I agree with lori that crowdsourcing might give you a few tidbits of information you might not otherwise find, but if you are serious you will rely on your own energies and do your own research, using crowdsourcing only very sparingly.

As for finding "a backpacking community to really dive into", our community is focused almost entirely on backcountry trekking, either on established trails or else bushwhacking without any trail. We're not focused on international travel or road walking, so I'm at a loss to understand why you believe our community is your "best option" out of the entire internet. Maybe you haven't really researched our site. This doesn't seem like a good sign.

I also sense a strange disconnect in how you have approached us. You emphasize your enthusiasm to 'enter our community' and promise to be "active here going forward", but at the same time all I can see that you are suggesting is that we all pitch in and help you out, without offering us much of a clue how your promised future activity will add anything to our group -- except repeated requests to give you advice and assistance. That's OK as far as it goes. We do help people here. But it is good if new members acknowledge when the relationship is very one-sided in terms of potential benefit and show some awareness of this. That's only polite.