I have say that I agree with this line of thinking. If you're in a leadership position, you should take responsibility for your group by either learning the basics, including safety, of the activities your going to be doing or by recruiting someone who does. Learn to be a safe guide or hire someone who is.

That said, I'll bet this group, leader included, thought they were simply going for a nature walk. How complicated should walking be? Yes, we ETSers know better, but a good chunk of the population, leaders included, don't see the potential risks in a simple walk. The problem isñ't that they're poor leaders, but that they don't know what they don't know, and as long as nothing ever goes wrong or they don't see their EXACT scenario in someone else's plight, they never will.