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Frequently Asked Questions General What is the best way to get involved with Rovers? What is the average age of Rovers? What is the Rovers Yahoo e-group? Who do I contact to get something from the cage? Who is in charge of the organization? Who can I contact for more information?
Membership
Trips and Activities I signed up for a trip, but later the coordinator told me it was full. Why can’t I go? How do I coordinate my own trip? What should I bring on a trip? Where can I find proper gear for a trip?
General
Go on a trip! Without doubt, this is the best way to learn about Rovers, connect with other members, and get the most out of the club. Choose a day trip if you’re not ready for an overnighter or haven't yet signed up to be a member. Join the e-group. The e-group is a group e-mail address that is used to communicate to all club members who are subscribed. Once you become a member of Rovers, you will receive an e-mail invitation to the e-group (if you provided an e-mail address when you signed up). Once subscribed, you can use the e-group to connect with other members. If you are not a member, you can read the messages on the Internet, you just won't be able to receive them via e-mail or post a message. Come to a meeting. Tuesday night meetings are another way to connect with others in the club. You can listen to what trips went out the previous week, learn about upcoming trips, watch multimedia shows of past trips, or other informative programs. Don’t be shy, reach out to others and ask questions or tell them what your interests are. Check the website often. It’s easy, convenient, and it’s updated at least once a week. The Rovers website lists every trip that is planned to date, and includes an archive of past trips. Be aware that part of what sets Rovers apart is the spontaneity of some of our trips. You never know what will be planned or when, so check frequently! | back to top |
Minnesota Rovers Outdoors Club has hundreds of members with an array of age groups in their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, as well as a few elite members that have been involved since the club's inception in 1954. The diversity of the group and activities makes Rovers a fun and dynamic club, in a relaxed atmosphere, for outdoor enthusiasts. We welcome you to our Tuesday meetings to meet some of our members, and hear first hand about our ongoing trips, with socializing afterwards at a restaurant/bar. | back to top |
The e-group is a group e-mail address that is used to communicate to all club members who are subscribed. There are a variety of uses for this forum such as:
Subscription to the e-group is available to Minnesota Rovers club members only. Only current club members of will be able to post messages and receive messages via email. However, anyone can view the posts at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mnrovers. Guidelines:
If you are a current member of Minnesota Rovers and you are not already subscribed to the e-group, visit the website http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mnrovers/join or send an e-mail to: mnrovers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Please include your name, membership number, and expiration date. The e-group moderator will approve your subscription when your club membership is verified. If you are not a member of Minnesota Rovers or your membership has expired, you can sign up or renew online or at a Tuesday meeting. Once subscribed, to post a message use this e-mail address: mnrovers@yahoogroups.com. To unsubscribe, send an email to: mnrovers-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. | back to top |
One of the main goals of Minnesota Rovers is to help introduce those new to the outdoors to learn new skills and try new things. The range of experience of Rovers varies greatly—some people come mostly for socializing, but still love the outdoors and others are hard-core in whatever sport they choose, but are always willing to help. And, of course, there’s everything in-between! An excerpt from our brochure... If you’re an interested beginner, seasoned Rovers will help you develop outdoor skills—the techniques required for climbing a sheer cliff, paddling a lively stretch of whitewater, or skiing a tricky backwoods trail. If you’re experienced, you’ll meet other people who share your enthusiasm. Also, please notice our trip descriptions usually offer some guidance as to the level of difficulty. They will say something like, “beginners welcome” or “experienced backpackers only” (or whatever activity it happens to be). Or it might say how many miles they plan to cover per day. We also try to add a trip difficulty level of beginner, intermediate, or advanced. These tools should help you judge which trips are right for you, and there’s always a contact person if you need to discuss more specific details. As you may have read on our website, we have an equipment “Cage” where we have plenty of equipment you can borrow once you become a member. This way you can try new things without the big investment of buying your own tent, backpack, canoe, snowshoes, etc. We encourage you to join us on some day trips, whether they’re social or active, to get to know some of the members and you’ll get an idea of how diverse we really are. Keep checking the Activities page to see what’s going on, find something you’re interested in, then contact the trip coordinator with additional questions. They will be more than happy to help! | back to top |
Send an email to info@mnrovers.org. If the web administrator cannot answer your question, it will be directed to someone who can. Refer to the current Board of Directors if you would like to email any specific officer. | back to top | Membership Becoming a Rover is easy! Please see the Membership page for details. | back to top | The easiest way is to renew your membership online. Once you submit your information, you will then have a choice of printing the form and mailing it with your payment or paying securely by credit card via PayPal. You do not need to have a PayPal account, nor will you be requested to create one. If you need assistance, please e-mail info@mnrovers.org. You can also renew your membership at any Tuesday meeting by speaking with the membership coordinator.
| back to top | Trips and Activities
Members of Minnesota Rovers coordinate many varieties of trips for all levels throughout the year. Be sure to check out our Special Events page to see what trips might be coming up later, and our Activities Archive for trips that have gone out in the past. This page is also helpful to give you ideas for coordinating your own trips. Still don’t see what you’re looking for? Coordinate your own trip, or post something to the Potential Trips section of the Activities page! | back to top | At a meeting: If you find out about a trip while attending a weekly meeting, seek out the coordinator and talk to them about their trip, ask questions and get any details you need. If you are sure you want to go, give them a deposit and your contact information. If the coordinator is not at the meeting, you can get their contact information from the person who announced the trips that evening. You can then call or e-mail the coordinator to get more details and mail your deposit. Using the website: Another way to sign up for a trip is to go to the activities page of the website and look at the list of upcoming activities. The coordinator's name and/or e-mail address will be listed below the trip details. Contact the coordinator for more details and to sign up. It is very important to remember that you are not guaranteed a spot on a trip until you pay a deposit to the trip coordinator. Note: Not all activities require you to sign up. For example, a coordinator of a day hike or bike ride often expects people to just show up. It is always a good idea to send a courtesy e-mail to let them know you plan to be there or to cancel if your plans change. | back to top |
The trips fill up on a first-come basis and a deposit is required to guarantee your spot on a trip. At the time you signed up for the trip, you should have found out the amount of the deposit to be paid in order to reserve your spot. Again, talking with the contact person for the trip that you want to go on is a good way to know exactly when the absolute last date is for paying your deposit. Some trips fill up quite fast and the best plan is to pay your deposit at the time of sign-up or shortly after. Mailing a check to the trip coordinator is one way to ensure your deposit gets paid in the event that you or the trip coordinator can not make it to a meeting in the weeks before the trip. | back to top |
Anyone can coordinate a trip. You might want to get a feel for the interest level within the club for the type of trip you are considering coordinating. Then it would be your responsibility to do some preliminary planning and organizing of the details of the trip. Next, submit your trip to be posted on the website—be sure to include all pertinent information in the trip description so people know what they are signing up for. You are encouraged to come to the Tuesday meetings to talk about your trip and to be available to answer any questions. Within Rovers, there is a huge knowledge base you can tap into...all you have to do is ASK. There are many seasoned Rovers that are always willing to help with the logistics of virtually any trip. If you can’t make it to a meeting to network, try utilizing the Rovers e-group to post a message and someone will steer you in the right direction. | back to top |
The trip coordinator would be able to answer this question for you. Usually the coordinator will meet with the group at a meeting prior to the event, or communicate via e-mail with details of the upcoming trip. Often there is information pertinent to the trip provided on the website for your convenience. Also, check the Downloads page frequently for sample packing lists, tips on gear, etc. | back to top |
The Rovers maintain a storage locker in St. Paul called the cage. This locker is stocked with all types of gear that members may check out to use for any trips they are going on. There are two members responsible for managing the check-in/check-out process at the cage. Usually if someone needs to borrow something from the cage, they can meet up with a cage person at one of the Tuesday meetings and ride over to the storage locker afterward. This is a great way to try different equipment without having to make a huge investment in gear right away. Please see the Member Perks page for more details | back to top |
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