Trailhead

Trailhead — connector documentation

• MCP endpoint: https://trailhead.connectorbay.com/mcp
• REST API: POST https://trailhead.connectorbay.com/v1/tools/{tool_name}, described by the OpenAPI 3.1 spec at https://trailhead.connectorbay.com/openapi.json
• Transport: Streamable HTTP, stateless, MCP specification 2025-06-18 or later
• Authentication: none required. An optional Authorization: Bearer <key> raises rate limits.
• Health: https://trailhead.connectorbay.com/health · Tool schemas: https://trailhead.connectorbay.com/tools.json
• Publisher: Unify Dynamics LLC · connectorbay.com/trailhead · agent@connectorbay.com

What Trailhead is for

The gear and safety questions that come up before and during every hike — what should be in my pack, how long do I actually need to boil water, what does a "moderate" trail rating really mean, what are the symptoms of altitude sickness, how much should my backpack weigh — answered from one fully local hiking and backpacking reference, without a scroll through ten different blog posts.

What it does

ten_essentials_checklist lists the well-known "Ten Essentials" hiking safety list (navigation, headlamp, sun protection, first aid, knife, fire, shelter, extra food, extra water, extra clothes) with a note on each. layering_system_guide covers the standard three-layer clothing system — a moisture-wicking base layer, an insulating mid layer, and a waterproof/windproof outer shell. water_treatment_guide explains one backcountry water-treatment method (boiling, filtering via pump/gravity/squeeze, chemical treatment via iodine/chlorine dioxide, or UV) or all four, including boiling-time guidance at elevation, and relative effectiveness and tradeoffs. trail_difficulty_guide covers the general criteria behind easy/moderate/strenuous ratings, the NPS/Shenandoah-style distance-and-elevation formula, and clarifies that the Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) actually rates climbing/scrambling terrain technicality rather than overall hiking effort — a common point of confusion. altitude_sickness_guide covers general symptoms and prevention, and explicitly points toward descending and/or seeking medical care for worsening symptoms. pack_weight_guide gives base-weight guidance (traditional vs. ultralight) and computes how added food weight scales with trip length. navigation_basics_guide is a map-and-compass fundamentals overview. wildlife_safety_guide covers food storage in bear country and snake/tick awareness. trail_glossary defines common trail terms.

What it is not

Not general travel packing — for airline baggage rules, a trip-type packing list, or a document checklist, see the sibling Packlist connector. Not computed land navigation — for actual bearing, distance, and coordinate-system math (UTM, MGRS, DMS/DD conversions, magnetic declination estimates), see the sibling Bearing connector. Trailhead itself is a hiking-specific gear, safety, and trail-system reference, hand-curated and cross-checked against widely-published sources as of the build date stated in its own data. It is not a substitute for proper wilderness-skills training, checking current local trail and weather conditions, or a ranger or land manager's guidance for your specific destination, and nothing in it is medical advice — for a real altitude, wildlife, or first-aid situation, seek in-person medical care or ranger assistance.

Tools

Gear & safety

ten_essentials_checklist — The well-known "Ten Essentials" hiking safety list (navigation, headlamp, sun protection, first aid, knife, fire, shelter, extra food, extra water, extra clothes), with a brief note on each. Use for "what are the Ten Essentials", "what should I always pack hiking".

layering_system_guide — The standard three-layer clothing system for hiking — a moisture-wicking base layer, an insulating mid layer, and a waterproof/windproof outer shell — with general guidance on using it. Use for "how does the layering system work", "what should I wear hiking in the cold".

water_treatment_guide — How-to, relative effectiveness, and tradeoffs for one backcountry water-treatment method (boiling; filtering via pump/gravity/squeeze; chemical treatment via iodine/chlorine dioxide; or UV), or all four if no method is given — including the boiling-time guidance for elevations above and below about 6,500 ft. Use for "how long do I need to boil water", "what's the difference between a water filter and iodine tablets". Args: method.

pack_weight_guide — General base-weight guidance (traditional vs. ultralight approaches) plus a computed food-weight estimate that scales with trip length — food is the main added consumable weight on longer trips. Use for "how much should my pack weigh for a 5-day trip", "what's the difference between lightweight and ultralight backpacking". Args: trip_length_days.

Trail & terrain

trail_difficulty_guide — General criteria behind easy/moderate/strenuous trail ratings (distance, elevation gain, terrain), the NPS/Shenandoah-style distance-and-elevation formula, and a clarification that the Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) actually rates climbing/scrambling terrain technicality, not overall hiking effort — a common point of confusion. Use for "what does a moderate trail rating mean", "is a Class 3 trail the same as a strenuous hike". Args: rating_system.

navigation_basics_guide — A map-and-compass fundamentals overview (reading contour lines, orienting a map, taking a bearing, magnetic declination, triangulation, dead reckoning). Points to the sibling Bearing connector for computed bearings and coordinate conversions. Use for "how do I read a topo map", "how does a compass bearing work".

altitude_sickness_guide — General, well-known altitude sickness symptoms (headache, nausea, dizziness, fatigue) and prevention (gradual acclimatization, hydration, avoiding rapid ascent) — not diagnostic, and it explicitly recommends descending and/or seeking medical care for worsening symptoms. Use for "what are the symptoms of altitude sickness", "how do I prevent altitude sickness".

wildlife_safety_guide — General wildlife safety guidance: food storage in bear country (bear canister or bear hang), and snake and tick awareness — factual safety practice, not a specific region's legal requirements. Use for "how do I store food in bear country", "how do I avoid ticks while hiking". Args: region_type.

Reference

trail_glossary — Definitions of common trail terms (switchback, blaze, saddle, scree, treeline, cairn, talus, bushwhack, and more). Use for "what's a switchback", "what does treeline mean". Args: term.

Conventions

• Read-only. Every tool reads public data or computes; nothing is written anywhere and nothing about the user is stored.
• Result envelope. ok: true with data, or ok: false with a structured error (bad_input, not_found, upstream_error). degraded lists optional sources that were unreachable.
• Rate limits. Free tier 60 tool calls/minute and 300/day per user (keyed on the user identifier supplied by the host agent, else client IP); Pro keys raise this. Over-limit calls return HTTP 429 with Retry-After. initialize and tools/list are never counted.

Support

agent@connectorbay.com · connectorbay.com/trailhead/support

Trailhead — Privacy Policy

Effective 24 September 2026. Unify Dynamics LLC ("we", "us"), Menlo Park, California.

What Trailhead is. Trailhead is a connector (an MCP server and REST API) that AI assistants and personal agents call on your behalf for a fully local hiking and backpacking reference: the Ten Essentials, the layering system, water treatment methods, trail difficulty rating systems, altitude sickness basics, pack-weight guidance, navigation fundamentals, wildlife safety, and a trail glossary. You interact with your assistant; the assistant sends us only the arguments needed for that one lookup or computation.

What we receive. The arguments of each tool call — a water-treatment method, a trail rating system, a trip length in days, a wildlife region type, or a glossary term — the technical headers needed to serve the request (an IP address or a client identifier supplied by the assistant, and a Pro API key if you have one), and standard server logs.

Everything is answered from bundled, hand-curated reference data or computed in-process, and nothing is stored. No request is forwarded to any third party — there is no upstream call at all, live or otherwise — and no query is logged in request bodies, recorded, or used to train anything.

What we do not receive or store. We do not receive your conversation with the assistant or your name, and we do not build a profile from your queries: each request is answered independently and nothing carries over between requests. Rate-limit counters (a client identifier and timestamps) are held in memory for at most 24 hours. Hosting-provider access logs, which contain IP addresses and request paths but not request bodies, are retained for up to 30 days for security and abuse prevention.

Sub-processors. None — the entire reference dataset is bundled with the server and answered locally. Hosting: Vercel (United States regions).

Legal bases and your rights. Our processing is necessary to provide the service you request through your assistant. Because we store no personal data beyond short-lived logs, requests to access, correct or delete personal data are usually satisfied automatically; you can still contact agent@connectorbay.com and we will respond within 30 days. We do not sell or share personal information and do not use your data to train models.

Children. Trailhead is a general-audience service operated by the adult using the assistant.

Changes. We will post changes here with a new effective date.

Trailhead — Terms of Service

Effective 24 September 2026. These terms govern use of the Trailhead connector ("the Service") operated by Unify Dynamics LLC ("we", "us").

1. The Service. Trailhead returns a hand-curated hiking and backpacking reference — the Ten Essentials, the layering system, water treatment methods, trail difficulty rating systems, altitude sickness basics, pack-weight guidance, navigation fundamentals, wildlife safety, and a trail glossary — from data cross-checked against widely-published sources at build time. It is accessed through an AI assistant or directly over MCP or HTTP.
2. Educational reference only, not a substitute for training or on-the-ground judgment. Trailhead is an independent educational reference tool, not affiliated with or endorsed by REI, The Mountaineers, the National Park Service, the CDC, or any other organization whose published guidance it draws on. It does not provide medical advice, real-time trail or weather conditions, or a substitute for proper wilderness-skills training or a ranger/land manager's guidance for a specific destination. Nothing in the Service should be relied on in an actual medical, wildlife, or backcountry emergency — seek in-person medical care or ranger/emergency assistance instead.
3. Facts change. Guidance reflects widely-published sources as of the build date stated in the Service's own data. Trail conditions, difficulty ratings, wildlife activity, and local regulations vary by location and season and change without notice — always check the current conditions and rules for your specific destination before you go.
4. Acceptable use. Automated use within the published rate limits is welcome.
5. Availability. The Service is provided "as is" without warranty. We may change, limit or discontinue it at any time.
6. Data. Our Privacy Policy describes what we process. In short: your query is answered from bundled reference data or computed on the spot, and nothing is stored.
7. Pro keys. Optional Pro API keys are issued at our discretion, are personal to the holder and may be revoked for abuse.
8. Liability. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Unify Dynamics LLC is not liable for any loss, injury, or harm arising from use of or reliance on the Service, including reliance on it in place of proper training, equipment, medical advice, or local guidance in the backcountry. Our total liability is limited to US $100.
9. Governing law. California law; venue in San Mateo County, California.
10. Contact. Unify Dynamics LLC · agent@connectorbay.com · https://connectorbay.com/trailhead

Trailhead support

Email agent@connectorbay.com. We answer within two business days.

• MCP endpoint: https://trailhead.connectorbay.com/mcp
• REST API: https://trailhead.connectorbay.com/openapi.json
• Live status: https://trailhead.connectorbay.com/health

When you report a problem, include the question you asked your agent, roughly when, and which agent you used (for example Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini). Never send us passwords, account numbers or ID numbers. Trailhead never asks for them.