Blaze The Transcaucasian Trail!

BLAZE THE TRANSCAUCASIAN TRAIL! 

From August 13–27, be part of a key moment in the Transcaucasian Trail’s history by helping us raise $30,000 in 15 days towards blazing the TCT! 

Since 2016, we’ve been working to create a world-class, long-distance hiking trail network across the magnificent South Caucasus mountains through Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. When completed, the Transcaucasian Trail (TCT) will consist of two interlinking trails stretching 3,000 kilometers across Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, connecting two major mountain ranges and roughly two dozen national parks and protected areas across the region. 

In eight short years, the trail and TCT community have grown exponentially. With tremendous support from partners, supporters, and volunteers, we’ve: 

• Mapped and improved 1750 kilometers of trail, including the first full national section of the TCT in Armenia.
• Put new destinations on the map, helping revitalize rural villages along the way.
• Trained over 35 Georgian, Armenian, and Azerbaijani trail crew leaders, who in turn have led hundreds of local and international volunteers in field projects to build and improve the trail.
• Welcomed more than 30,000 hikers per year to sections of the TCT, increasing opportunities for small businesses in rural villages.
• Facilitated cultural exchanges across the region, building bridges despite closed borders and ongoing conflicts.
• Provided environmental education to help locals protect the places they love
• Improved access to the region’s natural & cultural heritage for locals and visitors alike.

This summer, we’re celebrating the huge milestone of opening the first long-distance arm of the TCT, stretching 1500 kilometers from the southern border of Armenia to the northern Black Sea coast of Georgia. This North-South route is quickly growing in popularity – but that doesn’t mean the work is finished.

Now, we need YOUR help to make the new route official and continue developing the comprehensive TCT network!

This year, we’re working on one of the final steps of trail development along the North-South route: marking the trail. 

Along recently completed sections of the TCT, we’re installing clear, easy-to-follow signage and blazes to make the trail safer, more accessible, and more enjoyable. We’re also revisiting older sections of the trail, where the current blazes have faded. 

Where exactly are these projects taking place? Glad you asked!

• In Armenia, we’re marking several sections in the Lori, Tavush, Vayots Dzor, and Syunik regions and updating the blazes and signage from Stepanavan to Lake Arpi. This section was blazed in 2017, but it’s now in need of some TLC!
• In Georgia, we’re blazing and installing interpretive signage along the Upper Svaneti and Imereti-Racha sections. As you can see on the map below, it’s quite a huge project!

Join our virtual journey to learn more about these sections and see them for yourself!

 2024 VIRTUAL JOURNEY: JOIN US!

To celebrate this milestone and support our work on the trail, we’re inviting you to #BlazeTheTCT with us in summer 2024! 

Over the 15 days of this campaign, we’ll take you on a virtual journey along the new route from the Armenia-Iran border at Meghri to the Georgian Black Sea coast at Anaklia. 

Each day, on our newsletter and social media, we’ll take you to a new section of the trail. As we follow the TCT, we’ll pass through more than seven national parks and protected areas, seven distinct ecosystems, and dozens of communities with their own distinct cultural heritage. 

Each day, we’ll cover 100 kilometers and introduce you to the people and landscapes of the TCT as we make our way towards the Black Sea and our goal of $30,000. 

We invite you to join us on this incredible journey — follow along on our newsletter and on Instagram/Facebook, share your own trail stories, and donate $15 or more to #BlazeTheTCT!

A volunteer maintaining a section of the TCT in Svaneti, Georgia. Photo by volunteer Bryce Reif.

ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN

Running from August 13 – 27, #BlazeTheTCT is the TCTA’s 15-day peer-to-peer campaign during which we’re fundraising through the collective power of our hikers, volunteers, friends, family, neighbors, and social networks to support the on-the-ground work to build and maintain the Transcaucasian Trail. This campaign strengthens our trail community by getting supporters, new and old, to come together and invest in our work with us.

As the proverb goes: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” 

We’re building a long-distance trail — going far is in our DNA. But we can’t do it alone. And it’s a lot more fun when we go together!

A hiker traversing an unmarked section in the Gegham Mountains, Armenia. Photo by Meagan Neal.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED  

• Make a donation of $15 or more to help us #BlazeTheTrail. Any amount helps!
• Become a Trailblazer! Click on the “I want to fundraise for this” button and commit to asking 15 people or more to give during the 15 day campaign. We’ll give you all the materials you need to succeed.
• Raise money as a team or group with your friends, family, or co-workers. Feel free to be creative — you can draw your own map, share your own hike if you’re on trail, or organize a virtual (or in-person) hike of your own to join us virtually! 
• Amplify our work and invite more people to learn about the TCT by sharing our 15 days of #BlazeTheTCT on social media. Tag us and use the hashtag #BlazeTheTCT!  

We hope you’ll join us on the trail from August 13–27. Together, we can reach our goal by the time we reach the Black Sea and #BlazeTheTCT to establish it for generations to come!

Thank you for your support — and we’ll see you in the mountains!

Together in sweat & gratitude,

The TCT Team

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to info@transcaucasiantrail.org.

To find out more about the Transcaucasian Trail Association, visit our website.

TCT team members & partners from across Armenia, Georgia, & Azerbaijan together in Tbilisi, November 2023. Photo by Duncan MacCallum.