How To Hike (Students, Profs, FAQs)

For Students:

  1. You see a hike (in an email, on instagram, or on the website) with a professor that you are HYPED about and a difficulty level that you can TACKLE.

  2. Click on the sign up link (sent via the peaks email) and fill out the google form (if the form is closed, the hike and wait list are full).

  3. In the next few days you will receive a confirmation email from your trip leader that confirms you made it on the hike.

    A. This email will ask you to pay a small gas fee and respond within 24 hours to secure your spot on the hike!

    B. If the hike is full you will receive an email that you are on the waiting list. If you get this email, don’t worry, we frequently work through a good portion of the waitlist.

  4. A few days out from the hike you will receive a reminder email from your trip leader of meeting time, location, and what to expect on hike day.

  5. Show up on hike day PSYCHED to get outside and have some epic conversations with your peers and professors.

For Professors:

  1. A Trip Lead will reach out to you over email to offer to organize a hike for the upcoming/current quarter.

  2. We’ll collaborate with you to choose the perfect hike and handle all logistics, including rides and communication. All you need to do is show up on the day of the hike!

  3. During the hike, we ask that you share a brief talk, discuss a topic of interest, or host a Q&A session. This gives students a unique chance to engage in conversations outside of the classroom.

  4. By "professor," we mean any teaching staff! All are welcome to join.

  5. If you're interested in hiking with us, please get in touch. Our ability to organize hikes depends on the connections our team has, and we’d love to arrange one with you! You can reach us at peaksandprofessorsuw@gmail.com.

FAQs

  • See hike sign up page

  • Send your trip lead an email as soon as you know that you can’t make it so we can give your spot to someone on the waitlist. You will be fully refunded if you give at least 96 hours (4 days) notice.

  • Nope! Signing up for a Peaks hike is a great way to get out to the trails if you don’t have a car. However, participants can sign up as drivers and we carpool to the trailhead. Everyone will be charged a small fee for gas and drivers will be reimbursed.

  • Any and all! Professors who join us come from all departments and teach a variety of courses from Mechanical Engineering, to Ancient Asian Languages, to Botany. We take recommendations from students, other professors, or personal experience with professors who are interested in joining a Peaks hike. Fill out our Professor Recommendation Form if you have a professor in mind who you would love to see on a Peaks hike.

  • Peaks does not operate with a membership base. There are no regular meetings for participants so the best way to be involved is to sign up for hikes that interest you and attend our community events! This means that your commitment is associated just with the hike(s) you sign up for. If you are interested in becoming more involved, you can apply to become a Trip Lead. Find out more here

  • Trip leads are the backbone of peaks. As a trip lead you are a positive, stoked leader on hikes who is excited to learn and teach through the outdoors. Trip Leads are responsible for corresponding with professors, planning, and executing hikes. Trip leads must commit to a weekly meeting, leading 2+ hikes a quarter, and a quarterly retreat.