After the 11-year-old Pathfinder closes out the regular Companion, the natural question comes up: and now, what can be done without waiting for next year? The answer has a name of its own — Companion of Hiking, nicknamed by many people "Companion of Excursion."
It is the advanced class that corresponds to the Companion. "Advanced," here, does not mean the class of an older age — it means a deepening of the same stage, at the same age, with its own card, extra requirements and a well-defined focus: hiking, that is, the art of walking and camping with autonomy.
This article explains what this class is, from what age it is done, what it asks for beyond the regular one and who evaluates and approves the investiture. We will always separate three things: what is official rule of the South American Division (SAD), what varies from club to club — and who decides — and the principle behind the rule. Data verified on 07/22/2026 from the official sources listed at the end.
What is the Companion of Hiking class?
First, the name. In the SAD's official class program the class is called Companion of Hiking. "Companion of Excursion" is how many people say it day to day — it is the same class, with no difference in content. If you look for the official card, search for "Hiking."
Each regular Pathfinder class has a sister advanced class, for the same age. The Companion's is the Companion of Hiking. Just as the Friend has the Friend of Nature and the Explorer has the Explorer of Fields and Forests, the Companion has its advanced class focused on hiking — the word that sums up walking, orienting yourself and camping with preparation, carrying on your back what you need.
Two things not to confuse right off the bat. The advanced class is not the next year's class: whoever does Companion of Hiking at 11 is not getting a head start on the Explorer of age 12. And the advanced class has its own card — it is not a handful of extra requirements stamped onto the regular card, it is a separate document, with its own investiture space.
In practice, it is the way forward for the Pathfinder who did the regular class and wants more within their own age, instead of standing still waiting to turn 12.
From what age is the advanced class done?
Eleven years — the same age as the regular Companion. The SAD's official guidelines ask, for the Companion, "to be at least 11 years of age" and to be an active member of the club. The advanced class runs in the same range.
This knocks down a common misunderstanding: the advanced class is not for the older ones. It is for the same 11-year-old Pathfinder, in the same year, deepening the stage they are already in. Whoever does Companion can do Companion of Hiking without waiting for anything.
The age cut-off rule that organizes all the classes applies: whoever has a birthday through June starts in the class of the age they will turn that year; whoever has a birthday in the second half of the year stays at the current age. The full list is in which class to do at each age. This is what tells you whether the Pathfinder is in the Companion — and, therefore, whether they can take on the Companion of Hiking.
A detail of the official system: on the grouped classes card, made for those who joined the club late, the Companion of Hiking appears in the columns for 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 years or older. In other words, a Pathfinder who joined at 14 and is catching up on earlier classes also passes through that advanced class within the grouped card. But, in the normal flow, the reference age is 11.
What does the advanced class ask for that the regular does not?
Here is the heart of the class. The Companion of Hiking starts from everything the regular Companion already requires — spiritual discovery, serving others, health, nature study, the art of camping — and adds a block of requirements bearing the mark of hiking.
The written official layer, without getting into the card's answers, revolves around:
- One mandatory trail honor: Backpacking. It is the requirement that gives the class its name and the most characteristic one — planning and completing an overnight hike, carrying your own equipment.
- One more honor not yet earned, chosen in areas such as household arts, science and health, missionary and community activities or agricultural activities.
- Field and service activity: preparing a meal over a fire during a club or unit campout, spending time serving the community and taking part in a project that benefits the church or the neighborhood.
- Christian life and citizenship in greater depth — topics such as the meaning of the Pledge, the national flag and care for one's neighbor.
We will not reproduce the card's answer key here — the answers are part of the Pathfinder's work with the instructor. The point to keep is the size: the advanced class is a whole card, with at least two honors and a real hiking activity. It is not a five-line appendix.
The layer that varies: how these requirements fit into the calendar is the club's decision. Some clubs run the regular class in the first half of the year and the advanced one in the second; some run both in parallel. The overnight hike depends on that club's campout schedule that year. None of this is a violation — it is internal organization, defined by the leadership with the instructor.
Read alsoPioneer of New FrontiersDo I need to finish the regular Companion before the advanced class?
The practical rule for most clubs is to close out the regular class first, or leave it well advanced, and then release the advanced one. But notice the difference between rule and custom: the official guidelines place the advanced class at the same age as the regular one and do not publish any text requiring the regular to be 100% completed for the advanced one to start. When a club releases both at the same time, it is a leadership decision, not a rule broken.
A relief for those in a hurry: the advanced class is not a prerequisite for the class of the following age. At age 12 the Pathfinder does Explorer even without having done the Companion of Hiking at 11. The advanced class blocks nothing ahead.
This can give the impression that it is "optional and dispensable." Be careful. The Pathfinder Club Administrative Manual (2020 edition, SAD) is direct in saying that it is the club's function to teach the requirements of the regular and advanced classes throughout the year. That is: the advanced class is optional for the Pathfinder to move up in age, but it is not an extra the club can simply choose not to offer. And, as we will see, it carries weight further down the line for those who want to reach leadership.
So, summarizing the three layers of this question: the rule does not require the regular class closed first; the practice of most clubs is to close it first, and it is the leadership with the instructor who decides the pace; the principle is that the advanced class deepens the same stage, it does not run ahead of it.
Who evaluates and who approves the advanced class investiture?
Here many people get the recipient of the request wrong — and take a "no" from someone who never even had the power to say "yes." The rule applies to the regular and advanced classes, and it is the same.
The class instructor accompanies the Pathfinder and signs requirement by requirement on the card. But the final evaluation and the approval of the investiture are not the club's: the Administrative Manual (2020 ed.) treats this as the "exclusive function of the regionals, and of the Districts when authorized by them." It is the Regional — or the District authorized by them — who does the overall evaluation of the card and signs the final part reserved for it, and the investiture ceremony is also officiated by them.
There is a deadline that saves sleepless nights: this evaluation must happen at least three weeks in advance of the ceremony, precisely to allow time to fix any pending items. Leaving it to the eve is the surefire way for the Pathfinder not to go up at the investiture.
In the regular and advanced classes there is no "portfolio" — a portfolio (or Virtual Card in the SGC) is a requirement of the leadership classes, from age 16, with a different flow and longer deadlines. For the Companion of Hiking what counts is the signed card.
A note on the reading requirement: a requirement is not forever. OMD 021/2024, published on 12/17/2024, changed the recommended books for four classes — Companion, Pioneer, Excursionist and Guide — and determined that, from 2026, only the new books count to fulfill the requirement. If the reading is still pending, confirm which book counts today before chasing after the old one. And remember: the official record of classes and honors lives in the SGC, the SAD's system — no other tool replaces it.
Does the Companion of Hiking go on the grouped classes card?
It does — and that is the route for those who came to the club late. For those who started after age 10, the SAD created the grouped classes card, which brings together, by age, the requirements from the Friend up to the class of the current age — and the corresponding advanced classes are included in that package.
This means a 13- or 14-year-old Pathfinder who just joined can go through the Companion of Hiking within the grouped card, without having done the Companion "at the right time." The grouped card rules, however, are strict on purpose: the card can be used only once in the Pathfinder's life, has a start date, an end date and a single investiture space, and the club cannot adopt it as the official program for everyone.
If the Pathfinder is at the right age — 11 years, in the Companion, with no gaps behind — they do not use the grouped card: they do the regular and the advanced class normally, each with its own card. The grouped card is a remedy for late entry, not a shortcut for those already on track.
Why is it worth doing the advanced class?
Before being a requirement, the advanced class is an opportunity. The principle behind it is simple: to give the 11-year-old Pathfinder more depth within their own age, instead of pushing them into a class that is not yet theirs.
That is why the path for those who want to do more is not to skip a class — it is precisely the advanced class of their age, added to honors beyond the minimum and more responsibility in the unit. The Companion of Hiking, with its hit-the-trail hike and the backpacking honor, delivers exactly the kind of challenge this age group loves: real camping, carrying your own weight, serving someone and coming back more capable.
And there is a very concrete reason not to leave the advanced classes by the wayside: whoever intends to reach Master Guide will need all of them. The SAD's leadership program requires the full set of advanced classes further ahead. Doing the Companion of Hiking at 11 is starting to build that record early, without a future rush.
Closing the three layers again: the rule offers the advanced class at the same age as the regular one and requires it further ahead for leadership; the practice of how and when to do it belongs to the club; the principle is to deepen, not to advance early. No one has ever regretted having done more within their own age group.