Official St Louis Canoe & Kayak Club Position on Pop up Trips

I like this because it makes for less paperwork, no fee to non ACA members, and less pressure on the trip coordinator.

Hello Paddlers

Pop up trips -- last minute, informal, no strings attached paddles are a part of our club tradition and culture. For some, that is all they do and there are very strong emotions about whether or not the club can -- or should -- support them.

However, even without all the research I've done on paddle insurance, I think the majority of people will probably agree that there is no insurance company that will cover a pop up trip without any "strings". At least, none that we can afford.

Therefore, it is the decision of the Board of Directors that the St Louis Canoe & Kayak Club will relinquish all responsibility and oversight of pop up trips. Pop up trips will be considered non-club events and unsanctioned.

There is simply no other way to handle this.

People who want to participate in insured trips will register for "regular trips". People who "just want to paddle" can do so. The Club will allow the use of the Popup Trip forum by people who just want to paddle.

The Club will consider Pop up Trips as a "Common Adventure" and it's participants "Common Adventurers. Below is an excerpt from the Carolina Canoe Club's (CCC) definition of the Common Adventure. The full link is www.carolinacanoeclub.org/content/the-common-adventurer-explained/

The CCC is a very large group with thousands of members and they follow this model for every one of their trips -- hundreds over the course of the year. I had a long discussion with the CCC President -- who is a lawyer -- about the Common Adventure model.

I have reached out to the author of the source material for this document and asked for permission to craft our own version which will be prominently displayed and communicated on our website and the Pop up Forum

How the pop up trips are handled by their participants won't change -- the Common Adventure model is what we've been following without knowing.

I am posting this email in the General Discussion forum and your comments are encouraged. We do not believe there is any need for a vote by the Club membership on this. Individuals will make their own decision on what kind of trip they participate in.

Common Adventure Trip Defined
A Common Adventure trip is two+ individuals working cooperatively for common goals and sharing expenses and responsibilities as equitably as possible. Instruction or advice provided by any member of the group is given gratuitously in a spirit of cooperation. Members of the group do not hold one another or others liable for accidents.

On a Common Adventure trip, everyone shares in the trip responsibilities. The trip coordinator (the person who proposed the trip) simply gets the ball rolling. The rest of the group is expected to help plan for success, from the arrival at the put-in until everyone is on their way home. The success or failure of a Common Adventure trip rests not in the hands of the trip coordinator, but rather in the hands of everyone that participates.

Common Adventure trip postings, in turn, provide a means of getting people together to participate in a paddling trip that might not have been possible alone. Any CCC member is welcome to initiate a Common Adventure trip on CCC social media platforms. These trips are available for all CCC members and friends, reasonably limited to size and those who have sufficient experience required for the particular trip.

What are the Key Elements of a Common Adventure Trip?
Common Adventure trips are not guided trips. There is no designated “leader” or “guide” who makes all the decisions for the group. Rather, leadership is fluid and group decisions are made democratically. Every member of a Common Adventure group has responsibilities and contributes, whether by helping with planning, buying food, loading vehicles or cleaning up after it’s over. No one goes for a free ride. There are no guide fees. No group money goes to pay any one person among the group. Costs of the trip (e.g., gas money) are shared.

Common adventure groups strive for fairness, free and open discussion, and an equitable sharing of responsibilities.