Option of On-line Trip Registration for WOR

Every year we receive two sets of questions in advance of WOR that can be summed up as:
“I’m not staying at WOR – can I sign up for trips without driving to Smoky Mountain Meadows Campground”
and
“I live near the rivers I want to paddle, and would like to lead trips at WOR, but don’t want to drive all the way to SMMC only to drive all the way back to run the river in my back yard.”

Historically, the answer to both of those questions is, “Drive to WOR” and “Figure it out on your own”. Because at least part of the problem is the communication required between a trip coordinator and those attending the trip, especially the ability to manage trip size. That process has historically required, at the least, a dedicated intermediary for the remote trip coordinator.

Well, this year we’re providing a potential option for those individuals.

NOTE: THIS DOES NOT MEAN WE PLAN ANY CHANGE TO THE CLASSIC WOR EXPERIENCE. We’ll still be organizing trips at WOR in the same way we always have been. If you don’t see the need for an on-line tool, just show up for the morning meeting just like always! However, we’d like to present an additional pilot option to assist those who are, in one way or another, remote.

For many years, the CCC has offered the ability for its members to create trips on the CCC Calendar. That ability has now been extended to include a default trip questionnaire (much like clinics), including setting am attendance limit. Here are instructions for that new functionality.

This is still a pilot program for WOR to see whether our members find it useful. For it to be successful, remote trip coordinators will have to publish events to the calendar early enough to provide time for sign-up. It’s my expectation that, to be successful for WOR, trips will need to be posted at least two days in advance (the farther in advance the better), making it best suited for dam-release rivers, or at least those that are fairly predictable (such as Nolichucky on a year with little rain).

Those wanting to attend will need to check for trips that have been added (best done by following the email list or Discord, as all posted trips are announced there), and sign up enough in advance (note the trip coordinator can set deadlines for registration).

Even if not remote, the same tools could be used to coordinate or attend a trip at WOR outside of the Morning Meeting. For those who fear replacement of the morning meeting, never fear! This is not well-suited for the immediacy of the morning meeting!

In addition to email and text, the CCC also offers a Discord server to its members, as well as channels dedicated to Trips and WOR, as additional methods for trip participants to coordinate.  It’s also a good idea to make certain the contact information in your profile is accurate.

I hope you find this functionality useful. It will only work if some trip coordinators offer trips in this manner, if those attending answer the questionnaire honestly, actually attend when they sign up, and if everyone communicates in a timely manner.

Again, there is no expectation of trip coordinators to post WOR trips to the CCC Calendar, nor for attendees to sign up for WOR trips from the CCC Calendar. But there are those it might facilitate, as we’re trying to support all the communities that we can.

Please let me know if I can answer any questions or assist. You can reach me at the Cruise Chair officer email address.

SYOTR,

Rick Steeves,
Cruise Chair, CCC