View Full Version : Trail name expectations
paradoxb3
10-23-2009, 03:28
As a Georgia section hiker, I gave myself a section hiking trail name of "caveman," however on my 2010 thru I plan to let my trail name come to me.
For those of you who have done the same, did you hit the trail with any expectation as to what name you might receive, and was your expected list of names accurate, completely inaccurate, or maybe somewhat close?
This is of course a trivial question, and of no importance at all. I was just curious, as I have a short list of names in my head and it wouldn't be a huge suprise if the trail community picked one of them.
An obvious few from that list that stand out for me are "lefty" and "southpaw" since i'm left handed... and since part of the reason for my thru hike is to escape the monotony of an office work atmosphere, some variation on "collar" would be a possibility, as i have said for a long time i will pin one of my old work shirt collars to my pack as a reminder on the hard days of where i COULD be instead of out hiking. :D
Anyone care to share?
JoshStover
10-23-2009, 03:38
Thats a pretty cool idea you have about the collar on your pack. I like it.
The Weasel
10-23-2009, 03:42
Trail names are a Zen thing. Part of the Zen is accepting that not everyone knows that.
TW
Ox97GaMe
10-23-2009, 08:29
All you can really do is pray that you dont do something really stupid your first few days out and get a name you really dont want to be 'collared' with the rest of the trip. The more interesting ones that I heard of were...... Knocked Up, Guilty, SleepTalker, NoStove, PrivyBoy, PsychoBabbler, and Pyro.
I have known some hikers who get their trail names changed a few times along the trail.
Have a great hike and may the Zen be good to you.
kayak karl
10-23-2009, 08:34
All you can really do is pray that you dont do something really stupid your first few days out and get a name you really dont want to be 'collared' with the rest of the trip. The more interesting ones that I heard of were...... Knocked Up, Guilty, SleepTalker, NoStove, PrivyBoy, PsychoBabbler, and Pyro.
I have known some hikers who get their trail names changed a few times along the trail.
Have a great hike and may the Zen be good to you.
this year i met "TUMBLE DOWN" :D
faarside
10-23-2009, 10:08
Trail names are a Zen thing. Part of the Zen is accepting that not everyone knows that.
TW
Right said!
Trail names kinda sneak up on you - like the weather. Ya don't know exactly which direction their coming from or how good or bad they'll be. But you can always count on one thing - they will come!
May the Zen be kind to you during your travels!
Happy Trails!
Actually I found that there were a disproportionate number of "lefties" out there. While we are usually about 1 in 10, I found that on the trail we were 1 in 3! Something about that right brain.... Anyway, I preferred to choose my own name, rather than get one from falling or doing something stupid. "Mudbut" comes to mind... I think she's great, but how would you like that name!?
I know this probably changes, depending on who you're hiking with/around, but I've heard that if you really don't like a name you just don't answer to it. If you're persistent enough with ignoring it, they'll try something else.
I've also heard that some people (especially they young'uns) like to give out names that are generally unprintable. When I eventually thru-hike, I might start out without a trailname, but revert to jofish if I get pinned with a name that I wouldn't want to repeat to my mother. Just my 2 cents.
garlic08
10-23-2009, 11:20
A certain amount of self-deprecation is healthy. I don't know where that fits into Zen. My friend Cact-ass enjoyed his name after he encounted a prickly pear during a privy break. So did Meltdown when I met him and saw the rain pants he'd melted at the fire. I know I have really bad garlic breath most of the time, but I do love my kim chi and hummus and garlic ramen. Self-applied trail names generally seem a little false.
paradoxb3
10-23-2009, 11:24
Wow didnt know that about the lefties out there. Right brain theory makes sense though. I've noticed on my previous march-april section hikes with the thru hikers that i met alot of tech savvy people as well. who would figure us computer geeks were such outdoorsmen! :)
i also dont want to be pinned a bad/distasteful trail name. i've heard it too, and i'd hope that its true that if you truly dislike and decline a trail name that it wont stick. I'm still considering starting out as "caveman" and waiting to see if anything better comes along.
Lone Wolf
10-23-2009, 11:32
there's nothing zen about it. choose your own name. just like a CB handle
ShelterLeopard
10-23-2009, 11:45
Like wolf said- you can really pick your own name. I was named tracless (because I picked up every piece of trash I saw for 150 miles) and then two years later renamed blueberry, because I ate all the blueberries at the top of Lehigh Gap (if you descending in Lehigh going SoBo), then bought and ate 3 pints of blueberries and a blueberry pie.
But I didn't like those names (too feminine for me).
I don't like when two day hikers take up the whole shelter (or church groups), so I eat them. Thus- The ShelterLeopard. It feels much more... me.
ShelterLeopard
10-23-2009, 11:47
I dunno- I may get a new trailname on my upcoming thru- I'll be wearing dogtags with emergency info (not army tags, tags I got at a pet store in the shape of a fire hydrant and a dog bone), so I wouldn't be surprised if someone tries to call me dogtag. But I like my name now. (SL)
Everyone picks their own trailname,:-? some just are not able to realize it.:confused:
It doesn't matter sqwat if you come up w/ one or some yahoo comes up w/ one --it is still your choice.:eek:
There's some who try to steal trailnames from others and pretend they dont!!:mad:
LETITBE is taken!;)
Jester2000
10-23-2009, 12:25
I know this probably changes, depending on who you're hiking with/around, but I've heard that if you really don't like a name you just don't answer to it. If you're persistent enough with ignoring it, they'll try something else.
I've also heard that some people (especially they young'uns) like to give out names that are generally unprintable. When I eventually thru-hike, I might start out without a trailname, but revert to jofish if I get pinned with a name that I wouldn't want to repeat to my mother. Just my 2 cents.
Usually when there's a name that involves profanity there's a variation on it used by hikers when in town or around children or such. Thus the name "Two Dogs" instead of "Two Dogs ****ing." "S.O.L." instead of "**** Out of Luck."
Funny enough, S.O.L. didn't want that to be her trail name, and had already picked out her own, but came to realize that S.O.L. was more appropriate than what she originally wanted.
But you're right in that if you don't like a name, the best way to deal with that is to not respond to it in any way whatsoever. Others may come up with the trail name, but it's you who chooses it as your own.
Except for Marmot Pounder, who we continued to call Marmot Pounder long after he rejected it and made up his own name. Because c'mon -- "Marmot Pounder"? Brilliant.
ShoelessWanderer
10-23-2009, 12:47
In all honest tradition, (imo) trail names are given to you. You don't get to pick them.
Trust me, it's not funny when you leave your boots at home when you're guiding a trip and the whole group starts calling you shoeless...but hey, it's pretty funny later!
You may not like the name you get when you're given it, but it'll grow on you. (Ask one of my gal friends who got the name Peaches- and no she's not a stripper)
As to the collar thing, I think that's a very cool idea...and I'm sure someone along the way will think of a cool name for ya, just let it come to you!
Actually rather than get one from falling or doing something stupid. "Mudbut" comes to mind... I think she's great, but how would you like that name!?
Needs another "t"
She sounds great to me.
I didn't have any nickname (except from my brother) for a long time, and then, a UK Compaq tech support guy typed "You go, geekgrrl!" I liked it so much, it stuck.
I think someone will give eventually you a nickname that just suits you.
Lone Wolf
10-23-2009, 13:40
In all honest tradition, (imo) trail names are given to you. You don't get to pick them.
nope.........
In the end...does it really matter?
Go with a name given to you.
Pick a name.
Go with your real name.
Go with a nick name you have had pre and post trail.
The only people who will be upset over this issue are people who do more typing and less hiking.
Off to go hiking...it's a beautiful day out and my self-imposed work is done for the day. :)
SOBO 2011
10-23-2009, 14:13
I cant wait to get given a trail name ... having grown up playing sports all my life different names are in my blood. It was a joke on the university hockey team I played for last year when out golie tried to come up with his own name... no one called him it because it is just known that "YOU CAN NOT COME UP WITH YOUR OWN!" on the other hand - just to make fun of him another player on our team came up with his own name as "dragon" and it was a team choise that the only name you are ever able to come up on your own is "dragon" and nothing else... because face it - who calls themselves DRAGON!?!?!?!
With all that said... I do feel that a name should be given to you and not your own choice... thats why I put in SOBO 2011 for myself... giving peoples names and the funny stories that come with those names are what brings the team,community, or group of friends together and it would be a shame to no longer have that bond.
Just my thoughts ~
GrubbyJohn
10-23-2009, 15:43
got mine from my wife after she got wind of me after a 10 day section hike....... just stuck i guess.... after 10 days without a bath alot stuck to me....
there's nothing zen about it. choose your own name. just like a CB handle
LW may be right, but if you choose a name like "Handsomehiker" or "Cooldude" and than go out a poop in your pants and have to hike all day around other hikers, you will probly be stuck with the trail name
"Poopypants" no matter what you want to be called. Just sayin...
One unfortunate hiker got tagged with "Ziplock" back in the '90s when she tried to use a ziplock to go to the bathroom in her tent.
Needless to say the experiment did not work...and her chosen trail name was quickly forgotten despite her best effort to NOT answer to "Ziplock".
ShoelessWanderer
10-23-2009, 16:45
In the end...does it really matter?
Go with a name given to you.
Pick a name.
Go with your real name.
Go with a nick name you have had pre and post trail.
The only people who will be upset over this issue are people who do more typing and less hiking.
Good point, it really doesn't matter. But hey, if you're going to make up your own name...at least come up with a fun story to go without...the stories are half the fun of trail names.
Good point, it really doesn't matter. But hey, if you're going to make up your own name...at least come up with a fun story to go without...the stories are half the fun of trail names.
I have a hard to pronounce last name.
Boring story.
Damn if I am going to use a different name on the trail than I do in real life, however.
The stories for the name aren't what's fun. It is what you DO on the trail with the name that is fun. ;)
Jester2000
10-23-2009, 17:10
I have a hard to pronounce last name.
Boring story.
He's being modest. His trail name is "Mags" because he has to use Magnum condoms.
Jim Adams
10-23-2009, 19:46
Don't worry about it...it will just happen Butt Munch!
geek
If you are a section hiker, you might not need a trailname.
I don't know how it's like on the AT, but I hiked way ahead of the pack this year on the PCT. All I met were other section hikers and the earliest of the PCT hikers and new Southbounders. Almost none of them had trailnames. So I stopped using my trailname, too, unless someone asked for it specifically.
I ended up with some people knowing me by my real name and some by my trailname.
I liked using my real name better, actually. When you are out there you're living a different life and it's almost like you are a different person. Having a different name really makes the distinction between your trail self and your other self. Then when you come home and the hike is over, it's like your trail self has disappeared, even died. You never even hear the name anymore.
But when you use your real name, it's the real you on the trail and you bring your trail self home with you. Your trail self doesn't disappear.
The Weasel
10-25-2009, 19:00
If you feel the need to pick your own name, then that, too is Zen. Things happen, and accepting them, regardless of the source, is how you become enlightened. If you wish to find that on your own, there isn't anything evil about that.
Those who have been "given" names that they didn't like didn't "receive" those names; that's why they don't stick. In a word, those were false names. So waiting will bring a true name; sometimes the wait can be a long one, ten minutes or even a lifetime. So for those who are less willing to be patient about that, perhaps they can accomplish the same thing by using their 'inner eye' and finding their name that way. Yes, that can work.
But it's not as interesting.
TW
Lone Wolf
10-25-2009, 19:06
folks don't walk the path to get a name. it's a non-issue
Blissful
10-25-2009, 19:18
In the end...does it really matter?
:)
That about sums it up for me.
folks don't walk the path to get a name. it's a non-issue
Right on. No matter if you hike alone or in a group...hiking the trail is an individual thing....you are out there for your
gratification and no one elses....you are the one who has to introduce yourself with a trail name.....it should be meaningful to you...not necessarily others....Bumpa was as close as my grandkids could come to Grandpa when I started...it reminds of them as I hike and keeps me in a good space:sun
ChinMusic
10-25-2009, 21:05
When I first hiked with a guy going by "Randall", I finally asked him what his real name was.
He said, "Randall". I was stunned...........lol
Jack Tarlin
10-25-2009, 21:53
Something will come to you out of the blue.
Just make sure it's reasonably original.
Here, in no particular order, are names that need to be permanently retired cuz of overuse:
1. Anything from the works of Tolkein
2. Any Grateful Dead song, especially "Ripple" or "Sugar Magnolia"
3. "Highlander"
4. "Braveheart"
5. "Strider"
6. Anything with "Moose" in it
7. Anything with "Bear" in it
8. Anything from the works of Edward Abbey, especially "Hayduke"
9. Any famous Western philosopher, like "Plato", "Aristotle", etc.
10. Anything that tries to sound Native Americanish, especially
"Dreamcatcher"
11. "The Dude" is a no-no, there seem to be three every year
12. Anything from Star Wars unless you're twelve
13. Anything with "Snore" in it
14. Anything with "Tapeworm" in it
15. Any reference to "Deliverance"
16. "Hawkeye"
17. "Jeremiah Johnson"
18. Any overt reference to weed
19. Any reference to blisters
20. "Windbreaker" or anything similar
21. And lastly, of course, no more "Jester"s
I'll think of more later. Some cool names from past years? "Pale Rider" I liked. In fact, anything from Eastwood works. Also "Dirty Little Barn Monkey". It had a certain ring to it. "Breakfast Enema" did not. You get the idea.
And if you pick a Springsteen song, be aware that some are taken. :D
Jack Tarlin
10-25-2009, 21:57
Whoops. Forgot one.
Don't even think about "Lone Wolf". :eek:
ChinMusic
10-25-2009, 22:02
How 'bout names with your home city?????
Jack Tarlin
10-25-2009, 22:04
No problems on that one.
Boston's a great town!
ShelterLeopard
10-26-2009, 00:48
How 'bout names with your home city?????
Yeah, like Baltimore Jack. GEEZ! Who would think of a name like that? ;)
But seriously, no star wars names? How bout somewhat obscure star wars names? Just a few??? (I'll admit it right now- I love sci fi).
drastic_quench
10-26-2009, 03:31
<- This name here is just an anonymous placeholder. I figure I'll just use my real name, and if someone graces me with a trailname (that isn't unoriginal or overly crude) I'll use it.
I think I once saw a youtube video with Nimblewill Nomad on the subject. I believe he said that he chose his own, rather than getting stuck with something lame. I like the idea of a name that's uniquely google-able like that.
Jester2000
10-26-2009, 09:50
Yeah, like Baltimore Jack. GEEZ! Who would think of a name like that? ;)
To quote an old song once sung by some of my friends, "He's not from Baltimore, his name's not Jack . . ."
As for the many Jesters, I've met quite a few of them, and liked most. The most confusing thing that happened with my (relatively generic) name involved the old hobocentral website, where I logged on as "Jester," only to have a few people come on and congratulate me for having a baby.
"What?!?"
Turned out it was the Jester from '96, a great guy.
But I'd be fine if the name got retired.
ShelterLeopard
10-26-2009, 11:15
I like coming up with trail names, but whenever someone else named me, it was an accurate name, but it didn't fit. (Like traceless, because I picked up all the garbage- it was okay, but it didn't stick right. And blueberry- all the thrus in palmerton named me this year because of all the blueberries and blueberry pie I ate- but it felt too tame or girly or whatever!)
Maybe if they knew me longer, they'd come up with a better name, but I like ShelterLeopard just fine.
I find that most folks who spend any amount of time on the AT will come up with a name themselves. It is usually a name they are proud of and want to carry. Than their are those who become known by a different name because folks they hike with don't feel that their original trail name doesn't fit them, so they get renamed.
I met a woman hiker. She hiked slow and had the name ot Turtle. You meet a lot of folks with that common trail name. She hurt a muscle in her upper leg and became known as Bad Ass Turtle. While hiking she got word that she finished all her requirements for a Dr. degree. She than was known as Dr. Bad Ass Turtle.
Just to show that the trail name often changes to fit the hiker.
For myself I brought the trail name of Grampie with me. I did it in honor of my grandkids. They call me that.
Blissful
10-26-2009, 12:01
I rmember one guy was real upset someone "stole" is Iceman name back in '07
:eek:
There's no way I could have foreseen the event that gave me my trail name. I'd been section hiking 6 or 7 years and still didn't have one. That all changed one summer evening at Morgan Stewart shelter in NY when I stepped knee deep in a well-disguised old privy hole! I've been "Fudge Foot" ever since.
So don't fret about your trail name - it will come to you soon enough. And always watch where you step!
ShoelessWanderer
10-26-2009, 15:17
For myself I brought the trail name of Grampie with me. I did it in honor of my grandkids. They call me that.
Well see, you didn't give yourself a trail name your grandkids did!
Some people don't get trail names. Or people try to give them and they don't stick. My friend Lenny never got one. I tried to call him Jesus because whenever we came to a stream he always found a way across without getting his feet wet. Other names tried included Strider, Cayenne, Belcher and Bigfoot. They would have worked since he was 6'5", put tons of Cayenne pepper on his food, burped all night long and wore size 17 shoes. But nothing stuck.
Jester2000
10-26-2009, 18:02
Some people don't get trail names. Or people try to give them and they don't stick. My friend Lenny never got one. I tried to call him Jesus because whenever we came to a stream he always found a way across without getting his feet wet. Other names tried included Strider, Cayenne, Belcher and Bigfoot. They would have worked since he was 6'5", put tons of Cayenne pepper on his food, burped all night long and wore size 17 shoes. But nothing stuck.
You know what would've stuck? "Pepper Belchfoot"
The Weasel
10-26-2009, 18:12
I like coming up with trail names, but whenever someone else named me, it was an accurate name, but it didn't fit. (Like traceless, because I picked up all the garbage- it was okay, but it didn't stick right. And blueberry- all the thrus in palmerton named me this year because of all the blueberries and blueberry pie I ate- but it felt too tame or girly or whatever!)
Maybe if they knew me longer, they'd come up with a better name, but I like ShelterLeopard just fine.
Your name may not come from others and may not come from yourself. It may just happen. Sometimes, such things happen more quickly is one stops anticipating them.
TW
drastic_quench
10-26-2009, 19:05
You know what would've stuck? "Pepper Belchfoot"
Love it.
______________
Three Bit Yahoo.
Come on ..it's up for grabs! The cranky dude on the other thread helped coin it.
If I wasn't Paul Mags already...I'd go with that one. (Some people may call me a three bit yahoo when I am not around, though)
ChinMusic
10-26-2009, 19:24
Three Bit Yahoo.
Come on ..it's up for grabs! The cranky dude on the other thread helped coin it.
I think the cranky dude is perfect for it. I'm game, but I got him blocked.
[QUOTE=ShelterLeopard;911860
but I like ShelterLeopard just fine.[/QUOTE]
I dub thee "Poet and you don't even know it."
Or "Dear Sir." That's a good one.
ShelterLeopard
11-03-2009, 12:31
Thanks mudhead! I think I'll stick to SL for now...
I'm with Mags on this one too, "In the end...does it really matter?".
I was happy without a trail name starting on the PCT, but at some point I got a little tired of the momentary awkwardness in the first couple of weeks when someone would ask specifically "what's your trailname", so in that regard I was happy when someone tagged me with one.
The one suggestion I have is that if you do feel compelled to pick your own, stay away from anything ultra cute or too-too-clever --- to me, at least, some of these came across as kind of lame.
After a while the novelty wears off and it's just your name, folks mostly stop asking for the story behind it and don't really think about it, except maybe when receiving weird looks in trail towns or when some non-thru on the trail asks your name and you're not sure whether they're aware of the whole trail-name thing or not.
paradoxb3
11-13-2009, 18:14
All the replies to this thread were, as always, an enjoyable read. And you're right, in the end it doesnt matter whether you name yourself or receive a name from the community -- but thats not what i asked at all.
If any of you have seen the "Trek" movie, the hiker Bus Driver tells his story that he started hiking without a trail name, but if he had to name himself he would call himself Bus Driver because of his VW bus, but as it ends up, thats the name he wound up receiving from a hiker that had no knowlege of this -- he received the name because he talked about how he'd like to move to the NOC area and get a job shuttling people on the big blue school busses.
My question was, did anyone hit the trail with a name, or a few names in mind that suited their style, and end up getting named that by someone else. Maybe this just hasnt happened to any WB'ers... :-?
I won't start out with Deadeye (since I can see out of it now), I'll go with the flow and accept any good name that comes to me.
Best trail name I ran into last year was "Tennis" Nice gentleman from down south. When I asked him how he got his trail name, he said "Don't have a trail name... my name is Tennis!"
jnl82381
11-25-2009, 00:53
I cant wait to get given a trail name ... having grown up playing sports all my life different names are in my blood. It was a joke on the university hockey team I played for last year when out golie tried to come up with his own name... no one called him it because it is just known that "YOU CAN NOT COME UP WITH YOUR OWN!" on the other hand - just to make fun of him another player on our team came up with his own name as "dragon" and it was a team choise that the only name you are ever able to come up on your own is "dragon" and nothing else... because face it - who calls themselves DRAGON!?!?!?!
With all that said... I do feel that a name should be given to you and not your own choice... thats why I put in SOBO 2011 for myself... giving peoples names and the funny stories that come with those names are what brings the team,community, or group of friends together and it would be a shame to no longer have that bond.
Just my thoughts ~
I knew a guy in college who called himseld dragon, but it was part of his last name. however, he was then givin the name iron dick due to an unfortunate naked ironing mishap. still an awesome name if you don't know the true meaning :)
Two practical "guidelines" if you decide to pick your own trail name:
1) The name should probably be at least SOMEWHAT rooted in reality if you are giving it to yourself. (Examples: "Blonde Stud" is probably not a realistic trail name for an obese bald guy--unless the name is purposely designed to be a joke. "Hiking Machine" is probably not the greatest trail name to give yourself if you are a slow-to-average speed hiker who travels just average distances.)
2) A trail name should not be super long--probably 1-3 syllables in length at most Otherwise, no one will use it. Nicknames are short on purpose. An example of a long trail name: "Whispering Wind Walker of the Hills". It is poetic, but not very practical. Imagine using that name in a real sentence? "Whispering Wind Walker of the Hills will you toss me that lighter?" It's not going to happen. Even trail names that are just 2-3 syllables will often get informally shortened by other people. Folks are probably going to call "Limping Elk" just "Elk" when they use the name in conversations. "Elk, will you hand me that spoon?"
this summer i met a section hiker who was carrying a 6 pack of eggs. when he pulled into camp for the night and started to unpack he discovered a couple of the eggs broke and leaked all over the inside of his pack.
he was not too happy about being called "eggwhite" for the rest of the time we walked, but i thought it was pretty creative
a buddy of mine and me were the channel 4 news team, in reference to the cult-classic anchorman
sofaking
12-15-2009, 15:51
met a girl called Bar Fight last year. i thought that was a pretty good one.
drifters quest
12-16-2009, 02:49
I don't have a trail name, like many others have said, I figured I would just let one come to me. Drifters Quest is just the name of one of my horses :) Have no idea what kind of trail name i'll be given.
I think some "trail names" are temporary--used on just one or two hikes--and based on the circumstances of that particular hike.
This summer, I spent 10 days hiking on Isle Royale in Lake Superior. I am a pastor. I was on a bit of a spiritual retreat during this hike--lots of prayer and meditation while hiking alone in the wilderness. I hike with a wooden walking staff that looks like it is right out of some Bible setting. I had grown a beard in the weeks prior to the trip.
Thus, some people started calling me: "MOSES"--or "Mo" for short.
On another hike, I was part of a group of 12 people--four of whom were named "John" or "Jon". I was the youngest of those four (and the TV show the Waltons was still on TV). Thus, I was given the name "John Boy" for the duration of that multi-week trip.
Sir-Packs-Alot
12-20-2009, 23:46
All you can really do is pray that you dont do something really stupid your first few days out and get a name you really dont want to be 'collared' with the rest of the trip. The more interesting ones that I heard of were...... Knocked Up, Guilty, SleepTalker, NoStove, PrivyBoy, PsychoBabbler, and Pyro.
I have known some hikers who get their trail names changed a few times along the trail.
Have a great hike and may the Zen be good to you.
That "stupid thing" you'll do in the first few days gave me my trail-name. My packstrap broke under the weight of my overweight pack - swung away from my body and sent me tumbling down into Unicoi Gap. Only my big feet hooking on a small tree cut a long fall short. I lost some pieces of gear and got banged up - but was otherwise fine. When the story got out - someone called me "Sir-Packs-Alot" in jest - mocking me in a trail journal. At first my trail-name was embarrassing. After a while I liked it - and lots of folks on and off trail call me by a shortened version of my trail-name still. If you hike it - it will come. Whatever it is - you'll probably relish it for years after you've done your hike! Good luck!
Sir-Packs-Alot
12-20-2009, 23:50
met a girl called Bar Fight last year. i thought that was a pretty good one.
I have mentioned how I will always remember the young woman with the trail-name "Barfight" - whom I also met last year! The reason I found it unforgettable was that the young woman was so petite and sweet natured ... you'd have to meet her to get the hilarious irony of her trail-name!