How to hike as a group
- 1Pair up — assign buddies (a three if the number is odd) before setting out; everyone knows their buddy.
- 2Plan and tell someone — route on a map, within the group's ability, and leave word of where you're going and your return time.
- 3Check weather and gear — postpone for severe weather; everyone carries the 10 essentials and broken-in footwear.
- 4Set the group order — keep together at the slowest member's pace; a leader in front and an experienced hiker as "sweep" at the back so no one is behind the last person.
- 5Buddies stay together — within sight and hearing; watch your buddy for fatigue, injury, cold, or heat.
- 6Do buddy checks — at every transition (leaving camp, new trail, entering water), count off and confirm all pairs.
- 7Plan for trouble — know how you'll call for help (a satellite messenger if no cell), and what to do if someone is hurt or lost.
When to use it
- Every scout hike and outing — the buddy system is standard practice, not optional.
- Water activities and unfamiliar terrain especially, where separation is most dangerous.
- Teaching younger scouts responsibility — looking out for a buddy is a first leadership role.
Common mistakes & safety
- No one hikes alone. A solo scout who is hurt or lost has no one to help or raise the alarm — the buddy system means someone always knows where you are.
- Stay together at the slowest pace. Hikers strung out or left behind can get lost, hurt, or overexerted unnoticed — the group moves as one.
- Buddy checks catch a missing person fast. Counting off at transitions (especially entering and leaving water) means a separation is noticed in minutes, not hours.
- Tell someone and set a return time. If the group is overdue, that's what triggers a search.
- Watch your buddy. Buddies spot each other's early signs of fatigue, cold, heat, or injury before they become emergencies.
- Plan communications — know how you'll reach help where there's no cell signal before you need to.
Going deeper
- Two is the minimum. The buddy system's whole point: never one. Odd number? Make a three, never a one.
- Buddy checks at the water's edge. The highest-risk transition is entering and leaving water — count off there every time.
- The sweep matters as much as the leader. Someone experienced at the back means no scout is ever behind the last responsible person.
Official source
Hiking safety — Scouting America →The buddy system is core Scouts BSA safety practice (Guide to Safe Scouting).