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steve hiker
02-16-2003, 19:07
I read somewhere that the internet is destroying the tradition of trail names. That is, they used to be given to you on the trail, based on some quirk or personal trait that others observed. Volia, you had a trail name. Now, people arrive on the AT with their own self-chosen names, which they've usually adopted on forums like this before setting out.

Anyone care to comment on this?

Skeemer
02-16-2003, 20:48
I started hiking the Trail last summer without a trail name. The first day out I stopped and chatted with a dozen hikers or so and I believe everyone had a trail name. It wasn't long, in one of the discussions the name came to me, it wasn't assigned. But it did make it easier from then on as you seem to be "more accepted" in the trail community with a trail name.

Peaks
02-16-2003, 21:31
Good trail names are earned, not self appinted

SedentarySteve
02-16-2003, 21:48
Hi steve hiker. I interviewed almost 400 hikers in Duncannon PA in 2002. Many hikers were self-named with interesting reasons, some "earned" the trailname, often for odd happenings and a few resisted imposed monikers like one unfortunate lad tagged Mooch who failed to start out with enough chow. Others went thru several trailnames. Quite a few hikers carry the same name, and there are others with close names (Crispy! v Krispie). One part of my draft book is devoted to hikers explaining how they got their trailname and the significance, if any. Since the NOBO trek is more social, my guess is more NOBOs use trailnames than SOBOs. However, I wouldn't worry about any internet influence.
None of the hikers mentioned anything about internet influence altho I've interviewed hikers with trailnames in Duncannon that did not have trailnames on , say, Trailjournals. Don't sweat the small stuff; the trail will provide.
;-) Happy Trails!

Lone Wolf
02-16-2003, 21:56
Yeah sure Peaks.

Skeemer
02-17-2003, 18:29
I kind of see Peaks point although he didn't elaborate. Like a "real " trail name "comes from the trail" and not from yourself or even others off the trail. Almost like, other traditional items involving the Trail. Having said that, even with a "self-assigned" trail name, or even a nickname, you could be given a new trail name by the trail. I have seen this happen. Of course, no one wants an embarassing name. I imagine there are some that the trail never assigns a name to. In my opinion it is still much easier for trail people to talk back and forth with a nick name or trail name.

A-Train
02-17-2003, 18:40
Peaks I don't understand. Wheres the harm in picking ur own name. I hate to keep echoing the broken record but HYOH. The whole idea is to go hike for yourself. Ideally one wants to be as happy as possible out there, so why not be called what you wanna be called?
A-Train

SedentarySteve
02-17-2003, 18:49
Skeemer, I do not disagree with anything you mention. I love trailnames. The use of trailnames allowed me, a sedentary stranger, to obtain answers to sometimes very personal questions. I believe trailnames will flourish and endure because they facilitate social interaction while simultaneously protecting cherished privacy.

gravityman
02-17-2003, 18:50
We had a tough times with our trail names. They just never seemed to come. We were known by several names in the beginning, and it was starting to get confusing. It was a relief when Tuffie finally got her name (at NOC from Lumberjack after she kept saying how tough this was and how tough that was). It took me a lot longer to get one that seemed to stick. I was Rocketman for a while because I was going to work for an Aerospace company after I finished (forgot who gave that to me), but people didn't really seem to like that too much. Finally I was renamed by Yogi (AT 99, PCT 2002) at Kincora. I was explain how I did my thesis work on Gravity Waves, and she said "Rocketman is a stupid name. You should be named Gravity Man" and that was that.

The lesson is if you wait for the trail to really pick your name, it could take a LONG time. In the end I think it would have been better if we just picked names early on. It makes it a lot easier in the beginning to be accepted into the hiking community. Then you can always get renamed if people insist. Tuffie almost got renamed at Kincora too, but she refused to take it :)

Anyway, I don't think that people should get too hung up on "getting named by the trail" as we were. It would have been a lot easier to pick for ourselves, and we would have been accepted a lot sooner. Next time I am sticking with my current trail name, and Tuffie will probably rename herself 'cause she doesn't really like that name (although its really funny when she says it in her mock high-pitched voice "I'm TOUGHIE! :)

As with most things, the trail will do what it will to you, and you will learn to adapt to it...

But people should try to stay away from the cheesy trailnames if they are naming themselves...

Gravity man

Footslogger
02-17-2003, 19:14
Well ...I started off in 2001 without a trail name and was promtly given the name "Toot". Read my inital entry on Trailjournals.com if you want to know the nitty gritty details.
Anyway, for this years thru I wanted to have a trail name that meant something to ME, as well as others. That was why I chose my trail name in advance of this year's hike.
Truth be told, I did use the internet to research the derivation of the name once I located it. But I can't blame the internet for the initial discovery. Dug it out of a thesaurus in a section having to to with walking, hiking and marching.

Lugnut
02-18-2003, 02:12
I can imagine there are many right wing introverts named Lone Wolf that wander the AT but I'm glad that we have the original right here. Not meant as a slam so don't nail me to a tree!:D

Lone Wolf
02-18-2003, 08:32
:cool: No problem Lugnut. I named myself 17 years ago. According to Peaks it's not a good one. I didn't earn it. I haven't earned an AT patch or certificate either. Never will. I'm just a backpacker.

Jumpstart
02-18-2003, 09:48
Hey Sedentary Steve:

We missed you at the bar in Duncannon by about 3 hours. We hiked for awhile with Mooch...he deserved that trail name :)

Got mine my third day on the trail, and I don't know about tradtion, but I thought it was fun to let one "find" us. My husband got his after about 2 weeks. On the other hand, though, we hiked almost the entire trail with a guy with the self-appointed name of "SNAFU"; and there could not have been a better name to describe him :) To each his own. I don't recall ever asking anyone if they chose a name themsleves, or if it was "appointed."

ganj
02-18-2003, 10:47
Originally posted by Lone Wolf
:cool: No problem Lugnut. I named myself 17 years ago.

Woah! 17 years ago?!! I was in 6th grade then.
:D

EarlyRiser
02-19-2003, 16:06
i think its fine for somone to give themselves a name when they start the trail, but i think part of the fun is to have on given to you durring the journey. my name was given to me this past summer due to my tendancy to be the first person up every morning. some people dont like to use their real names on the trail, so they have no other option than to appoint their own nickname, which is fine. i think its important for people to enjoy their hike, and if chosing their own name so that they dont recieve one they dont like is best for them than thats the way to go.

rumbler
02-19-2003, 16:20
I'm not sure I understand why someone would be reluctant to use their real name on the trail. A whorehouse maybe, I might be reluctant to use my name. But I don't think I've ever really been shy about my name anywhere.

Not to diss the romance and allure of a trailname. And I do think trail names are more about what other people see in you (sans any mean-spiritness. A thru-hike is too large and important an undertaking to have marred by someone else's insensitivity. Unless of course your a mooch. :D )

Moose2001
02-19-2003, 16:38
You can't get stuck with a trailname if you don't want it. If you don't like, don't go by it and don't use it. In 2001, I hiked with Assface. People said how could he stand to use that name. Dave wore it like a badge of honor. He loved shocking the poor unsuspecting tourists. Funny part was.. his name really did fit him.

rumbler
02-19-2003, 16:54
Hahahaha.

Moose and Assface. Y'all couldn't help but hook up as hiking buds. Nice.

chris
02-19-2003, 17:19
I have a trailname, but I only use it when on trail.

steve hiker
02-19-2003, 19:26
I'm gonna gamble and let the trail give me a name. Even if it's Uglyhiker or Wipes Ass With Leaves.

BTW does anyone know if American Indian names were given like AT names? Brings to mind the movie Dances With Wolves where whats-his-name was given his "trail name" (prairie name?) after the Indians saw him doing a jig with a wolf.

TJ aka Teej
02-19-2003, 22:19
Originally posted by steve hiker
I read somewhere that the internet is destroying the tradition of trail names.

I dunno. But I'll post anyway!
The early hikers had no 'Trail names', for the most part.
Seems to me it started in the 70s, when hiking was done more by sub-culture types who brought their handles with them.
I've heard too, that early names were descriptive. "Seen Pete?" "Which Pete, Short Pete or Tall Pete?"
The hiking community is very tribal, a nomadic group of re-creationists. Getting a new name is part of becoming a tribe member :)
Some '02 trail names:
Hopfrog, Shipwreck, Popsicle, Jus-hikin, Lost in Woods, Skid, Curius Maximus Emperor of Roam, SmokeyL, Cho Cho, Sgt Stryder, Starburst, Southpaw, Godiva & the Tin man, Mad Mike, True, Lizard, Arrow, LightBright, Relax aka Sagi from Isreal, Wombat, Salman & Tice, Big Lebowski, Phat Bastard, Dawgone, Tarzan, SwampNutz, Maroon, ElPresidente, BaldSparra, Chippart Jeff, ShutterBug, Hemlock, JellyBean, Carbo, Caveman, The Badger, Mov'n, Krackin, Birch, Weatherman, Ranger, Justdoit, Sunshine, Beefstick, Weggie, Heman, Detour, Now or Never, Loggerhead, Strong, Mudflap, Montreal, Kutza, Polish Ninja, K.Frodo, AliceintheMatrix, Dharma, Maybe Mucsles, Orion, Swamp Donkey, Moon Dance, 2Timer, Kwky, Radar, Thumps &Cantoe, Magiver, Wakapak, Wedding Singer, Exhibitionist, Journey, R Kid, Cous Cou, BugBite, Spiz, RaftaJack, Intensity, Charlie Tuna, Indiana Red & Slo Jo, Soldier of Love, Ursula, One Gallon Bill, Hammock Bros, Spam I was, Viginian, UncNoLight, FullMoon, Moonshine, Trail Yeti, Spiz, Just Bob, OldMaster, Odd Couple, Sparky, Starman, Cameron, Stumpknocker, MtnFaery, Hollywood, Scooby, Bluegrass, Salamander, Periwinkle, Vagabond, Geo, Voodoo Chile, Addison, DuctTape, So Far, TwoScoops, Jagged, Nachodoches Turtle, Valley Girl, 7 Layer Burrito, Zues, Bert, Grayson, Turtlehead, Jaberwocky, Mooch, Buckeye, Foxfire, Mistic, TinTin, Curley, TinMan, Baltimore Jack, Minnesota Mike, McFly, Pippi, Bard, Sparrow, Peace Dawg, PotatoMan, Chipper & Jeff, Sneaks, TipToe, Bubbles, Annie&Pat, Tiger Lily, Tatunka, No Regrets, RockyTop, DesertRat, WeatherCarrot, Renegade, UnderFoot, Biphph, Zen Master, Tweety, Hiroshima, Spring Chicken, PopTart, Church Lady, Ketchup, Elvis, Digger, Chavez, Squaw & Black Hawk, Flatfoot, Onion, She-ra, Monkey & Bearded Monkey, Crusader, Faceless, Rookie, Rainmaker, Wanderer, Brawny, Birdman, Bluebird, PapaDoc, LittleTimmyTuckeredOut, Virgin, Viking, Christopher Robin, The Ant, Sir Barney, Beer Man, and I can't find my other notebook! There was the big guy from England, and the three English guys hiking with Beerman, and Something Mike I gave a ride to with Chavez, and the finishing grumpy section hiker who had a un-grumpy trail name, and the funny guys with Mooch at Jo-Mary Lake, and... many more.

Lugnut
02-20-2003, 01:25
Steve, Hopefully you've heard the story about Two Dogs *******

SedentarySteve
02-20-2003, 08:20
TJ aka Teej, was the tall Brit called Smudge from Manchester? He stopped for a pitcher of lager at the Pub in Duncannon on June 5th.

jackthejester
02-20-2003, 10:41
if you have to discuss the "rules" of trail names, isn't that self-defeating? you sound like elders of some secret society. will you have investigations, charges, and penalties commensurate with the crimes? the scarlet letter "T"? how will we be able to discern between the righteous and not?

:D

steve hiker
02-20-2003, 10:52
Lugnut -- no, what's the story behind it? Hope its not like two girls being better than one, lol.

steve hiker
02-20-2003, 10:56
Jackthejester -- because the righteous are pure, while the impure have a scarlet "T" branded on their foreheads.

Lugnut
02-20-2003, 11:09
Steve, If you're not offended by profane language let me know and I'll send it to you by private message. It's not suitable for posting here.

steve hiker
02-20-2003, 11:44
C'mon Lugnut, tell us the story. If you're squeamish about bad woids, put in a bla_k.

ganj
02-20-2003, 12:08
If the internet is "destroying" a tradition with trailnames then it is destroying all of the other traditions as well. Going back twenty years ago, people didn't know what to expect when setting off from Springer except for maybe the what they had learned from books or the off-chance of meeting a past thru-hiker. Now with forums such as this that permit access of info with ease you have now mapped out every aspect of the trail except for hands-on experience of it. Maybe the AT isn't so much of an adventure anymore. That's my opinion.

Lone Wolf
02-20-2003, 12:44
That's what I'm talkin about ganj!!

Blue Jay
02-20-2003, 13:52
It's still an adventure. Walking the walk will always beat talking the talk.

jackthejester
02-20-2003, 16:19
I see, before the internet it was books and past thru-hikers that destroyed the experience. I have "surfed the net", read, and heard stories about (insert any activity here) , so I'll just skip the whole thing. I say we destroy all media concerning backpacking and tell stories only to other members in secret meeting halls (ever heard of the Free masons?) All we need is an emblem to represent the suppression of backpacking information.



:banana

ganj
02-20-2003, 16:49
How witty.

No, I am saying that hiker wanna-bes know much more about the trail then ever before. Now they sit on their fat asses in a cubicle and they even know who they will be meeting, when they are leaving, etc. This is the information age.

I did the same thing for my hikes in 2001 and 2002. The internet is a great tool to get yourself prepared for an AT hike. I use the word "destroyed" in quotation marks in referring to IF the internet is ruining traditions of trail names then it is ruining a lot more things about the hike.

There is still adventure out there, you never know what is going to happen to you each day when you hike. And that is what I love about the trail the most.

But hikers (including myself) now have a much better idea of what to expect on their hike.

chris
02-20-2003, 17:32
Experiences are what count, not words on a screen. The massive dissemination of information concerning the AT (history, how-to, etc) does not, I think, water down the experience of spending time hiking it. It does help people plan for certain contigencies, like resupplying, weather during certain periods, etc. The AT draws a lot of people who don't have a tremendous amount of experience in the outdoors and the large body of information will help them prepare for their precious time on the trail. But, the information won't haul you over Cheoah Bald or tell you how Mountain Laurel smells in the spring air or the color of a sunrise at Overmountain. Things like the internet help you get out there, but that is all. You have to do it to find out what it is all about.

TJ aka Teej
02-20-2003, 19:18
Originally posted by SedentarySteve
TJ aka Teej, was the tall Brit called Smudge from Manchester? He stopped for a pitcher of lager at the Pub in Duncannon on June 5th.
Hi Steve - I wish I could remember, he introduced himself as ____ from England, really large fellow, was at Katahdin in mid-September. We talked a lot about White House Landing in the 100 mile, and the MATC guide book, but that's all can muster up right now :O)

Lugnut
02-20-2003, 20:24
Okay Steve. (abbreviated version)

A young indian boy was curious about how his people got their names so he asked his parents.
His mother said,"Well, in our tribe a baby is named after the first thing observed after birth, that is how you brother Running Bear got his name. Also after your sister was born we saw a shooting star so we named her Shooting Star."
The father then said, "You have learned much today Two Dogs +++king".

steve hiker
02-20-2003, 20:50
Hey, that's a good one Lugnut.

stumpknocker
12-14-2010, 11:40
I dunno. But I'll post anyway!
The early hikers had no 'Trail names', for the most part.
Seems to me it started in the 70s, when hiking was done more by sub-culture types who brought their handles with them.
I've heard too, that early names were descriptive. "Seen Pete?" "Which Pete, Short Pete or Tall Pete?"
The hiking community is very tribal, a nomadic group of re-creationists. Getting a new name is part of becoming a tribe member :)
Some '02 trail names:
Hopfrog, Shipwreck, Popsicle, Jus-hikin, Lost in Woods, Skid, Curius Maximus Emperor of Roam, SmokeyL, Cho Cho, Sgt Stryder, Starburst, Southpaw, Godiva & the Tin man, Mad Mike, True, Lizard, Arrow, LightBright, Relax aka Sagi from Isreal, Wombat, Salman & Tice, Big Lebowski, Phat Bastard, Dawgone, Tarzan, SwampNutz, Maroon, ElPresidente, BaldSparra, Chippart Jeff, ShutterBug, Hemlock, JellyBean, Carbo, Caveman, The Badger, Mov'n, Krackin, Birch, Weatherman, Ranger, Justdoit, Sunshine, Beefstick, Weggie, Heman, Detour, Now or Never, Loggerhead, Strong, Mudflap, Montreal, Kutza, Polish Ninja, K.Frodo, AliceintheMatrix, Dharma, Maybe Mucsles, Orion, Swamp Donkey, Moon Dance, 2Timer, Kwky, Radar, Thumps &Cantoe, Magiver, Wakapak, Wedding Singer, Exhibitionist, Journey, R Kid, Cous Cou, BugBite, Spiz, RaftaJack, Intensity, Charlie Tuna, Indiana Red & Slo Jo, Soldier of Love, Ursula, One Gallon Bill, Hammock Bros, Spam I was, Viginian, UncNoLight, FullMoon, Moonshine, Trail Yeti, Spiz, Just Bob, OldMaster, Odd Couple, Sparky, Starman, Cameron, Stumpknocker, MtnFaery, Hollywood, Scooby, Bluegrass, Salamander, Periwinkle, Vagabond, Geo, Voodoo Chile, Addison, DuctTape, So Far, TwoScoops, Jagged, Nachodoches Turtle, Valley Girl, 7 Layer Burrito, Zues, Bert, Grayson, Turtlehead, Jaberwocky, Mooch, Buckeye, Foxfire, Mistic, TinTin, Curley, TinMan, Baltimore Jack, Minnesota Mike, McFly, Pippi, Bard, Sparrow, Peace Dawg, PotatoMan, Chipper & Jeff, Sneaks, TipToe, Bubbles, Annie&Pat, Tiger Lily, Tatunka, No Regrets, RockyTop, DesertRat, WeatherCarrot, Renegade, UnderFoot, Biphph, Zen Master, Tweety, Hiroshima, Spring Chicken, PopTart, Church Lady, Ketchup, Elvis, Digger, Chavez, Squaw & Black Hawk, Flatfoot, Onion, She-ra, Monkey & Bearded Monkey, Crusader, Faceless, Rookie, Rainmaker, Wanderer, Brawny, Birdman, Bluebird, PapaDoc, LittleTimmyTuckeredOut, Virgin, Viking, Christopher Robin, The Ant, Sir Barney, Beer Man, and I can't find my other notebook! There was the big guy from England, and the three English guys hiking with Beerman, and Something Mike I gave a ride to with Chavez, and the finishing grumpy section hiker who had a un-grumpy trail name, and the funny guys with Mooch at Jo-Mary Lake, and... many more.

Thanks!!! Good to remember some friends. :)