New Hikers | Experienced Hikers | Trail Angels

CONNECTING THE LONG- DISTANCE HIKING COMMUNITY

ON AND OFF TRAIL

“THRU-r” = SHORT FOR “THRU-HIKER

A SPACE TO CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER & THE TRAIL

MEET OTHER THRU-rs

The best part of the trail is the people you meet along the way. This platform is an effective tool to connect with other long-distance hikers (“THRU-rs”) and Trail Angels before, during, and after trail.

ACCESS BASED ON HIKING EXPERIENCE

Our approval based membership focuses on actual THRU-rs hiking (or planning to hike) 100 continuous miles or more. Many of our hikers have – or plan to – hike hundreds or thousands of miles in one go. Looking at you PCT, CDT, AT, and JMT hikers (and the list goes on!).

CONNECT TO HIKERS NEAR YOU VIA THE THRU-r MAP

Our THRU-r Map (or Member Map) allows approved members to view other THRU-rs in their area and beyond. Connect with hikers for a quick chat, online or in person meetups, or find a Trail Angel near the trail to coordinate with, etc.

DISCUSS TRAIL TOPICS IN OUR HIKER FEED + EVENTS

Connect with hikers and Trail Angels, discuss gear, trail food and more through our hiker feed and during exclusive events. Because our members are all vetted – you know the information you receive is from long distance hikers like you.

FIND FRIENDS + PRIVATE MESSAGE

Connect with others in a similar way you would on social media: Add friends, private message, and group chat. Our site offers thru-hiker specific connections – so it’s a more exclusive community with more quality information: Long-distance hiker to long-distance hiker.

FREE!

The best part…. majority of our memberships are free! We certainly didn’t want to create a barrier to connect – and are paying it forward to the hiking community. All you have to do is meet the 100 continuous mile requirement and sign up. Our goal for creating this space is to connect you to other THRU-rs and help lift-up the hiking community. Thank you for being here!

Building the THRU-r community

An excerpt from founder, Carol Coyne or “Cheer” on the long-distance hiking community and building THRU-r:

“On trail, we all looked out for each other and lent a hand when needed. We shared joy. Reveled at the remote and beautiful scenery that only a portion of the population gets to witness. Laughed at the ridiculous scenarios we found ourselves in (and there were many). We connected on deeper levels than most of our relationships in the “default world.” This wasn’t quick office banter at the coffee machine – these were some of the most meaningful relationships hikers ever form, on or off trail.

We celebrate, and also dread, the end. Finishing a long trail is bittersweet and many hikers can’t put what they are feeling into words. “Happy” and “sad” come up in the same sentence. A huge accomplishment of hiking thousands of miles through beautiful – and sometimes rough – conditions is spiked with a deep longing for it to go on forever. To hike with the people you’ve come to see as family every day, to witness nature in all of her beauty, to have the goal of making it to Canada one step at a time – gone.    

After trail, many hikers experience a condition called Post Trail Depression.  I’ve heard hikers of past years say that, even though they went back to their normal life after trail – they thought about their long-distance hike(s) every day. Not a day went by where they wouldn’t think about their experiences from trail.

While I was going through post trail depression myself after the PCT, I couldn’t accept that my trail life would just drop off. “How could I just let this go?”

The answer? I couldn’t.

This was the greatest thing that happened in my life, and I wanted to keep the bonds to the trail community alive. Problem was, there weren’t many effective ways to do that. No tools existed beyond Facebook – which is a little clunky to use and was open to the public (so many people in these groups weren’t actually long-distance hikers). This wasn’t enough to support our community in the ways I – an experienced hiker – desired.

So there was only one solution I came up with:

I’m going to have to build it myself, and I’m going to have the trail community build it with me.” 

Carol Coyne, THRU-r Founder

ARE YOU A THRU-r?

THRU-r is a long-distance hiking community for hikers who have hiked or are planning to hike beyond a weekend backpacking trip. There is no official definition of what a long-distance hike is, but we define it as a 100 mile continuous hike or longer. Some of our hikers are Triple Crowners, and others have pieced together longer section hikes over years with sections of the PCT, AT, CDT, etc. Many of our hikers have hiked hundreds or thousands of miles.

If you fit into this category we invite you to apply to be a part of the community! Our core offerings are free (count that as our Trail Angel duty to the long-distance hiking community) which include our hiker map, hiker feed and more. Starting in 2024, you can also choose to level-up to our “Hiker Pro” membership with exclusive content, access to educational materials, exclusive private events, special guest Q&A’s, and much more!

BECOME A THRU-r MEMBER

On and off trail – long-distance hikers are family. In the spirit of paying it forward, we offer a variety of FREE memberships based on experience (and will also be offering upgrade options in 2024).

Although FREE, our memberships are specifically for hikers who have hiked – or are planning to hike  – 100 miles or more in one trip. We go through every application and will approve membership based on these parameters.

Our community rules include treating and respecting each other as we do on trail: With kindness, understanding, and supportive words and actions. Anyone who does otherwise will be removed. We all watch out for each other on trail and expect our members to do the same. Thank you!

FREE

NEW HIKERJUST GETTING YOUR FEET DIRTY
  • Hiker Profile
  • Hiker Feed Posting
  • Direct Messaging
  • Friend Requests
  • THRU-Map & Directory
  • Event List

FREE

EXPERIENCED HIKERYOU'VE WALKED MANY A MILE
  • Hiker Profile
  • Hiker Feed Posting
  • Direct Messaging
  • Friend Requests
  • THRU-Map & Directory
  • Event List

FREE

TRAIL ANGELHELPING ALL OF THOSE ON TRAIL
  • Trail Angel Profile
  • Hiker Feed View
  • Direct Messaging
  • Friend Requests
  • THRU-Map & Directory
  • Event List

LEVEL-UP YOUR THRU-r MEMBERSHIP

$200

HIKER PROUPGRADE WITH ADDITIONAL FEATURES
  • All Standard Membership Benefits
  • Participation In Exclusive Panels
  • Private Meetups
  • Access To Educational Materials
  • In Person Event Early Access

FREE

TRAIL TEAMARE YOU HIKING A LONG TRAIL IN 2024? JOIN OUR TRAIL CORRESPONDENT TEAM!
  • Website Feature
  • Instagram Features
  • Podcast Features
  • Team Support
  • Trail Team Meetup Access
  • Ambassador Opportunities

LAUNCHING 2024

BACKPACKER COURSECREATED WITH BEGINNERS IN MIND
  • Education For Those Who Are Just Starting
  • Tips & Tricks From Hikers Who Have Walked Thousands Of Miles
  • For Hikers, By Hikers

So, it’s your first time.

You’ve done those weekend backpacking trips and a few weeklong overnights. But now you are committed. You are going to become a THRU-r.

We are here to help.

#THRUTRUTH: Best Tips for a First Time THRU-Hiker

Before heading out on a thru-hike, many questions pop up on how best to prepare. Where do I store my food? How do I filter water? How do I get from point A to point B? What is the best gear to buy? Here at THRU-r, we’ve had these questions ourselves and have heard many others with the same questions. Click the link below for our best tips for the first time THRU-hiker to get things started.

Leave No Trace

A must to preserve the trails we know, use, and love. Pack everything out! Visit the Leave No Trace Center for more.

Navigation

Far Out (formerly known as “Guthook”) is the way to go if you’re heading out on many of the long trails in the USA. Almost every long distance hiker uses this app, because it is so easy to use. 

Gear

Make sure to get out and test your gear ahead of time – by way of shakedown hikes – to make sure everything works for you. 

THRU-r RESOURCES FOR BEGINNERS

Our site and community focuses specifically on the long- distance hiker however if you are new to backpacking we do have a few resources to get you started.

If you are a hiker interested in backpacking shorter distances, we invite you to check out our blog, podcast and YouTube channel. You can also sign up for our Beginner Backpacker course – with tried and true advice from experienced long distance hikers (launching in 2024!). If you’re interested in upleveling to longer hikes, take advantage of our free offerings including hiker meetups, our podcast recordings, and our YouTube videos.

Map

#TrailLove

become a trail angel

Interested in helping out your fellow THRU-r? Join our community as a Trail Angel or become a Virtual Trail Angel!

count your calories

Want some tips on what to take on the trail?

And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.” 

– john muir 

trail friends.

 

Connect with other hikers who thrive on trail life… just like you.

view inspired.

 

A bit of trail eye candy to get you stoked for that next single track.

A huge thank you to our sponsors and partners!

All of our sponsors play an integral role in connecting the long-distance hiking community by facilitating community growth, providing hiker education, and outfitting our teams.

More than an outdoor company. Nature wants to be explored. Gear up and get into it knowing that these products have been tested and chosen by those who count on serious protection on the trail all day long.

Thank you to SAWYER who is outfitting our ambassador team with trail gear.