Answers that know where you're standing.
Text a question from your inReach. Get a short, straight answer back: the forecast for your ridge, not the nearest town; the pass you named on your map; the trip you told it about before you left.
Weather
Aug 20, 7:50 pm
1/4 Today: 4-14C, cloudy, low rain chance, wind up to 12km/h.
Answered 10 s after it arrived, 61 characters
2/4 Tomorrow: 6-14C, wetter, 86% rain chance (~3mm), light SSW wind up to 10km/h.
Answered 10 s after it arrived, 82 characters
3/4 Freezing level high, 2600-2800m, no snow risk these two days.
Answered 10 s after it arrived, 65 characters
4/4 Daylight long: dawn 05:21, sunset 22:12. Light steady S/SSW wind, good for stalking.
Answered 10 s after it arrived, 88 characters
What is the weather at my location?
Aug 24, 3:49 pm
1/4 Currently clear-ish with 70-99% cloud, 3.9 to 17.9C today, no rain expected, wind light under 8km/h from WSW.
Answered 5 s after it arrived, 113 characters
2/4 Freezing level high at 2600-2950m so no frost concern up top tonight.
Answered 5 s after it arrived, 73 characters
3/4 Tomorrow warmer, 8.2 to 19C, slight rain chance (0.2mm), wind still light from SSW.
Answered 5 s after it arrived, 87 characters
4/4 Legal light today: dawn 05:16, sunset 21:07, dusk 21:57.
Answered 5 s after it arrived, 60 characters
Will I be in cloud glassing at 1800m tomorrow morning? What visibility should I expect?
Sep 9, 9:11 am
1/3 Likely yes - patchy cloud at 1800m tomorrow morning. Low cloud 66-100%, mid/high near 100%.
Answered 8 s after it arrived, 95 characters
2/3 Visibility 2-16km in gaps, near zero inside banks. Temp -0.1 to 4.6C, light NNW wind (13km/h) won't clear it fast.
Answered 8 s after it arrived, 118 characters
3/3 Glass in short windows, don't expect sustained clear views.
Answered 8 s after it arrived, 63 characters
What it does
Weather for where you actually are
The forecast at your position and your height: cloud base against where you'll glass, wind on the ridge and in the valley, freezing level, first and last light.
Will I be in cloud glassing at 1800m tomorrow morning? What visibility should I expect?
1/3 Likely yes - patchy cloud at 1800m tomorrow morning. Low cloud 66-100%, mid/high near 100%.
2/3 Visibility 2-16km in gaps, near zero inside banks. Temp -0.1 to 4.6C, light NNW wind (13km/h) won't clear it fast.
3/3 Glass in short windows, don't expect sustained clear views.
It remembers the trip
Your dates, your party, the places you named. Ask about spike camp and it knows where that is, and which day you'll be there.
Tmrw at spike camp: 6.3-16.1C, dry, light E wind up to 21km/h, mostly clear with low cloud 0-20%, visibility 14-64km.
117 characters, one message
Answers sized for a satellite
Each reply is written to arrive whole, with the decision first. You choose how many messages an answer may use, one to five, and a short answer never uses more than it needs.
Will I be in cloud glassing at 1800m tomorrow morning? What visibility should I expect?
Tmrw: Forecast: likely in cloud at 1800m, vis mostly 300m. Snow likely, about 6mm.
1/2 Forecast: likely in cloud at 1800m tomorrow morning, visibility mostly ~300m with some clear gaps.
2/2 Tmrw: 5.7mm precip, likely snow (freezing level 560-1200m), -10 to 0C, light E wind.
1/3 Tmrw: Likely in cloud at 1800m. Forecast has low cloud mostly 97% (base below 2km above ground, you are at ~1453m).
2/3 So 1800m sits in or near the cloud layer. Visibility mostly around 300m, with occasional clear gaps. Precip 5.7mm.
3/3 Likely snow with freezing level 560-1200m, so expect snow and poor visibility. Wind light, up to 7km/h E.
1/4 Forecast: likely in cloud at 1800m tomorrow morning. Low cloud is mostly 97% and starts under 2000m.
2/4 So you'd be in it or near its top, with visibility mostly around 300m and only brief gaps.
3/4 Tomorrow: 5.7mm precip expected, likely snow, highs near 0C, lows near -10C.
4/4 Light E wind, so cloud is unlikely to clear quickly.
1/5 Tmrw morning: Forecast says very likely in cloud at 1800m, with visibility mostly around 300 m.
2/5 Clearing only briefly. Low cloud is mostly overcast (about 97%) below 2000 m AGL.
3/5 And your 1453 m position is below that. Precip is likely (about 5.7 mm).
4/5 Probably snow since the freezing level sits near 560-1200 m, with light E wind to 7 km/h.
5/5 Note the position fix is from 2026-09-09, so confirm with 'at LAT,LON' if you have moved.
How it works
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1
Get your address
Sign up and your pony gets its own name. The address is yours alone, so every message it gets is you.
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2
Save it and pair
Add it as a contact and send the six-digit code from your device. The page turns green when the message lands.
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3
Tell it the trip, then ask
Dates, party and the places you'll be. Then text it anything, anywhere you have sky.
Your route deletes itself when you're home
- Trips clean up after themselvesSeven days after a trip ends, its route, pins and messages are deleted, unless you choose to keep it.
- Forecasts get a position, not youWeather services see coordinates and nothing else.
- Nothing sold, nothing shownNo ads and no feed. Your data is never sold or shared for anyone's marketing.
- No trackers on this siteVisits are counted without cookies, so there's nothing to accept.
Unlimited. US$12 a month, pause any time. Or US$20 for a 14-day trip.
Your satellite plan still counts each message, so you choose how long answers are.
Questions
What is Trail Pony?
A contact you text from your satellite messenger. Ask it anything, the forecast, a question about your gear, what the river's doing, and it texts back a short answer. It uses AI to write the answers and live forecast data for weather.
Which devices work?
Garmin inReach devices. iPhone satellite messaging and ZOLEO are planned.
How is this different from my inReach's weather button?
The weather button gives a table from a forecast point that can be far from you. Trail Pony gives the forecast at your position and elevation, and answers the question you actually have: will I be in cloud at 1800 m tomorrow morning? Ask both and compare. When they disagree, plan for the worse one.
How is it different from asking a friend at home?
It's there at 2 a.m., it doesn't forget the trip, and it doesn't mind the fifth question. Keep the friend for the news that matters.
Does it cost me messages?
Each question you send and each reply count against your satellite plan, like any text. Tell us your plan when you sign up, unlimited or pay-per-message, and answers are sized to match. On a pay-per-message plan, answers default to two messages at most.
Is there a message limit?
No. Both plans are unlimited, so there's nothing to count on our side. Your satellite plan still counts what you send and receive, so you choose how long answers are, one to five messages.
Can it rescue me? Is it an emergency service?
No. If you're in trouble, press SOS on your device. Trail Pony tells you to do that first if a question sounds like an emergency.
Will it tell me which way to go?
It gives you the facts, weather, distances and conditions, and leaves route decisions to the person standing there. That's on purpose.
Will it tell me if a plant or mushroom is safe to eat?
No. It can name what something might be, but it won't call anything edible from a description.
Does it know where I am?
Your inReach sends your coordinates with each message, and Trail Pony uses them for forecasts. You can also set a position: at 60.72,-135.05.
What happens to my data?
Your trip, positions and messages are deleted after the trip ends, unless you choose to keep the trip. Nothing is sold. Forecast providers get coordinates only, never who you are.
What can I text it?
Anything. A few shortcuts: more continues the last answer, ? shows help, and morning weather on, off or until Sep 2 controls the daily briefing.
Can I pause it between trips?
Yes. Pause the monthly plan any time and resume with one text, or buy a 14-day trip pass instead.
Who's behind it?
One person in Whitehorse, Yukon, who uses it on his own hunts.