Whenever you plan to go on a hike, especially if you're coordinating or leading it, you put yourself in a position of having to make the tough decisions. There are many that you need to face as you approach and then start the hike.

The first one is who goes with you. Do they have the needed skills? Can the do the hike? If you're in a position of leading public hikes, this can be a difficult thing to figure out. You have to ask the questions and dig into their responses to determine if they will be a good fit for your hike. You also need to set expectations for the hike, and they need to be realistic. What is the pace going to be, what equipment will be needed/used, how long do you expect to be out, what is your turnaround time? Vetting the other hikers is an important thing to do before you agree to let them hike with you.

The next thing you will face is the weather. Is the weather going to be good for hiking, will it be good enough to get the challenge done, but not necessarily good views, etc., will it be dangerous to do, and can it be pushed back to a different day? Here I'm talking about the stuff that you can predict like temperature, winds, storm systems, etc. and not things like pop-up thunder storms. If there's a storm system coming in, will it be worth it for the group to hike? It may be if the group is working to a challenge and the destination isn't exposed. It may not be worth it though if you need to do things like cross rivers that can rise and cut you off.

In the winter, temperature and wind play a big part of why you may want to cancel a hike. If you are going to have significantly cold wind chills, or your high temperature is going to be below 0 F, you probably want to reconsider the hike. My personal lines in the snow are sub zero F highs and winds over 50 mph. If I am going to struggle to stand on the peak, especially a peak that may be icy, it's not worth it to me. Similarly, if I need to wear all my layers just to stay alive, it's no longer fun. I have no issue hiking in single digit F temps, I hike hot, and I may just keep my fleece on instead of removing it 30 min into the hike, but that is me. You have to think of yourself and your group. When you start getting to these extreme temps, you very likely will start having people drop out from the hike.

The other winter concern is can you get to the trailhead, or are the roads too bad. The day after a storm comes through is a great day to go hiking, you may end up breaking trail, but it is often a beautiful day out in the woods. The problem is getting to the trailhead. If you're going to be leaving home 3 hours earlier, and the roads are covered in snow or ice, the drive in can be nerve wracking and can ruin your entire hike. You can also find that nobody can make the original start time, and some may go on before you get there, or you may leave people behind after waiting for them to show up. Last minute cancellations are very common when this happens and if you don't have reception at the trailhead you may not know about it until you are home.

Then you start the hike. Things may change when hiking. The worst could happen and someone gets injured cutting the hike short. Individuals may run into issues where they are just not able to complete the hike. I am one that has had to turn around because my body just tells me that it isn't my day and I can't get my heart rate under control. It royally sucks, but I also know enough to turn around. When one person needs to drop out, you run into judgement calls as to what to do. Is it safe for them to head back out, or do they need a second person to go with them? This is a judgement call and there is no set answer for this. If they have extensive solo hiking experience, the needed maps, etc., and we didn't cross any kind of dangerous terrain on the way in, I wouldn't have any issue letting them go alone. Less experienced, or we crossed some questionable terrain on the way in, I'd insist on a second person, or the whole group turns around. Ideally, you never hike alone. If you do end up hiking alone, you should have some kind of satellite communications in the event you need help.

We now come to what is probably the most consequential decision you will ever have to make, the turnaround time. I discuss this elsewhere. Turning around when you're only a few hundred feet from your destination is a horrible feeling. It brings up a lot of disappointment through the group. It is also one of the most important things you can do. Turning around, even when that close, can result in huge differences in exit times. That extra 30 min reaching the peak could mean another 2 or 3 hours on the exit. It could be the difference between exiting feeling good or bonking/hitting the wall on the way out. It's a tough thing to do, but it is the most responsible thing to do.

Finally, when you get back to the car, can everyone get home. I have seen it where people were so wiped out, due to bonking on the way out and not taking care of their own nutrition on the trail, that it was concerning that they might consider driving home. In that case, they didn't, they ate and slept in their car a bit before heading off. One needs to be ready to assist the other hikers in getting to a safe place to rest. it may mean you carpool back to their house and figure out how to get them back to their car when rested, maybe you work with them to get local lodging for the night. Just like the hike itself where everyone needs to get back to their car safely, everyone needs to get back home safely too.