Joining in on a Hike as a Guest

The Club welcomes all members of the public to join in on a hike. All hikes are listed in the Hike Schedule. Contact numbers are provided for further information on each hike. We would encourage you to first join us on a hike as a guest. You may attend two hikes as a guest and will then be expected to apply for membership. Some of the benefits of club membership are outlined below.

Benefits of Membership

The most important benefit of membership in the Rip Van Winkle Hikers will be the opportunity to enjoy the pleasures of hiking in the natural scenery of region with fellow outdoors enthusiasts. Activities range from physically challenging hikes in the rugged high peaks of the Catskills to easier outings and walks. The club tries to offer a variety of hikes to suit the different tastes and goals of the membership.

All members are strongly encouraged to regularly participate in club activities and some planning meetings if possible. We have always prided ourselves in being an 'active' club as opposed to those organizations in which the bulk of the members simply pay their dues in order to receive the schedule or club newsletter.

The bi-monthly planning meetings offer you the opportunity to become actively involved in planning future hikes and to socialize with fellow hiking enthusiasts. At these meetings, we break up into hike groups and plan upcoming hikes. Refreshments are served and some special programs are offered. For example, recent presentations have included the different types of winter hiking gear and first aid in the woods.

A new member will be asked to choose from one of three hiking groups as his/her "home" group. See About Us for a description of each hiking group. This choice should be in the group that the member will usually hike in. However, members are invited to participate in other groups depending on their abilities and availability of time.

Each member will receive a copy of the schedule of upcoming hikes either at the bi-monthly planning meeting or via e-mail (via post if you don't have e-mail). The use of e-mail has resulted in considerable savings for the Club. The schedule will generally appear on the website a bit earlier so you may want to check here for the latest information.

The Dec/Jan schedule will contain a reminder that dues must be paid in order to maintain active membership. Failure to forward annual dues by the appointed date, will result in your being dropped from the membership list.

Applying for Membership

You may apply for membership in the Rip Van Winkle Hikers by returning a completed application form and $10 annual dues to the Membership Chairman. The application for membership can be downloaded and printed out via the following links:

Application for Membership in the RVW Hikers

FOR FURTHER INFO on Becoming a Member, please contact
Membership Chairman Leslie Surprenant,
P.O. Box 10
Palenville, NY 12463

Inquiries can be made to ripvanwinklehikingclub@gmail.com