easy to mingle."
"Everyone is friendly, it was nice, I enjoy this group."
"Great people!!!"
"This is an awesome group - you always meet friends from previous hikes and also always meet new group members as well. I highly recommend it for anyone who is considering joining/going on a hike with this group."
"If you want to get fit, meet cool people, laugh and have a great time, then this is the group!"
"Great group!"
"coolest group around"
"This was my first meetup group and it was better than I was hoping for. Everyone was super friendly and easy to talk with. I look foward to seeing you again and I look foward to meeting new people next time."
"Maura is always a fun trail leader, and this time is no exception. I like how she strongly encourages us to look at the trail map! "
"Love the energy and friendliness of this group."
"Fun talkative group made the miles go by too quickly!"
"See you on the next hike!"
"I'll join in again"
"Great Group. Great bunch of people."
"Good crowd, nice turnout on this beautiful day."
"It was absolutely refreshing to spend an entire afternoon with such interesting high quality people enjoying the beauty around us"
"This meetup group is amazing. Great folks, friendly, spirited folks and really beautiful scenery, so far!"
"This group rocks ..."
"WONDERFUL... on a scale 1-10 it would be @11"
"The group was very friendly and enthusiatic. It gives us an opportunity to be with people who we might have never met, strengthen or bodies and spirit which go hand in hand."
"This group is really cool and we had a great time chatting to all the folks who were there on the hike - it is a fun bunch of people and we enjoyed ourselves so much we will do another hike sometime soon... Thanks dudes!"
"It was a great group. Everyone was very friendly and nice."
all the way to the bottom BEFORE you join our group.
You can watch the Year One video if you want, because it's kind of cool.
It's also 35 minutes long.
This video is available for download at: A Year In The Life Download.
You can play the download in a larger screen size.
Thank you for your interest in the Let's hike and maybe take a break if we get tired (LH&MTaBIWGT) hiking group. We are a volunteer hiking and outdoors group in the SF Bay area and we are really pleased that YOU are interested in joining our AWESOME group. There are no membership fees or dues to attend any of the events. We work really hard to look for no-cost activities, but occasionally some events have fees that are passed on at cost.
How to Join Our Group
To join LH&MTaBIWGT, you'll need to join Meetup. Please be sure that you are fully aware of the Meetup terms of service, including sections 3.1 (Your Information), 4.2 (Grounds for Removal), 5.2 (Release), 6.3 (Role of the Meetup Group Organizer), and 10 (Indemnity).
Here are a few tips for filling out your profile:
1) Do not include any personal information (ie phone number or e-mail addresses) in your profile or in your RSVP comments. Our pages are not private so your profile information will be visible to everyone - including programs designed to capture e-mail addresses for spammers. You can always receive e-mail via the Meetup message system if you choose to activate it.
2) You do not need to list your last name. It is helpful if you use a last initial so we can tell the difference between Rob S and Rob T. If you wish to change your "name", click on the "Account" link up at the right hand top of the page and edit your name at any time.
3) Pictures help other members know who you are, but are NOT REQUIRED.
4) While they are a snappy idea, using aliases (anything but your real name) is not such a good idea because it makes it REALLY difficult to find you at an event.
How to Choose An Event
Our events are posted on the event board (on the "Welcome" page) and also on the calendar (use the link on the left side of your screen). Please READ each hike description to see if it's a good fit for you. This keeps you safe and keeps your fellow hikers happy. If you are a beloved newbie, please start out with one of our monthly EASY hikes to see "where you are". Please do NOT come out on a hike that's too difficult for your condition on hike day. This includes anyone who has had a really late night.
Before You RSVP
Although we love to have fun, we are first and foremost a hiking group. While we care a great deal about the safety of EVERYONE (not just you), it is YOUR responsibility to be safe while you are out on the trails with us.
This means that if you would like to join us on a hike, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to read the hike description and come prepared. This keeps all of us safe and happy.
to turn folks away at the trailhead
or to ask folks to turn back part-way through the hike
for any reason.
Hike organizers are also fully empowered
to bump anyone who regularly shows up unprepared
or RSVPs "Yes" for a hike that's outside their ability.
Oh.
And while we work hard to make sure things go smoothly at each event,
please keep in mind that all the hike leads and organizers are volunteers.
Don't be dumb and irritate them.
Hike organizers get to edit the RSVP list.
On hike day, everyone should understand that it is NOT OKAY to go off-trail once you have joined the posted hike. Going off-trail means leaving the approved trails that are part of the park system and may include tempting side-trips to a beach or following others along paths or routes that look interesting. If you would like to go off-trail, please do it on your own on a day when you are not with our group. If you choose to do this on one of our hikes, you may find yourself permanently removed from our group. No kidding.
How to RSVP
If you want to attend, RSVP "Yes." If you are unable to attend or do not wish to attend, simply do nothing. You do not need to RSVP "No" unless you want to leave a comment for the event organizer or other Hikalites.
How To Carpool to a Hike
We are a friendly group with lots of CARPOOLERS. If you are interested in sharing a ride, include your location and whether you are offering or looking for a ride in your RSVP for a particular hike. You will need to contact others who are interested in sharing a ride and make your own arrangements. This information can change regularly so check back often for updates to the RSVP list.
How to Get on a Wait List
Our events fill up FAST so if you RSVP "Yes" and your plans change, please change your RSVP to "No" ASAP. If you want be wait-listed for a FULL event, RSVP "No" and include a comment asking to be added to a wait list. Please remember that you "lose your place in line" every time you edit your RSVP. That means once you ask to be put on a wait list, it's best not to edit it if you're still waiting for a spot.
How to Be a Popular Hikalite
Since so many hikes have active wait lists with people who really, really, really want to come out and hike with us, please RSVP "Yes" only if you know you will attend a hike. Keep in mind that your "Yes" RSVP prevents other people from joining our hikes. If it's unlikely that you will be able to attend the hike, you will keep many of your LH&MTaBIWGT friends if you avoid taking a space that someone else really wants and will use. Don't be a tool and "hold" a spot if you're unsure. Use the wait list like everyone else.
How to Be Popular, Part 2
Bring snacks to share on the trails. You have no idea how many new friends you will make by using this easy-to-remember formula.
How to Keep LH&MTaBIWGT Out of Ranger Jail
Please understand that it is NOT OKAY to come to an event unless you have a "Yes" RSVP. Event limits are done to ensure that everyone has a good outdoor experience (not just us, but other hikers and visitors too).
By the way, we already know that not everyone who signs up will attend on hike day and plan this into our permit requests. Sticking to our projected numbers keeps the peace with the rangers and any of the other good people checking our permits on hike day. It also keeps the organizer happy (see above).
What If I Don't Know Anyone at the Hike?
We are a very friendly group. If it is your first time out with us, you may THINK that everyone at the hike knows each other (except for you). While easy to believe, this is actually not exactly accurate. Just start talking. It works every time.
How Does it Work with so Many People?
No matter how many people sign up for a particular event, we always split up into groups of 10 or less. This helps the group lead with counting noses. It allows us to generally split up into groups with different speeds. More than anything, it allows us to have a smaller "footprint" at the park. This makes a big difference to other hikers on the trail. It also makes an enormous difference to the parks.
What Should I Pack on Hike Day?
There's a lot of information in each hike description and on our 10 LH&MTaBIWGT Hiking Essentials page. For every single hike, bring water, snacks and an extra layer. We do not necessarily stop for lunch at a half-way point in the hike; however we DO often stop and share snacks along the way to make sure that nobody "bonks" on the hike. While it's not a part of the hike, we have a bit of a tradition that includes stopping for a late lunch after the hike. THIS DOES NOT MEAN YOU SHOULD NOT PACK SNACKS. Bring food and plan on eating it.
In fact, you may need to plan on other people eating your snacks too. This will make more sense after your first hike with us. Trust me.
What to Expect on Hike Day
Folks will gather at the trailhead around the start time. There's no sign, no welcome board, no nametags. Someone may come up and ask "Are you here with Meetup?" Maybe.
While we enjoy having a good time, and hope that you will enjoy coming out on hikes with us, what we care most about is safety. If you come to our events, you WILL listen to a description of the planned hike, including being walked through the hike route on a map. This is the most important part of the hike as it's what will help YOU prepare for anything unexpected that occurs out on the hike. Even if you are new to reading maps, or uncomfortable with navigation, this orientation is NOT OPTIONAL. Anyone who thinks this might be an exaggeration, check the photos section for all the hikes. Really.
What if I'm Late?
We generally wait a bit for folks, however we do not wait for everyone who has signed up. We often leave a few copies of the route map on a car in the parking lot. Generally the route map is also posted to the FILES section before the hike. It may be that it's posted right before the hike, but it should be out there. While we don't encourage people to hike solo, you can always use the route map to try and catch up to the group if you're running late.
How to Bring Your Friends
You are always welcome to bring guests, family members, spouses and friends to our events. We are an activities based group and you will find outdoor events and activities with really fun interesting people who enjoy having a good time. However, please be forewarned that we are NOT a singles group. If you are joining us to help enhance your dating life, we will redirect you to http://singles.meetup....
Excellent LH&MTaBIWGT Moments
Nov 2006 - LH&MTaBIWGT is unveiled - YEAH Andreas!
Dec 2006 - First hike at Shoreline in Mountain View
May 2007 - First Ever Drive-In Picnic & Tailgate - Steve is recognized as a Master Griller
May 2007 - LH&MTaBIWGT photo makes its way onto a MEETUP CEO blog entry
Jun 2007 - First Moonlight Hike Series ... and first time to eat at a casino
Jul 2007 - First Urban Hike (SF): Chevy's accommodates 70+ of us for dinner! (wow)
07/23/07 - We hit 1000 members. WOWSER!
Aug 2007 - Our First Ever Epic Naval Battle (1ENB)
Sep 2007 - First Scouting Trip - Christina is fearless in breaking through new frontiers!
Sep 2007 - First Volunteer Appreciation & Shanghai Festivity - Jerry ROCKS as a host!
Oct 2007 - First Beach Bonfire - Woo hoo to Cici & Lindsey, our organizational geniuses.
Oct 2007 - We return to Calero for our First Multi-Meetup Picnic
11/15/07 - HAPPY 1 YEAR TO US!
Nov 2007 - First T-Giving Maps'R Us Celebration & Indian Buffet
Dec 2007 - Event #100 ~ our First Anniversary Luau Celebration
Dec 2007 - For our first "Last Hike of the Year", we walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.
Jan 2008 - Our first "Make Your Own LH&MTaBIWGT First Aid Kit" & New Year's Breakfast
Feb 2008 - "Walk to the Santa Cruz Chowderfest & Back" - complete with stormy weather for effect!
We are really looking forward to seeing YOU out on the trail!
Sincerely,
LH&MTaBIWGT*
* with lots of help from the fine folks of Triangle Hiking & Outdoor Group (THOG)