Story of your Trail Name

[One Half]

Share your trail name and how you got it or why you picked it yourself.

I'll start as I have just, after years of backpacking, decided to give myself a trail name. I have only gone twice in the last almost 5 years. One trip ended early due to either altitude sickness or dehydration or combo. The other trip ended early because my hiking partner bailed. 2 days later I decided to end my trip because I was alone and my husband wasn't with me. I wanted to share every view with him, every good day and bad. So I went home. I was going to attempt a thru hike next summer of the AT and realized I still had the same problem. It wouldn't work without him and he is not able to hike with me. So now the plan is that he will be my "support team" for 2022 as he follows me up the trail and gets me every week (or as needed) for resupply etc.

So after thinking all that through I have realized that after nearly 30 years together I really am not whole without him so I decided I will hit the trail as "One Half" from here on out. And he is "The Other Half." He likes that name.

Please share your story.

HYOH,
One Half

[Lone Wolf]

i'm a loner. i love wolves. i'm packless. hence the name

[zelph]

I love archeology of Ancient America. While doing research in Central Illinois a professor directed me to a burial mound that he named the "Mormon Mound" officiall named: Naples-Russell Mound 8. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have a history relating to the mound that one of the skeletons found in the mound was named Zelph. When I first came to Whiteblaze and tried to start an account I was asked to chose a users name, after trying many of common names and finding that someone here already had the name,.......the name Zelph popped into my mind because of recent research into the subject, entered the name and voila! That's how I got my name trail name :-)

[Traffic Jam]

When I started hiking, I was very slow. So very slow that someone told me I was creating a traffic jam on the trail. Thus, I was named Traffic Jam.

Damn that Traffic Jam, how I hate to be late,
It hurts my motor to go so slow.

:)

[GoldenBear]

I chose it for myself, and it's the nickname of my university's sports teams.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgGdXiwHpmA&feature=youtu.be&t=7s

[Tuxhiker]

I hike the Tuxachanie Trail almost every week, hence Tuxhiker.

[Deadeye]

I had a cataract in one eye... the dead one. Kinda gross in retrospect!

I use canes instead of trekking poles, so I have the feeling someone will rename me one day. Caaaannnnne!

[Recalc]

Am always checking & recalculating trail location making sure I am not lost, and I do spreadsheets recreationally:). F9 will recalculate all sheets.

[greentick]

Our nickname for the army large ALICE ruck was "North Carolina greentick." (sucks the life right out of you). When registering for WB many moons ago it popped into my head so I appropriated it. So it be...

[Nolan "Guido" Jordan]

Thank you PennyPincher for starting a thread like this during the times that we live in right now.

My trail name is "Guido" for two reasons. First, as a little kid, I used to call the "guide" button on a television remote control the "guido" button. (Gweed-do)

Second, one of my favorite books to read was the AT Guide (aka Awol). I probably memorized every shelter from Georgia to the TN/VA border in order from the 2011 edition that my father bought online when it first came out, even though I've never hiked those areas. That book is torn apart now because I looked at it and read it so much. I knew quite a bit about the trail obviously. Since I enjoyed and still enjoy the AWOL so much, "Guido" became an appropriate trail name for me since I have an interest in maps and geography. I will finally get to see those places next year in 2021 . . .

[colorado_rob]

Well, I was a rocket engineer (Titan, Atlas, Delta) for 35 years, and I blow a mean snot-rocket. And I used to hike quickly, not so much anymore.... I go by "Rocket". Not very imaginative.

[JNI64]

I'm hard of hearing and people usually have to repeat like a echo so I gave myself the trail name echo. What ya say? I know not very impressive after a rocket scientist.

[chknfngrs]

In college I ate a lot of chicken tenders with honey mustard.

[Leo L.]

In the Middle East desert the Bedouins gave me the nickname "Nimr", which means Tiger or Puma (Mountain Lion).
I neither look like a Tiger, nor move or behave in any way like one.
I belive they were joking at me, because while I usally have a slow and steady pace, the year I earned my nick I was especially slow due to then-stealth cancer.
Cancer is gone, nickname stays put.

[Pringles]

I used to hike with a lady who told me that when I was hiking, I should carry crackers in a Pringles container, that the crackers wouldn’t get broken. We often hiked separately, and would ask people that passed if they had seen the other one of us. A few too many times, people would respond to her that yes, I had been back a little ways, eating Pringles. It eventually became my trail name.

[Five Tango]

Years ago I did a brief stint as a weekend relief spotter pilot for the Georgia Forestry Commission.Five Tango was my call sign.I took someone's advice and assumed my on trail name before somebody tried to hang one on me.
For what it's worth,I don't build fires on public lands after what I saw.

[bad biscuit]

My tail name is "bad biscuit. " I had a gas station biscuit one morning on my way to a long day hike. Needless to say, it wasn't good.

Full story here: https://jnunniv.wordpress.com/2018/04/23/i-fought-the-biscuit-and-the-biscuit-won/?preview=true

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[John B]

My parents gave me mine. From what I heard, they picked it before I was born.

[Time Zone]

I live very close to the line that divides eastern time and central time. Some time back I was to meet a trailbuilding crew for volunteer work, and I got the time zones and meeting time mixed up and missed the pickup truck ride out to where they were working. Instead of 15 min early I was 45 min late, and they had waited for me for 20-30 minutes. This was after a nearly 2 hr drive along the time zone boundary, so that was quite a wasted day.

I came up with it myself, which I know isn't how it's supposed to work. But upon mentioning the idea, hiking buddy TJ heartily concurred. It is self-deprecating, and I did earn it, so I think that's good enough until someone decides to name me themselves.

[jigsaw]

started counting miles in 97,hiked from ct into mass then later that fall parts of ny.
sitting around the fire one night my buddy said i was putting the pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle and that was that.
only 220 more miles to go and the puzzle is complete.

[Teacher & Snacktime]

Snacktime and I selected our own trail names, based on what would be most important to us on our homeschool adventure hikes. He also liked the idea that everytime I'd call out to him on the trail "Hey, Snacktime" he could respond with "Ok" and take a break and get a treat.

My grandson "Toots" was a gassy youth and the name carried with him :D

"Gumball" always carried packets of gumballs on hikes....some to distribute and some for himself. Again, what was most important to him on the trail! It should be mentioned that WB member Rolls Kanardly donated 3000 gumballs to Snacktime and I to distribute with our trail bags and we have yet to work our way through them, though Gumball did make a valiant effort.

"Strife", my son, claimed the name of the hero of his first book.

I had always planned on changing my name to something less generic when the time came that Snacktime and I ended our quest, but it's too late for that now. I am who I am, and take a certain degree of pride in the idea that I am a teacher of sorts - I teach kids and others how to experience and love the trail. It doesn't take long for anyone to "outgrow" me and my efforts, but that's the prize isn't it?

[Tipi Walter]

The origin of my trail name is obvious as I lived in a NC ridge top Tipi for 21 years---from 1980 to 2001---

https://photos.smugmug.com/BooneYears/Tipi-Life/i-NKMBJL5/0/0770a9b4/XL/Tipi%20ggWalter%20and%20the%20Lodge-XL.jpg

[FlyPaper]

Well, not a trail name, but handle on WhiteBlaze.net (FlyPaper)...

At the time I signed up in 2005, sites typically required you to pick your own handle (now days it's more common to just use an email address). Tired of having a different handle on every site, I picked a simple sounding handle that would be unlikely used on any other site. The plan was I could reuse this handle on any site I registered.

Never quite got around to reusing it. The handle "FlyPaper" has absolutely no meaning for me and has never been used as a nickname in any other context other than on this site.

Probably would have been a better choice to pick 8 random characters.

[coach lou]

I have not been a Ice Hockey 'Coach' for 18 years......and I've never skated with any of my hiking friends!

[Old Brain]

"Nemophilist is an obscure word that hasn't really been used for over 100 years – but it is a word that surely deserves a comeback! It means someone with a love or fondness for forests, woods, or woodland scenery, or someone who often visits them – a 'haunter' of woods."

When I saw this word and definition I knew it described me and took it as my trail name. I pronounce it the British way as a nod to the country of my birth. I was open to be given another name on my AT hike but somehow Nemophilist stuck. I have done some trail maintenance on the Foothills Trail and the trail boss gave me the name, Perpetual Motion, which I also like a lot but am sticking with Nemophilist since I got it tattooed on my leg.

46275

[GolfHiker]

For years I was the Golfhiker, for obvious reasons. On my Thru I shortened it to Golf, which was just fine. Again on the thru I stopped in NYC to visit my daughter, and while there did a short binge watch of the Vikings, a most favorite History Channel show. I had just cut off all my hair ( in NYC) to a buzz, and had the serious beard going. My daughter suggested I was beginning to look like RAGNAR, the Viking King. I returned to the Trail a new man, Ragnar, minus the forehead tattoos. It was a smooth and fun filled transition. The funny thing is, I’m not really a Viking or a King....

[BradMT]

My trail name is "Brad"... it is an abbreviation of "Bradley", the name my parents gave me in 1961. It works on and off trail. It means "broad meadow" or "broad wood" in Old English. I think I was named well and never felt the need for a different name.

[rustmd]

“.com” given to me by a former hike leader. My name is “Dottie” & I don’t own any .coms.
Cool thread, I’ve always wondered about Tipi Walter. Now I know!

.com

[martinb]

Couldn't use my trail name here, it was taken. I got called trip on a hike long ago because I'm so busy looking around at the scenery that I trip quite often on something.

[bigben]

Big Dipper. My friend gave it to me. Has nothing to do with stars. I'm 6'3 285lbs and have a little Copenhagen Long Cut habit.

[danil411]

I enjoyed my 2013 thru hike--smiled a lot so my dimples were ever-present. Coming out of Neel Gap on 3/31 a couple named Java Man and TeaCup(?) solidified the name. The trail is my happy place--it fits. ~Dimples

[Steppin'Wolf]

I'm a solo hiker, so I gave myself my trail name -- Steppin'Wolf. I love "Steppin'" in the woods and the wolf has always been kind of my spirit animal, so I combined them. Besides, I'm a child of the 60's and 70's, so I relate to bands like Steppenwolf ("Born to be Wild").

[JNI64]

Yeah me too love the band and that songs still relevant today after all these years. Great trail name!

[JNI64]

Saltysack care to respond?

[Christoph]

My toes gave me mine - Thumper. Self inflicted trail name before I tried my 1st thru in '15. I didn't want one of those actually given on the trail forever to known as hewhofartsalot or something along those lines.

[gpburdelljr]

Not a trail name, but a Marine friend of mine that flew F-8s was known as Fang, because of his extreme aggressiveness in a fighter jet.

[BayouWanderer]

I hike the Tuxachanie Trail almost every week, hence Tuxhiker.

When the world goes back to normal, we should do a meet up! I used to love to hike the Tux.

[RadioFreq]

31+ years building radio stations for a major public radio network and seeing some other hikers with trail names that ended with "Freak" gave me the idea....self named.
Check out my avatar and note what I'm hanging my hammock between.

[hopetofinish]

Acquired 'Duct Tape' after delaminating a boot in the Whites some years ago. Wrapped the tape around the boot for about 3 days. Of course, it would break by afternoon each day so I would come 'flapping' into camp every day. Seems like I should have been Flapper!
BTW, I did finish!

[Last Call]

First time on the A.T., got to the shelter on Springer and there was 4 guys from St. Louis, I had packed a six-pack of Tall-boy Budweisers and offered them each a cold beer, after they found out I didn't have a trail name they came up with "Bartender", then after much debate they decided on "Last Call"....

[Crushed Grapes]

I was hiking with three girls, we all knew each other from an AT Facebook group, and started hiking with each other on Day #3. When we got near Hiawassee on our thru last year, we decided to nero at Top of Georgia. We decided to get a bunk room, leaving 3 empty bunks for folks coming in behind us.

While we were relaxing, I jumped into the top bunk, about to nap, and the girls were sorting their packs and supplies on the floor. We heard two of our friends entire the bunkhouse with the owner. Well, if you poked your head in the door of the room, apparently you couldn't see me. The owner said to the girls "These two fellows were hoping to share the bunkroom with you all, but I told them this room was only reserved for the prettiest young girls on the trail". I sat up quickly, he finally saw me, and I said "Ummm, excuse me sir!". To which he apologized profusely.

The girls ate that up (even though it's kind of messed up thing to say to a bunch of females), they were set out of the rest of the evening to turn that into a trail name. I was like "fine, you can pick it, but it needs to be family friendly". One of them had been listening to Michael Jackson a few days before and instantly said "I have it! Pretty Young Thing!" And I said "that's pretty long, how about P.Y.T.?", and they all agreed. So, there it is.

P.Y.T.
Class of 2019, AT Flip Flop thru hiker

[couscous]

https://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/63987-Trail-Names
Will give you more reading material on this topic from 10 years ago.

[JNI64]

https://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/63987-Trail-Names
Will give you more reading material on this topic from 10 years ago.

Seen a few rocket and a few socks but didn't see any rocket socks whatsoever happened to that poster ? Use to love their quirky little funny post rocketsocks you still around? And if so what is the origin of your name?

[4eyedbuzzard]

Back in the 70's and 80's I didn't have a trail name. It wasn't until I started hiking with my daughter in the late 90's that we both got our trail names. One day we were hiking on a planked section through a swampy area and she slipped off going ankle deep into the muck and water. That evening I bestowed the name "Soggy Feet" on her. She insisted that I also get a proper trail name - and the reasons behind mine are obvious.

[fudgefoot]

The scene: Morgan Stewart Shelter - July 2002

After dinner, I headed back the trail to the privy and then into the woods to take a leak. Walking through the woods to get back to the trail, I felt my right leg sink into what I thought was a small pothole. Now this was no peepie step – we’re talking full extension, plant the foot, and try to push off. Only problem was, the more I tried to push off, the farther in I sank. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the moment when I realized the full gravity of my predicament – I had stepped in the old privy hole! I extracted my foot (I was wearing my Teva sandals) and looked down to see my worst fears confirmed – my right foot and lower leg to mid-calf were covered with a thick coating of crap! I yelled to Krueser who was lounging obliviously near the shelter: “Fred, get over here, quick!” After he had finished doubling over with laughter, we headed down to the pump and began the lengthy clean-up process. Fortunately, this shelter had a good water source. An hour and many liberal applications of soap later, I felt reasonably clean. When they relocated the privy, the least they could have done was seal off the old hole.

Sometimes you get to choose your trail name, sometimes the trail chooses for you.

Fudge Foot

[BlackCloud]

For 2 years it seemed every single time I went camping it either rained or threatened to rain so I figured if you can't beat'm, join'm.

[Crushed Grapes]

The scene: Morgan Stewart Shelter - July 2002
Fudge Foot
God this sounds miserable lol

[JoshMcR]

My trail name was "Buckeye". I'm from Ohio and went to Ohio State. Originally I didn't want a trail name. Frankly I thought the concept was kind of lame. I got tired of getting hassled about not having one so I went with the first thing that came to mind. I also thought it was an easy conversation starter. Every time I told someone my trail name they asked "Are you from Ohio?" and the conversation flowed from there. I didn't like it at first, but it grew on me over time.

[Furlough]

Back when I was still in the Army, I was assigned to RAND in Arlington, Va. As I was not assigned to a real Army unit, I was accounted for in a school account, and for purposes of pay, leave and any other personnel actions I was "managed" by a unit at Ft Jackson. Working with a private, civilian organization I found I had a lot of long weekends off (Fri-Sun). Just coming off of a 911 related assignment I had a lot of use or lose leave saved up. So, I'd extend those long weekends and go backpacking. I would call the leave section at Ft Jackson to process leaves. One day I overheard the clerk tell the PSNCO - We need to furlough the Colonel (I was an LTC) again so he can go on a hike. So, I choose Furlough. 17 years on and I still use it.

As a side note - some years back on a hike setup by Teacher from Gathland State Park to Harpers Ferry, there was a young lady (Speed Bump) I think was her name. She could not remember Furlough, and would call me Fugitive. Could be a good trail name with the right back story.

[Carbo]

I like carbohydrates and my name is Bob Carlson (hence Carbo). Also, if I continue hiking for a few more years it will help me remember my real name when I'm in my 80's :)

[smithjv]

PACKBACKER
No, not a anagram for backpacker.
I was raised in Wisconsin, which means I grew up a Green Bay fan.
'Nuff said?
I always hike with a GB baseball cap.

[Knee Jerk]

I recently had my right knee replaced and my wife says I'm a jerk. (Prior to that it was "Stumbling Bear.")