Hike and Learn

In podcast 36 (starting about 22 minutes in; you can wait for the podcast to load then skip forward until the timer shows -10:20), I announced that I’m going to sponsor a few college students to go hiking for the summer and learn about social media. Here are more details.

Update May 17: See my blog post. More to come…

Update May 10: See my blog post.

Update April 26: More people than I thought would apply ended up sending me material ranging from video to websites to pictures to text to a mix of everything. It’s extremely gratifying that so many people care about things I care about and are willing to put themselves on the line to do something cool. Thank you. (I’m probably going to get a huge case of wanderlust while I’m looking through all the applications.)

Update April 19: Only one week left to apply. I haven’t filled any of the slots yet (not because the applications I’ve received aren’t amazing–they are–but because I want to see all the options then make a decision). Feel free to ask any last-minute questions, and have fun putting together your material.

Update April 14: If you’re interested in finding people to hike with and have no idea where to start, here are a few ideas:

• See if the trail you’re thinking about hiking has an email list or a dedicated form. For example, the Pacific Crest Trail Association has one at http://www.pcta.org/general/forum.asp.
• Search for “hiking forum” or “backpacking forum” and see which one(s) you like. I’ve used TrailForums.com. Others include:
  • http://www.hikingforums.net/forums/
  • http://www.backpacker.com/cgi-bin/forums/ikonboard.cgi
  • http://www.backpacking.net/bbs.html
  • http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/index.html
• Contact hiking groups in the areas you’re interested in going to see if they have any ideas on how to connect with people.

Update April 11: The application deadline is two weeks away. There are instructions in the section titled Application further down this page. Just send me an email with some written answers, links, or attachments. This is a fairly informal process, and I don’t want it to take you a really long time, but I do want to see that you’re interested. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at hikeyeah@gmail.com.

Update March 15: I added a long list of websites to get you started thinking about where you want to go and how you’re going to get there. I also have JPG and PDF versions of a flyer that you can use as you’d wish to help spread the word. Download a 2MB version or email me for larger hi-res files.

OVERVIEW:

Hike Yeah will provide $500 per month for two college students or recent graduates to spend summer 2010 hiking. Each student or recent graduate is eligible to receive up to $1000 total. Before they leave, I’ll meet with them and help them plan how they’ll record their stories while they’re hiking (with a journal, camera, hand-held recorder, or something similar). They’ll have plenty of stuff to talk about after a summer full of trail adventures, and upon returning, the students will receive training from me and other members of PDX.FM on how to use social media to tell their story. This includes blogging, Twittering, podcasting, Flickring, and simple website building, or any combination of those skills that best fits the students’ individual needs.

There’s a ton of value in taking on a long-term challenge like a summer of hiking. Though the hiking aspect of this sponsorship is appealing to people on a personal level, the physical work translates very well to professional work because of all the preparation, planning, scheduling, motivation, and various other logistical considerations that go into it. And though the social media part of this sponsorship is a great resume-building exercise, it’s profoundly gratifying on a personal level to feel confident using various online tools to tell a story.

ELIGIBILITY AND REQUIREMENTS:

To be eligible, you must be enrolled as at least a half-time college student in the Spring 2010 semester and the Fall 2010 semester, or you must be planning to graduate at the end of the Spring 2010 semester. It doesn’t matter to me what you’re majoring in. For the social media side of this, you don’t have to be an expert. I’m interested in what tools you use now, but it’s more important that you’re keen on learning more.

I’m looking for two people who are committed to doing a lot of hiking. Think of it as your full-time job. Barring unforeseen circumstances, I expect you to hike approximately 150 miles per month; this is a challenging but attainable baseline. I won’t give preferential treatment to people who are willing to do more miles per month, but I will take into consideration whether you’re willing to commit to hike for one month or two months. It doesn’t matter to me whether you hike alone or with others. If you’re in the Northwest, I can give you loads of advice about where to go (Pacific Crest Trail, John Muir Trail, Tahoe Rim Trail, Wonderland Trail, Columbia Gorge, and others). If you’re in another part of the country, I can give you some advice or put you in touch with people/resources you can consult for trip planning. It doesn’t matter to me where you hike.

APPLICATION:

I don’t want to dictate what you can and can’t send me, but there are a few things I need to see. Form matters less than content.

• a brief bio of you
• your hiking and backpacking history (think of this as a portfolio; use multimedia if possible)
• your social media history (this is also a portfolio)
• your relevant academic coursework (I don’t want to see grades, just classes and descriptions)
• your Summer 2010 hiking commitment (be as detailed as you can be)
• what you expect to get out of this and why I should choose you

I hope the application is a challenging but rewarding process. It will require some work to put things together, but so does hiking, and so does social media. I’m leaving things fairly vague on purpose to encourage you to be creative in how your respond. Show me that you’re enthusiastic about hiking and social media. If you have any questions at all, please contact me at hikeyeah@gmail.com. If it turns out I’m missing something obvious, I’ll include it in the list above.

DATES:

I’ve looked at the academic calendars for a handful of schools in Oregon and Washington to get an idea when their Spring 2010 semesters end and Fall 2010 semesters begin. Most end in mid June and resume in late September, and a few end in May and begin again in August. Regardless of your school, you should have two full months to hike (July and August for some; June and July for others) with about two free weeks on either side to do other stuff if you want.

There will be one application deadline for everybody, regardless of when your Spring 2010 semester ends. Please send applications (or links or whatever) to hikeyeah@gmail.com.

The application deadline is Monday, April 26, at 5PM PST.

I will select a group of finalists that I’ll interview either in person or on the phone. I’ll make my decision by Monday, May 17.