Fitness Walkers/Island Hikers expelled from hiking group

Mario Russell, leader of the hiking group Fitness Walkers/Island Hikers, says his hikes will go on, despite the Hiking Association (HATT)’s decision to expel it. In an interview, Russell said the association knows best and could go ahead and do what they want. “They are newly formed and still organising themselves. What does the association do? What type of experience the association has?

“It basically means you are just not a member of the club, so I am not a member of the club and I wish them luck. Yes, I have been expelled. I am an individual company and my hikes will go on.”

In a release, HATT said the board had initially suspended the group after the death of hiker Richard Baird, and it (Fitness Walkers/Island Hikers) had since refused to comply with the association’s requests for an explanation. HATT’s board met with Russell on September 1, to discuss the circumstances surrounding Baird’s death during a hike from Aripo to Hollis Falls on August 19.

Russell said, “With the Richard Baird incident, there was no problem as regard to the police. It was a simple accident in a hike. Anybody can slip on a trail and fall. It runs with the territory. I think the HATT wanted an explanation and I did not gave them one. I think they are mature enough to understand anyone can fall on a hike and so I don’t think an explanation is necessary, because there was no problem with the police.”

But Hatt said its directors, “had agreed that this hiking group disregarded certain fundamental safe hike management practices and viewed those transgressions as inconsistent with the goals and objectives of HATT.” They had therefore agreed to suspend the Island Hikers/ Fitness Walkers’ membership from September 4, pending the implementation of a reform of its hike management practices. HATT said Russell,had been given a deadline of September 11 to submit documents outlining his group’s reforms, but the deadline passed without any response from him, as did an extended deadline of September 15.

HATT said on September 22 it decided to invoke Article 7.10 of its constitution to call on Island Hikers/Fitness Walkers to resign within 28 days or face expulsion. The group was expelled and Russell removed as a director on November 14.