I generally guide hikes when I'm with others because I'm usually the one who maps them out, but I don't always hike up front. If the group is more than 3-4 hikers (not including me) or there are any kids or newbies along I'll usually take the follow up position so I can keep my eye on how everyone is doing.

I don't mind following at all though. It's nice to follow someone who knows an area and gladly takes the lead. Let's me relax more.

One of the great things about hiking with others is that they often see things I miss, and sometimes it's pretty cool stuff I've missed. This has happened while covering ground I've covered before, sometimes ground I've hiked a lot.

Once I was hiking with a friend while we were hunting for points (arrowheads). The guy has some incredible vision. His eyes even look like "Eagle Eyes". He was in front and we were both just meandering along a river bank with him about 100 ft in front of me. He stopped for a bit and when I caught up to him he asked if I'd seen any points. I told him "No, not yet."

He looked at me with his eagle eyes and said "Sometimes it's like there's a big circle around them with an arrow pointing to it." I replied "Yeah, don't I wish."

So then he says, "Well, it happens", then he sort of looks down, scuffs his feet a bit on the ground, and continues "You just have to let yourself see them", and then scuffs his feet again while looking back down. So I look down too and there right between us is a big arrow drawn in the sand pointing to a thick circle between our feet with a pristine arrowhead stuck in the middle of it.

People with eagle eyes can be a little bumptious sometimes.