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Help Notes
The following will provide help in organizing the First Class Journey. In addition to the Journey Supervisor, you need to appoint a Home Base Contact. In the event of any difficulties or mishaps, the Contact provides a local emergency contact point in case of injuries or if the an emergency evacuation needs to be organized. In the event of a late return home, parents can be advised by the Home Base Contact thereby preventing unnecessary worry.
Equipment
Clothing, footwear and equipment should be suitable for the activity and environment in which it is to be used and generally conforms to current accepted practice. The equipment must be capable of resisting the worst weather for, in the event of a serious deterioration in conditions, safety may well depend on it being able to withstand the prevailing conditions.
Personal Emergency Equipment
The following equipment must be carried: Maps, Compass, Watch, Flashlight, First aid kit, Whistle, Money for the phone, Notebook and Pencil, Spare fleece sweater, and Waterproof jacket. If the journey is in the wilderness, the following additions must be carried: 8' x 10' tarp, 50' of Para cord, 4 Bungee cords, Matches, Emergency rations, Extra non-cotton warm clothing, Extra flashlight batteries and bulbs. The weight of personal gear carried by members of the group must not exceed one quarter of their body weight.
Training and Practice Journeys
These should include training in safety procedures, first aid, navigation, camp craft, country code, observation, bear proofing a campsite, and keeping a logbook. There should be at least two practice journeys and an adult leader should accompany them, they should not be over the same route as the actual journey, but one similar, and the practice journey's should include one or more nights camping.
Home Base
There must be a Home Base, to which the participants can make telephone contact during the journey, and a Journey Supervisor appointed, who must be in the vicinity of the journey to ensure the safety of the group. The Supervisor should make daily contact with the group.
Numbers
A minimum of four and a maximum of seven members must undertake the journey. It is not necessary for the entire group to be under assessment, but all must be properly equipped and be capable of undertaking the journey. Each member taking the test will report independently.
Planning
This should be a joint activity between those members taking the test, and approved by the Scouter. A route card for each day must be filled in, containing distances, timings, check points; and in wilderness areas, alternative bad weather routes and escape routes must be included for each leg. A copy of this route card, along with a good quality tracing of the route, must be supplied to the Journey Supervisor and the home base. The route card and tracing will enable any rescue team to locate the group quickly if an emergency occurs.
When compiling a route card candidates will find the following notes helpful:
 | Always start each day early in the morning. This reduces the chance of being overtaken by darkness. |
| Allow 15 minutes for each mile or kilometer of horizontal or downward distance to be covered. |
| Allow 1 hour for every 1/4 mile or 1,500 feet (460 meters) of height to be climbed. |
| Add 10 minutes each hour for a break, or allow recovery time if your progress is slower than expected. Timing should take place on practice journeys and the above rule will adjust to suit. |
| Other allowances will include the physical fitness of all participants and any prevailing weather conditions. Remember, you can travel only as fast as the slowest member of the group. |
Journey Log
The logbook should be headed with the date and where the journey was to and from, following by the general weather conditions and the map used. The logbook should not be an essay. The logbook should give an account in note form of what was seen and done. It should be illustrated to some degree. The logbook should be given structure by the inclusion of the map tracing and route cards. The types of trees, plants, crops, animals, and insects found along the way, along with anything unusual seen, should be included in the logbook. The use of photographs is encouraged.
The following information should be carried in your map case with your map:
Procedure in the event of becoming lost:
| STOP. Locate your last known position on the map. |
| Estimate the time elapsed since you were at this known location and make a calculated guess of the direction you have been traveling. |
| From this information it should be possible to calculate the distance covered and hence possible to locate an approximate position on the map. |
| NOTE: If you can identify two landmarks on the map then providing you can in fact use these, perform a resection. |
Procedure in the event of an accident:
| Stop. |
| Administer First Aid. |
| Two people contact home base. |
| Two people remain with the injured person. |
| Keep the injured person warm. |
| Erect a tent or tarp for added protection. |
| Give warm nourishment, if appropriate. |
When contacting home base the reporter must give the following information:
| Their name and group. | ||||
| Their present position (4 figure grid reference). | ||||
| The position of the injured person (4 figure grid reference). | ||||
| The nature of the injuries. | ||||
| Contact the following adult leaders in case of emergency:
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