Trail Lingo

Appalachian Trail hikers use lots of words that only have significance on the trail.  Here's a list of the most commonly used lingo and what it means:

trail name- every hiker adopts a nickname.  Sometimes you pick it yourself, and sometimes someone else names you.  You might get your name because of your favorite food, a weird habit, or something silly you do.  Examples of names are Monk, Rainbow Monkey, Moonshine, Blue Eyes.

AT- Appalachian Trail

thru-hiker- a person who is hiking the entire trail in one calendar year

section-hiker- a person who is hiking the trail sections at a time

day-hiker- a person who is only out for a day.  Can be recognized by clean smell.

NOBO or Northbounder- a person who is hiking North.

SOBO or Southbounder- a person who is hiking South.

white blaze- a 2 inch by 6 inch swatch of white paint on trees and rocks that marks the trail.

blue blazer- a person who takes the blue-blazed (usually easier) side paths

yellow-blazer- a person who gets a ride further ahead on the trail.  Named for the yellow lines on roads.

pink-blazer- a guy who is making it a point to follow a female hiker.

flip-flip or flip-flopper- a person who hikes in one direction then returns to the starting point and hikes the other direction

PUDS- pointless ups and downs

switchback- when the trail goes in a zig-zag pattern up or down a very steep mountain 

register- a notebook that is kept at shelters and other places for hikers to sign their name and write something

hiker box- a place where hikers can ditch unwanted gear or food, and other hikers can take what they want

slack-pack- hiking without a full pack, which is sent ahead to be picked-up later

purist- a person who hikes past every single white blaze with a full pack.

trail angel- a person who does nice favors for hikers such as giving them food, drinks, or rides

trail magic- when something unexpected and good happens, normally in the form of free food and drinks

Yogi-ing- trying to get free food from others

cairn- a pile of rocks that marks the trail in treeless areas

zero day- hiking zero miles in one day

nero day- hiking a little more than zero miles in a day, like 2 or 3

A History of the Appalachian Trail

I thought for my first post, I would cover a bit of trail history.

The trail is currently 2,179 miles.  That number fluctuates due to rerouting.  It covers 14 states, stretching from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mt. Katahdin in Maine.  The trail snakes through the mountains of Georgia,  North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and finally Maine.

The idea for the trail was first proposed by Benton MacKaye in 1921.  He wanted there to be a place where people could escape the congestion of cities all along the East Coast.  Myron Avery later joined the project, and he aggressively led it to completion in 1937.  In 1968, Congress passed the National Trails System Act, officially making the AT a National Scenic Trail.

                                                Earl Shaffer, first thru-hiker

The AT wasn't originally intended to be hiked all at once.  The idea was that people could get spend a day in nature.  The first person to thru-hike the trail was Earl Shaffer, a war veteran.  He completed his hike in 1948 and became known as "the Crazy One."  However, thru-hiking didn't really gain popularity until the 1970's.  Another beloved hiker was known as Emma "Grandma Gatewood."  She hiked the trail in 1955 at the age of 67.

There is roughly 2,000 people that attempt a thru-hike every year.  Generally, only about 1 in 4 actually finish.  You'll find all sorts of people on the trail: recent high school and college grads, career burn-outs, mid-life crisisees, retired folks, and kids with their parents.  The oldest person to complete a thru-hike was 81 and the youngest was 6.