Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using TrekFreely ("the Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Service.

2. Description of Service

TrekFreely is an outdoor safety and stewardship platform. The Service provides tools for trip planning, check-in scheduling, emergency contact dashboards, Search and Rescue (SAR) resources, educational content, and related features. The safety and stewardship features are provided free of charge — there are no premium tiers, paid upgrades, or freemium restrictions. TrekFreely also operates an optional merchandise shop and accepts voluntary donations to help sustain the project; neither is required to use the safety features. Purchases and donations are governed by Section 19 (Purchases and Donations).

3. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years of age to create an account or use the Service. If you are under 18, you represent that you have your parent or guardian's permission to use the Service. By using the Service, you represent and warrant that you meet these eligibility requirements.

4. User Accounts

• You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials and any passkey devices registered to your account.
• You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account.
• You must provide accurate and complete information when creating your account and keep it up to date.
• You must notify us promptly if you become aware of any unauthorized access to your account.
• You may delete your account at any time. Account data will be retained for 30 days as described in our Privacy Policy, then permanently deleted.

5. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable law.
• Submit false, misleading, or fraudulent trip plans, emergency contacts, or other information.
• Abuse the check-in or alert system by intentionally triggering false emergency escalations.
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service, other user accounts, or our infrastructure.
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service or its infrastructure.
• Scrape, crawl, or otherwise extract data from the Service in bulk.
• Use the Service to harass, stalk, or threaten any person.
• Impersonate another person or entity.

6. User Content

You retain ownership of all content you create on the Service, including trip plans, notes, and messages ("User Content"). By using the Service, you grant TrekFreely a limited license to store, process, and display your User Content solely as necessary to operate the Service and deliver its features to you and your designated contacts.

This license terminates when you delete your content or your account, subject to the data retention periods described in our Privacy Policy.

7. Intellectual Property

The Service, including its design, code, text, graphics, and other content created by TrekFreely (excluding User Content), is the property of TrekFreely and is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works of TrekFreely's proprietary content without our written permission.

8. Privacy

Your use of the Service is subject to our Privacy Policy, which describes how we collect, use, and protect your data. By using the Service, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the Privacy Policy.

9. Disclaimers

TrekFreely is not a substitute for emergency services. The Service does not replace calling 911, contacting Search and Rescue, or carrying appropriate safety equipment. The Service is a supplementary tool designed to support — not replace — established emergency response systems.

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

TrekFreely does not warrant that:

• The Service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free.
• Check-in reminders, alerts, or notifications will be delivered without delay.
• Location data from satellite communicators or other sources will be accurate or current.
• Weather, avalanche, fire, or stream gauge data will be accurate or current.
• SAR organization directory information will be accurate or current.
• The Service will meet your specific requirements.

For additional terms regarding outdoor activity risks and your responsibilities, see Section 10 (Assumption of Risk and Release).

10. Assumption of Risk and Release

(a) Inherent Risks of Outdoor Activities

You acknowledge and understand that outdoor recreation — including but not limited to hiking, backpacking, mountaineering, skiing, snowshoeing, climbing, paddling, off-roading, hunting, and all other backcountry activities — involves inherent and significant risks of serious injury, permanent disability, and death. These risks include but are not limited to: adverse weather conditions, avalanche, rockfall, falling, wildlife encounters, hypothermia, heat illness, dehydration, drowning, getting lost, equipment failure, and the remoteness of backcountry environments where professional rescue may be delayed or unavailable.

(b) Informational Tools Only

TrekFreely provides informational tools and educational resources to support your trip planning and outdoor safety preparedness. These tools — including trip planning features, check-in systems, weather and conditions data, SAR directory information, and educational content — are aids to your own judgment and planning. They do not constitute professional safety advice, professional guide services, route-finding services, or emergency response services.

(c) No Guarantee of Accuracy or Reliability

Information provided through the Service, including weather data, avalanche conditions, fire information, stream gauge data, trail conditions, SAR organization contact details, and any other conditions or resource data, may be inaccurate, incomplete, outdated, or unavailable at any time. You must independently verify all information critical to your safety before and during any outdoor activity.

(d) Your Sole Responsibility

You are solely and exclusively responsible for your own safety and the safety of anyone in your party when engaging in outdoor activities. This includes but is not limited to: assessing your own physical fitness and skill level for a given activity, evaluating current conditions in the field, carrying appropriate equipment and supplies, making real-time decisions in the field, knowing when to turn back, and having contingency plans that do not depend on TrekFreely or any technology.

(e) Trip Plans Are Not Safety Guarantees

Creating a trip plan on TrekFreely does not make a trip safe. A trip plan is a communication and organizational tool. It does not validate the safety of a route, confirm that conditions are suitable for your activity, or ensure that help will arrive if something goes wrong. You use trip planning tools entirely at your own risk.

(f) Assumption of Risk

By using the Service, you voluntarily assume all risks associated with your outdoor activities, including risks arising from any reliance on information, tools, or features provided by TrekFreely. You acknowledge that TrekFreely has no control over the conditions you encounter in the field and no ability to ensure your safety.

(g) Release of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, you release and forever discharge TrekFreely, its owners, officers, volunteers, contributors, and affiliates from any and all claims, demands, causes of action, damages, losses, and liabilities of any kind — whether known or unknown, foreseen or unforeseen — arising out of or related to your outdoor activities, your use of information or tools provided by the Service, or any trip planned, organized, or undertaken using the Service. This release applies regardless of whether the claim arises from negligence, errors or omissions in the Service, service interruptions or failures, inaccurate data, or any other cause.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, TrekFreely, its volunteers, contributors, and affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, use, or goodwill, arising out of or related to your use of or inability to use the Service.

Because the Service is provided at no cost, TrekFreely's total liability for any claim arising out of or related to these Terms or the Service shall not exceed one hundred U.S. dollars ($100.00).

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless TrekFreely, its volunteers, contributors, and affiliates from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to your use of the Service, your outdoor activities undertaken in connection with or informed by the Service, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any rights of another person or entity.

13. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice. You may terminate your account at any time by deleting it through the Service.

Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately. Sections 9 (Disclaimers), 10 (Assumption of Risk and Release), 11 (Limitation of Liability), 12 (Indemnification), 14 (Governing Law), and 15 (Dispute Resolution) survive termination.

14. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Colorado, United States, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any legal proceedings arising out of or relating to these Terms shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Colorado.

15. Dispute Resolution

Before filing any legal claim, you agree to attempt to resolve the dispute informally by contacting us at contact@trekfreely.org. We will attempt to resolve the dispute informally within 30 days. If the dispute is not resolved within 30 days, either party may proceed with formal legal action in accordance with the Governing Law section above.

16. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

17. Modifications to Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. If we make material changes, we will notify you via email if you have an account. Your continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

18. SMS Terms

These SMS Terms govern the TrekFreely text-messaging program and supplement these Terms of Service.

• Program & messages: TrekFreely sends two kinds of text message, and only to people who have opted in: (1) sign-in verification codes for two-factor authentication, and (2) trip-safety status alerts (for example, an overdue-trip notice) to the account holder and to emergency contacts the account holder designates and confirms they have permission to message. We do not send marketing or promotional text messages.
• Opting in: You opt in by providing a mobile number and agreeing on a TrekFreely form (account settings, SMS two-factor enrollment, or the emergency-contact form). Consent is never a condition of creating or using a TrekFreely account.
• Message frequency: Message frequency varies.
• Cost: Message and data rates may apply. Such charges are set by your mobile carrier, not TrekFreely.
• Opting out: Reply STOP, END, UNSUBSCRIBE, or CANCEL to any message to stop receiving texts. We will send a single confirmation and no further messages, except that one-time verification codes you request remain available. Reply START to opt back in.
• Help: Reply HELP for help, or contact our customer care team at contact@trekfreely.org.
• Carriers: Mobile carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
• Privacy: How we handle mobile information is described in our Privacy Policy. Mobile opt-in information is never shared with or sold to third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes.

19. Purchases and Donations

(a) Merchandise

TrekFreely operates an optional merchandise shop. Prices are listed in U.S. dollars and may change at any time. Applicable taxes are calculated and added at checkout where required. Orders are subject to availability, and we may cancel and fully refund an order if an item is unavailable or if we identify a pricing or listing error.

(b) Payment

Payments for merchandise and donations are processed by Stripe. By placing an order or making a donation, you agree to Stripe's terms and authorize the charge. TrekFreely does not receive or store your full payment card details.

(c) Shipping

Merchandise is shipped within the United States via the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to the address you provide. Where shipping is not marked as free, shipping charges are calculated at checkout and paid by the customer. You are responsible for providing an accurate, complete shipping address; we are not responsible for orders delayed or lost due to an incorrect address. Risk of loss passes to you upon delivery of the item to the carrier. Delivery time estimates are not guaranteed.

(d) Returns, Exchanges, and Refunds

• Defective, damaged, or incorrect items: If your item arrives defective, damaged, or is not what you ordered, contact us within 30 days of delivery for a replacement or a full refund, including any shipping you paid, at no cost to you.
• Change-of-mind returns: You may request a return or exchange of unused items in their original condition within 30 days of delivery. For change-of-mind returns, return shipping is paid by the customer, and original outbound shipping charges are non-refundable.
• Refunds: Approved refunds are issued to your original payment method through Stripe once we receive the returned item. Refunds may take several business days to appear depending on your bank or card issuer.
• Order cancellation: To cancel an order before it ships, contact us as soon as possible. Once an order has shipped, the return process above applies.

(e) Donations

Donations to TrekFreely are voluntary and support the ongoing operation of the platform. TrekFreely is a registered nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization (tax identification number 42-2047209) under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law; we send a written acknowledgement for every donation, and you should consult a tax professional about your own situation. Donations are non-refundable, except in the case of a duplicate or clearly erroneous charge, which we will refund on request.

(f) Contact for orders

For questions about an order, return, or donation, contact contact@trekfreely.org.

20. Contact

For questions about these Terms:

• Email: contact@trekfreely.org

TrekFreely
Colorado, United States