TCT Trailblazers: Our Thru-Hiker Support Program

Announcing the Class of 2025

Past thru-hikers have found the Trailblazers program helpful for planning and executing a thru-hike, so we’re running the TCT Trailblazers for a fourth consecutive year. As the trail continues to grow in length and popularity, we’re eager to support hikers to have the best experience possible.

If you join us, we’ll help get you ready to tackle the TCT by offering:

• A TCT hikers’ community: You’ll get access to our private Slack channel, where hikers can ask questions of each other and members of the TCT Hikers’ Board (who are former TCT hikers themselves), meet potential hiking partners, organize meetups, and share photos and experiences.
• GPX tracks and resources: You’ll receive access to the most up-to-date version of the routes and trail notes, including some preliminary draft versions. 
• Support for individual questions: Although the bulk of conversations will happen in the group Slack channel, for personal or individual questions, the Hikers’ Board will also be available through Slack DM.
• Updates throughout the summer: We will keep you posted throughout the summer with updates that could affect your hike, such as route updates, trail closures, and other important information. We’ll also keep you posted on our trail work locations, so you can hopefully meet some crews out in the field!

This route has only become a reality thanks to the community of hikers, donors, partner organizations, and volunteers who have given time and resources to the TCT over the years. If you’re the kind of person who wants to test a brand-new route through the mountains, we’re guessing you’re also the kind of person who also cares about contributing to the trail community. So with that in mind, here’s how we invite you to help shape the TCT’s future:

• Support our work: For all hikers who are able, we ask you to join as a TCTA member. Since we’re a tiny organization, membership contributions and donations are what make it possible for us to dedicate time to provide this level of hiker support, as well as supporting trail building and maintenance to continually improve the trail. We don’t want finances to be a barrier to hiking the trail for anyone, so membership is strongly suggested rather than mandatory. But please do consider honestly whether, if you are taking time off work and coming to a new country to hike, if you can afford to support the work that makes the trail possible. 
  
• Help your fellow hikers: The Slack channel is a great forum to share updates from the trail that can help each other out, such as water sources that may have dried up, good campsites, and other tips. We encourage you to contribute to this community throughout and after your hike.
• Give us feedback: We want to hear your thoughts on the hiking experience! You can help us better prepare future hikers and make changes where needed by letting us know about your experience and what else you think future hikers should know before they attempt the TCT.
• Share your story: We’d love to share your experience of the journey with the TCT audience. Send us your photos, tag us / add us as a collaborator on your social media posts (@transcaucasiantrail on IG), pitch us your blog post ideas, and let us know what other creative ideas you have and how we can help.
• Spread the word: One of the main goals of the trail is to increase awareness of the Caucasus’ rich natural and cultural heritage—and to encourage more people to come explore it responsibly. We hope you’ll fall in love with the region like we have, and help us get the word out to more hikers around the world.