Thru Hike sign up
Registration for a Thru-Hike on the North South Trail
Here, you can register for a Thru-Hike aon the Nord Süd Trail (NST). But why should you do it?
Unfortunately, there is no registration book at the Trailhead (Startpunkt) as is common on most major trails. The reason: The starting point is located in a nature reserve, and we would not receive permission for such a book. However, as the NST initiative, we would love to know how many hikers set out on the trail each year.
Traditional trail registers can also be stolen or damaged, which is why we have opted for a digital version. If you’re not interested in verification and an entry in the “Hall of Fame“ you won’t hear anything further from us – and you can simply enjoy your journey..
Thank you for taking the time to register!
Register your Thru Hike here
FAQ
What is the difference between registration and verification?
Registration:
A registration is solely for statistical purposes. It provides insight into how many hikers attempt to complete the trail each year. No further information is required.
Verification:
A verification serves to support and strengthen the trail. —meaning you actively contribute to its growth. It also ensures that only those Thru-Hiker who have truly completed the entire trail in one go are listed in the Hall of Fame.
BOn most lists of major trails, it’s likely that less than half of the hikers have actually completed the full route in its entirety. However, this aspect is not the primary focus of the verification process.
Do I really have to register my Thruhike?
No, registration is completely voluntary. However, it helps us as the Nord Süd Trail (NST) initiative to better understand how many hikers complete the trail each year. If you choose not to register, you are, of course, still welcome to enjoy the trail at your own pace. We fully understand that some people embark on a Thru-Hike precisely for this reason—to step away from social media and our highly digitalized society.
Wishing you all a wonderful journey!
When should I get my Thruhike verified?
1. You are not alone
Long-distance hiking, or “Thruhiking“ can be quite a lonely experience in Germany, whether you’re hiking the NST, the, E1 or any of the other European long-distance trails. While trails like the Camino de Santiago or the major American long-distance trails have a long-standing tradition of Trail Angels and countless helpful people, this culture is still in its infancy in Germany.
By registering your thru-hike and verifying it through the “Find Penguins“ app, you allow others to follow your journey, create connections, and inspire people who might be considering hiking this trail themselves.
2. Community
Another positive effect is the development of an active trail community. In a short period of time, a large number of helpful people have come together—Trailangel, trail stewards, and many others who dedicate their free time to supporting the NST. None of this would have been possible without the reach of social media. But it also shows that the idea of a national long-distance trail has been very well received. I, too, will try to give back some of this kindness to future thru-hikers, and registering and verifying a completed thru-hike is the best way to do so.
3. Hall of Fame
If you want to have your Thru-Hike immortalized in the Hall of Fame, you’ll need to verify your hike. However, the main focus is not just on proving that you completed the trail, but rather on fostering a vibrant trail community.
Everyone can contribute to making the trail more well-known—whether through social media activities, refreshing or replacing trail markers, giving interviews to local press, sharing trip reports with fellow hikers, or providing updated information about shelters.
As a “Hall of Famer,” you’re not just someone who has completed the trail—you’re also an ambassador and active supporter of the NST. Verified NST Thru-Hikers will receive, upon completion of the trail: A patch, A badge for their backpack and A beautifully designed certificate.
How can I verify my Thru Hike?
Method 1:
The most popular method at the moment is using the community app Find Penguins. his app serves as a digital stamp book or personal journal while also allowing interaction with the trail community and other thru-hikers on the NST.
Method 2:
Do you have a YouTube channel? Regular Vlogs (short for video blogging) about your journey on the Nord-Süd-Trail would be an excellent way to raise awareness about the trail. Travel reports like these have played a major role in popularizing the great American long-distance trails.
Method 3:
Share your trail experiences on Instagram, TikTok, Mastodon or Bluesky—this will also help the NST gain more recognition.
Instead of Instagram, you’re also welcome to use Pixelfed.
As you can see, we try to avoid “Meta” apps as much as possible, which is why we have completely left Facebook.
In the future, we hope to fully remove Instagram as well. Unfortunately, we still have a significant presence there, but with this decision, we want to do our part in fighting hate and misinformation on the internet.
Method 4:
Write your own blog about your journey or share your experience in outdoor forums—for example, as a trip report in the Ultraleicht-Trekking-Forum or on outdoorseiten.net. This is another great way to actively contribute to raising awareness of the trail.
The ultimate achievement, of course, would be the publication of a book about the NST—and we are sure that this will happen in the future!
What happens after I have registered my Thruhike?
You will usually receive a confirmation email quickly. In this email, we may ask you a few additional questions, such as whether you would like some trail stickers or if you’d be interested in helping maintain the trail.
Of course, we are always available to answer any questions you may have about the Nord Süd Trail. You can also reach out directly to the forum for support.
