Using resources from the Outdoor Leader Handbook, you and your co-Leader planned an activity and posted it on outdoors.org. The trip is full and you know it’s going to be great!
The day of the trip arrives. You & your co-Leader meet the group at the designated spot. Before getting underway, you provide introductions, share the overall plan, and ask everyone to sign the liability waiver. Just before leaving the meeting area, someone asks, “Is there a bathroom [along the route, at the lunch spot, at the end of the day, etc.]?”
For example, if leading a Family Outings activity, is a restroom facility easily accessible? By sharing this information in a trip description and at the start of the trip, you can ease concerns about what to do in the case of an emergency (i.e., a child saying “I need to use the bathroom NOW!”).
Considerations: Are mobility issues a concern? Do the bathroom facilities have gender-neutral labels? Do people know what to do if there isn’t a bathroom and they have to poop or pee? What about menstruation?
For additional reading and resources, here is another great article from the AMC archive.