Legal

Privacy Policy

Last updated: February 19, 2026

1. Introduction

Lodestone Hikes, a DBA of Howdoicomputer, LLC ("Lodestone," "we," "us," or "our") operates the Lodestone mobile application and website (collectively, the "Service"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our Service.

By using the Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with this policy, please do not use the Service.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

  • Account information: Email address, first and last name, and password when you create an account.
  • Profile information: Profile photo, city, state, and zip code.
  • Trip data: Trip names, dates, locations, distances, elevation, GPX files, and photos you upload.
  • Gear data: Gear items, weights, categories, brands, models, descriptions, and photos.
  • Loadout data: Gear lists and configurations you create.
  • Provision data: Food and supply lists you create for trips.
  • Route data: Hiking routes you create, record, or save, including GPS coordinates.
  • Social data: Group memberships, friend connections, messages, and comments.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

  • Device tokens: Apple Push Notification Service tokens for delivering notifications to your device.
  • Location data: GPS coordinates when you use route recording or location-based features. Location is only collected when you actively use these features.
  • Analytics: We use TelemetryDeck, a privacy-focused analytics service, to collect anonymous usage data. No personally identifiable information (PII) is collected through analytics.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Provide, maintain, and improve the Service
  • Manage your account and provide customer support
  • Enable trip planning, gear management, and social features
  • Send push notifications about friend requests, messages, and trip updates
  • Send email notifications based on your preferences
  • Generate AI-powered trip analysis and gear recommendations
  • Display weather forecasts for your planned trips
  • Provide route mapping and trail search functionality

4. Third-Party Services

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data for advertising, marketing, or profiling purposes. Data is only shared with the following third-party services as necessary to provide core functionality of the Service:

  • Mapbox: Map rendering, trail search, route snapping, and geocoding. Your search queries and coordinates are sent to Mapbox to provide mapping features. See Mapbox Privacy Policy.
  • Apple WeatherKit: Weather forecast data for trip locations. Coordinates are sent to Apple to retrieve forecasts. See Apple Privacy Policy.
  • Google OAuth: Optional sign-in via Google. If you choose to sign in with Google, we receive your name and email address. See Google Privacy Policy.
  • Apple Sign In: Optional sign-in via Apple. If you choose to sign in with Apple, we receive your name and email address (which may be a relay address). See Apple Privacy Policy.
  • Google Gemini AI: Trip analysis and gear recommendations. Trip data (gear, routes, weather) is sent to Google Gemini to generate analysis. See Google Privacy Policy.
  • Lettermint: Transactional email delivery (password resets, notifications). Your email address is shared with Lettermint to deliver emails. See Lettermint Privacy Policy.
  • TelemetryDeck: Privacy-focused analytics. No PII is collected. See TelemetryDeck Privacy Policy.
  • Firebase Crashlytics: Crash reporting for the iOS app. Device information and crash logs (no PII) are collected to diagnose issues. See Firebase Privacy Policy.

5. Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, all your data is permanently deleted, including:

  • Account and profile information
  • All trips, gear items, loadouts, provision kits, and routes
  • All photos and uploaded files
  • All messages, comments, and social connections
  • All notification and device token records

Account deletion is irreversible. Data is removed from our database immediately upon deletion.

6. Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your data:

  • Access: You can view all your data within the app at any time.
  • Export: You can export a complete copy of your data in JSON format from the Settings page.
  • Deletion: You can delete your account and all associated data from the Settings page. This action is permanent and cannot be undone.
  • Portability: The data export feature provides your data in a standard, machine-readable format (JSON).
  • Correction: You can update your profile information, gear details, trip data, and other content at any time through the app.
  • Restriction: You can control profile visibility and trip history display through Privacy settings.

To exercise any of these rights, use the in-app features or contact us at [email protected].

7. Cookies

The Lodestone website uses a single functional cookie:

  • auth_token: An HTTP-only, secure cookie that stores your authentication session. This cookie is essential for the Service to function and is not used for tracking or advertising.

We do not use advertising cookies, tracking cookies, or third-party cookies.

8. Data Security

We implement appropriate security measures to protect your data, including:

  • HTTPS encryption for all data in transit
  • Passwords are hashed using bcrypt
  • JWT tokens with version control for session management
  • CSRF protection for web requests
  • Rate limiting on authentication endpoints
  • Account lockout protection against brute force attacks

9. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us at [email protected].

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Service after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

[email protected]