Who is responsible
Thumb Wizards Software, a Michigan limited liability company, operates Nighthikers. For privacy requests, contact contact@nighthikers.org.
Browsing the site
You can read guides, stories, and gear resources without creating a Nighthikers account. The hosting provider processes technical request data needed to deliver and secure the site. During the private preview, the hosting platform may separately require the owner to sign in. No optional analytics, advertising trackers, or third-party ad scripts are installed in v1.
When community accounts open
We will process the email you provide to send verification codes and maintain your account, a display name if you choose one, your terms acceptance version and timestamp, session records, and content you submit. Email addresses are not shown as public display names. Login codes and session tokens are stored as keyed hashes, rather than plaintext.
We use short-lived, hashed identifiers derived from email addresses and IP addresses to limit abuse. We do not request precise location, import your address book, or connect your account to records in the old community database.
Mailgun is planned for verification email delivery but has not been connected. Registration does not subscribe you to marketing. Any future newsletter will require a separate choice and provide a way to unsubscribe.
Cookies and session security
Once sign-in is enabled, an essential Secure, HttpOnly, SameSite cookie will keep you signed in for up to 30 days, unless you sign out or the session is revoked earlier. The field-guide checklist is temporary page state; it resets when the page reloads and is not sent to the server.
Content and sharing
Stories submitted to the community are held for review. Only approved stories and the selected display name are intended for public display. Do not put email addresses, private contact details, sensitive location information, or other people’s personal information in a submission. Service providers receive data needed to host the site, maintain the database, and, once enabled, deliver email. We may disclose information when legally required or necessary to protect rights and safety. We do not sell account data.
Retention and choices
Verification codes expire after 10 minutes. Expired challenges, expired sessions, and rate-limit records are removed during later authentication activity; they may remain until that activity occurs. Account details and submitted stories remain until deleted or no longer needed, subject to lawful retention and provider backup periods. For access, correction, deletion, or privacy questions, email contact@nighthikers.org. We may verify control of your account before acting on a request.
The old website
The recovered member database, private messages, old passwords, and contact lists have not been imported into v1. Selected photographs and adapted public stories from the original website preserve its history.
Children and changes
Community registration is intended for adults 18 and older. We do not knowingly invite children to register. We will update this policy when features or data practices change and provide notice or obtain consent when required.