Origin of your trail name?

[Spirit Bear]

I am not a thru hiker, only a section hiker and really new to the AT community, my first hike was in January of 2012, just a small hike up to Big Cedar mountain from Woody gap in Georgia. Since then I have hiked nearly 130 miles of the AT from day hikes to 4 day section hikes. I am planning on doing a thru hike in 2014 at age 42.

My trail name

I have a fear of bears and this summer alone I encountered 6 bears, I am no longer afraid of bears, my last test was this past October I did an overnight hike and at dusk sitting by my fire I saw a large bear walk about 30 yards from me heading right towards my food bag. I stood up and yelled, hey bear where are you going, don't think about trying to get my food, it is well hung, the PCT method you know, don't even waste your time. The bear froze in his tracks looked at me and swayed his head back and forth then ran off down the hill.

I went back to hanging out by my fire then eventually went to bed knowing that I am no longer afraid of black bears.

Spirit Bear is a rare white black bear that is only found in a remote section of British Columbia I believe. I was watching a show on National geographic about their top 10 photographs of 2012 and one of them were titled spirit bear. At that point my girlfriend said that's your trail name, spirit bear and it has stuck since.

National geographic photo of the white black bear known as Spirit bears...



Some other names that never stuck...
Credit Score (when asked why I am holding out on thru hiking I said I have to get my bills in order so someone suggested credit score
Suckerfish-I am a consultant who specializes in consulting financial advisors so a buddy gave me the name suckerfish one day after I was ranting about how meaningless my job is and how I suck off the sharks in the financial world just to survive.
The Boss-Someone said I looked like Bruce Springsteen one day on the trail; I had a red bandana on at the time.

How did you get your name?

I know some names are less of an interesting story than others but still would love to hear...

[Spirit Bear]

Oirigin of your Trail Name, so sorry for spelling. Anyone know how to edit a post?

[HikerMom58]

No worries.. we all have trouble spelling around here. Cool story. My trail name story is rather boring compared to ur's for sure. btw... I enjoyed reading ur's and the pic is gr8.

My trail name is Angel. Other proposed names are Mother Hen & Spanish Inquisition but Angel has been the one to really stick. Angel is because after my daughter hiked 1/4 of the trail and was setting out to do another 1/4, I became fully aware of what trail angel's do for hikers. I said to myself, when I grow up I want to be a trail angel... LOL! I love meeting new people & I love helping people plus I felt like I had a lot of trail magic to pay forward. Then, when I actually got out on the trail, myself, to hike, it was a natural name to call myself on the trail. Even on the trail, I found myself helping out other fellow hikers in need, at the time, and all they could say was, "Thank you,you're an angel" so I knew it was the right name for me. I'm sure other people could come up with less flattering names to call me, at times, but I think I'll hang on to this one.

[Starchild]

Mine came when I decided I want to become part of the AT hiking community, I was inspired to go to the AT and ask the AT itself if I would be accepted. I chose the closest point to my home and went, as I approached that spot I started asking if the AT would accept me into the community, and kept asking as I got closer I spoke words not of me, while not exact as i forget the exact words it was 'yes I fully accept you and welcome you, as a parent names their new born child I give you the name Starchild' and for the next 2 days the name Starchild was echoing though my mind.

At that time I also had visions of what is best described as a intersteller AT that our AT is only a part of, a path that angels travel from star to star as we travel the AT, and is they who are good intention behind all the good that one may experience including the blessings that inspire and empower real life trail angels.

Peace

[WILLIAM HAYES]

trail name is hillbilly i got my name from my priest on the very first day I hiked the AT i was great going downhill but kinda sucked going up .My first name is Bill so he started calling me Hillbilly and it has been my trail name for years-I dont particularly care that much for the name but it has stuck over the years.
GO DAWGS

[Hikes in Rain]

Mine's pretty self explanitory. I'm a section hiker, and when I get the chance to go, it's now a ten our drive to where I last got off the trail, with a limited amount of time to enjoy hiking. So I can't allow myself to be delayed by mere meteorological events! I seem to have an uncanny ability to "call the rain".

[GoldenBear]

It's the nickname of my college team.

I once posted that my wife is "a free shuttle, with benefits" -- a description she loved.
Her "trail" name is now "Shuttle."

[atmilkman]

It's the nickname of my college team.

I once posted that my wife is "a free shuttle, with benefits" -- a description she loved.
Her "trail" name is now "Shuttle."

That's also what my wife is. Her name is Shuttle Shellie. She specializes in the Pinhoti. There's not a trailhead that she can't get to in less than 2 hours.

[HikerMom58]

It's the nickname of my college team.

I once posted that my wife is "a free shuttle, with benefits" -- a description she loved.
Her "trail" name is now "Shuttle."

I'm sure there are prob. more than one GoldenBear out there but I have always wondered if you are the GoldenBear that my daughter speaks about meeting when she was out on the trail in 2008. Her trail name was Strange Habit. She mentioned getting a shuttle ride with you for a resupply. Anyway, she thought a lot of the GoldenBear she met on the trail. If you aren't the one, ur name has a great reputation.

[Old Hiker]

I'm old. I hike. <sigh> Highly original, I know. Given by my Scouts, lo, these many years ago.

[CarlZ993]

Mine is 'Z-man.' A nickname I had in the Army (many years ago). If someone gets lazy, I'll also answer to 'Z.' My Scouts call me 'Mr. Z' but that's a little formal for the trail.

[hikerboy57]

ive been called hikerboy at work for as ong as i can remember

[atmilkman]

ive been called hikerboy at work for as ong as i can remember

Ever since the arrival of the little one, down south your known as hikerpawpaw.

[mmorgan]

I met a old hiker by the name of "insane" last fall. He asked me my name and I told him I did not have a trail name, but my real name was Mark. We had just left the Mark Trail Wliderness, so he said, so you're Mark Trail, I'll call you MT for short.

[daddytwosticks]

Named by my daughter after seeing me with my new hiking poles many years ago.

[Storm]

Real last name is Gale, been Storm all my life.

[Dogwood]

Those were cool trail name stories.

I work as a Landscape Architect and in the horicultural industry specializing in wildflowers, rare and specimen palm trees, and native American small trees suitable for residential and commercial applications. On the AT, I was sometimes carrying three plant identification books. I would sometimes stop hiking for hrs to identify, descrbe, and draw the plants I didn't already know. People along the AT started asking me about the plants. The most asked questions concerned the abundant and striking white, pink, and red flowered American Dogwood tree(Cornus florida) hence I was trailnamed Dogwood. I thought it suitable because I always considered the American dogwood as one of my Top 5 small native American flowering trees. I also like, as far as I know, I'm the only one with that trailname.

[RodentWhisperer]

I'm loving reading all this thread's posts!

My trail name? Put simply, I adore rodents. All rodents. And I've read enough about them that, according to some of my friends, I know enough about their behavior/social ways to "commune" with the squirrels, mice, voles, marmots, beavers, muskrats, etc.

For years, rats have been my pet companions. I've been stopped by the local police for driving around town with rats on my shoulders... I was let off with a warning.

[Pringles]

I used to carry crackers in a Pringles canister to keep them from breaking. My hiking partner and I would often get separated during the day, and ask other hikers if they had seen the other hiker. After she asked about me, many hikers would smile and mention that I had been eating Pringles. (Actually, it was lunch.) After going through a number of trail names that be best described as stupid, I decided on a name that made People smile, Pringles. I can almost always count on a smile when I tell people my name.

[trooper2012]

I took the name "trooper" since my first AT section hike was from Stratton, Maine to Rangeley, Maine. I'm 60 and kept up with my son and daughter, who are in there 20's.