KingGator and Sons

Okay, so I pilfered this idea from hikers who have gone before me:

In an attempt to make it a little easier on my friends and family back home who are planning on following this ridiculous journey of mine, this quest of sorts; I have created a shortcut list of abbrevs and a brief definition of what the hell I'll be talking about as the journal presses on.

So, the Appalachian Trail. The mountainous frontier spanning 2,180 miles from Springer Mtn. Georgia to Mt. Katahdin Maine.

The AT: Abbrev. [that one was easy]

Thru-Hike[er] - A thru-hiker is one who is attempting the admirable goal of hiking all 2,180 miles of Appalachia's great mountain range, from Springer GA to Katahdin ME.

Section Hike[er] - A section hiker is one who decides to take anywhere from a couple days to week/month long ventures into sections of the AT.

Day Hiker - Another obvious one, those who pack light for a day on the trail.

NOBO [GAME] - Abbrev. Northbound Hiker, Georgia [GE] to Maine [ME]

SOBO [MEGA] - Abbrev. Southboud Hiker, Maine [ME] to Georgia [GA]

Trail Name - A trail name is pseudonym given to or chosen by the hiker in order to keep a sense of annonymity as well as to differentiate between the 147 Bobs on the trail.

Shelters - A shelter is an apropos name to describe three walls and a roof offering hikers protection from the elements in the event of torrential downpours, lightening, or loss of hammock due to bear attacks.

PUDS - Abbrev. Pointless Ups and Downs. You can imagine there may be one or two rollercoasters in this hilly region.

GORP - Abbrev. Good Ole' Raisins an' Peanuts. Trailmix to the laymen out there..

ZERO - This is a day when one hikes zero miles.

NERO - This is a day when one hikes NEarly zeRO miles.

Trail Magic - The occasion in which food magically appears in the form of sodas and candies and beers, via--

Trail Angels --who are people that provide trail magic. [I'm really pushing for a change to trail magicians or something much more epic and extreme for these well deserving members of the AT society]

White Blaze - These are white marks found along the trail, on trees, rocks and the like, offering direction to the wayward hiker.

Purist - One who upholds the sanctity of the AT by adhering to the white blazes and the white blazes only.

Blue Blaze - Shortcuts, scenic routes, and other diversions off the beaten-purist-path.

Yellow Blaze - This is a term given to the yellow lines dividing those long stretches of asphalt, more commonly referred to as ROADS. People who hike the yellow blazes are known to offer cash, grass, or ass for a hitch, so pick 'em up. They're trustworthy, kind-hearted, filthy hungry desperate individuals.

Slackpacking - This is defining the action of one removing their worldly possessions and walking a stretch of the trail with liimited to zero resources strapped to their person. Some may send their packs ahead, others leave them at hotels and hike backward to ensure they are acquiring their thru-hiker milage.

AYCE - Abbrev. All You Can Eat. These godly locations were created in hopes of providing an entire day's worth of calories in one self-deprecating sitting.