Far — Outdoor Safety, Navigation Accuracy & Emergency-Use Disclaimer
DRAFT — requires review by qualified counsel before publication. This disclaimer is incorporated into the Terms of Service and also published standalone at [/legal/safety]. A short version should appear as an interstitial the first time a user exports a GPX file or opens a route on a trip in progress.
Far is a planning tool, not a guide
Far helps you plan backpacking trips. It does not know current conditions on the ground. No information in Far — however confident it looks — replaces official sources, local knowledge, up-to-date maps, and your own judgment.
What can be wrong, and how
- Trails and routes. Trail geometry comes from community-maintained data (OpenStreetMap and related services) and from routes you or others draw. Trails may be mapped incorrectly, closed, rerouted, overgrown, or gone. A line on the map is not evidence that a route is passable, legal, or safe.
- Distances, elevation, and hiking times. These are computed estimates from mapped geometry and terrain models. Real distances and times vary with conditions, load, fitness, and weather. Time estimates are planning aids, not commitments your body has made.
- Weather. Forecasts come from a third-party model (Open-Meteo), are cached, and go stale. Mountain weather changes faster than any forecast. Never make a go/no-go decision on a cached forecast alone — check an official local forecast immediately before and during your trip.
- Water sources, campsites, and waypoints. Markers reflect mapped data or your own entries, not current reality. Water sources are seasonal and do fail. Carry enough water and a way to treat more; verify sources against recent trip reports and ranger information.
- Permits, regulations, and alerts. Park alerts and permit information are pulled from official APIs (e.g., US NPS, Recreation.gov, Parks Canada) and may be summarized by AI. Feeds lag, summaries can be imperfect, and coverage is incomplete. The land manager's own website and office are the only authoritative sources for closures, fire restrictions, wildlife warnings, and permit requirements.
- AI-generated content. Plans, gear suggestions, and summaries produced by AI can be plausible and wrong at the same time. Treat them as a starting point to verify, never as expert advice. AI-estimated gear weights are marked ("~") until you confirm them — do not base safety margins on unconfirmed numbers.
- Gear information. Catalog weights and specs (including temperature ratings) are reference data and may not match your actual item, its condition, or your physiology. A sleeping bag's marketed rating is not a comfort guarantee.
Navigation
Far's maps depend on your device, its battery, its screen, and a data connection for map imagery. Devices fail, batteries die, canyons block GPS. Always carry independent navigation — a paper map and compass you know how to use — and do not rely on any single device. GPX files exported from Far reproduce your planned line, including any errors in it.
Far is not an emergency service
Far cannot call for help, does not transmit your location to anyone, and is not monitored. No one at Far knows where you are or notices if you are overdue. In an emergency, contact local emergency services (911 / 112 / 999 / 000 / 111). For remote travel, carry a dedicated satellite communicator or personal locator beacon, and leave a trip plan with a responsible person who will act if you don't return.
Your responsibility
Wilderness travel involves inherent risks — terrain, weather, wildlife, isolation, and human error — that can cause serious injury or death. You are solely responsible for assessing your own abilities, verifying information, choosing routes, and making conservative decisions in the field. If information in Far conflicts with what you see on the ground or hear from officials, believe the ground and the officials.