Trail Names And How They Find You

[The Weasel]

This is always a good discussion: How should you get a trail name, and what is acceptable?

My feeling on "acceptable" is that some commonsense and at least a little good taste are essential. I was, frankly, a little put off (well, more than that) when I came across a young (17-18) girl who had adopted the name, "Trail Bait". That's a risky thing for a girl (any age) to do on the AT. A few others like "B--- Sh---er" and the like are also part of the reason why thruhikers aren't as welcome in some towns, where people have both tolerance but a fair amount of respect for decency.

As to getting one, I'm on the side of what I call "Zen" trail names...the ones that find you, and not the other way around. I got mine from another thruhiker who told his family about the lawyer he was going to hike with was "the weasel I know". It stuck, and it has a certain perverse humor to it. "Hack Saw" was noted for his snoring, and "Yogi" because of a knack for mooching food from picnickers. I think that such a name is a form of honor bestowed by others on the trail. If you "pick your own" sort of like a trucker with a CB "handle", you lose some of the delight - a form of "trail magic" - that hits you BIG TIME when you drag into a shelter, tired, stinking and hungry on a crappy day, and you see one of your friends as he tells someone, "Yeah, that's The Weasel I was telling you about." And you realize that, "Wow!" It happened.

Might not happen fast...might not happen for a long time...might not even happen at all. But it's total cool when it does.

That's why I encourage people to hold off from a "real" trail name until they get close to or on the Trail.

The Weasel

"Well a promise made, is a debt unpaid, and the Trail has its own stern code." -- Robert Service

[SGT Rock]

Well, trail names can come from a variety of sources. Sometimes trail names are a name people pick like "Stryder" when they are in a Tolkien like mood, or "Soaring Eagle" when they want to express some sort of pseudo native American/Hippy outlook. Others get their name from some part of their past, like a job or place like "Indiana Hiker" or "SAR Boy". And the most common and probably the truest trail name is one you get while on the trail for some reason, like an embarrassing moment in the case of "Hog On Ice" or for some idiosyncrasy like "Bag Lady".

My trail name is sort of a combination of the second and third way. As I started getting back into hiking after a hiatus of a few years, I was a Sergeant in the Army. When asked on the trail once if I had a trail name, I just answered "Sarge" which is slang for Sergeant. SGT is the abbreviation for Sergeant.

On an Appalachian Trail hike, I was crossing a bridge over a creek, and decided to take a picture. I put my camera and extra film on the bridge railing while I took my pack off. While doing so, I knocked my only extra roll of film into the creek. It was in the plastic jar, so it started flowing downstream rather quickly. I put my camera down and ran to the end of the bridge and over to some rocks jutting into the creek because I wanted to keep my boots dry as well as save my film. Well I slipped, landed on a rock in the water, got soaking wet, never got my film, and got some good bruises and cuts from the rocks. At that point I felt stupid from getting beaten up by the rocks. I got the name SGT Rock, like the old comic book character. Since then it has stuck. And the film is probably in the Atlantic or some other ocean somewhere. I think I saw it on the beach in that Tom Hank's movie.

It can mean dumb as a rock, hard as a rock, slept like a rock, can't smoke a rock, etc. A pretty good trail name with lots of implications IMHO.

[Kerosene]

I belonged to a small, all-male a cappella singing group during college that performed about 200 concerts a year throughout the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. While I was assigned a variety of nicknames by the group (as were most members), Kerosene ended up 'sticking' for two reasons. First, it was a convenient variant on my surname, Karaman. More importantly, it reminded everyone in the group of the time I "went down in flames" with a girl I spent the evening with after one of our concerts. It's been with me ever since. As a long-term section hiker, the opportunities to establish a close bond with other hikers who could provide me with more of a trail-related nickname are somewhat limited.

[EarlyRiser]

I use my trail name here. EarlyRiser, it was given to me on my past trip. i was always the first one up, well before everyone else, and my gear was usualy stowed and i would have the bearbags down and breakfast in the process of being prepared before anyone else was up, including the councilors of the camp i hike through. so one morning Charles one of the councilors decided that im just an earlyriser. it stuck so thats how i got mine. a few other kids picked up names along the trip, including nakedboy, a pair of shorts boots and socks are all he needed aparently. i believe that trailnames are better given from somone else naturaly than made up by that person. using your own name is just fine too i dont believe that people should descriminate against any hiker without a trail name.

[Perkolady]

IMHO-

Some folks prefer the "Zen" mode and look forward to 'recieving' a trail name, but...
Some are more perhaps more timid and may dread the names they 'may' recieve ! lol
Some may just have a favorite nic-name of sorts that they would just like to go by.
Some even think trail names are dumb in general.

IMHO- I think trail names are sorta like the "hike your own hike" thing- should be up to you.

I never recieved a trail name on my thru-hike attempts years ago, but one ARCTIC January morning about 7 years ago at Hawk Mountain shelter, during a weekend
out, while all the other hikers stayed shivering in their bags, I made coffee and tea for everyone (perhaps a bit TOO cheerfully)....
and someone made a comment that I was "One PERKY lady!"
That , and the coffee making. So, they all started calling me
"Perkolady".
I didn't really realize what had happened until I hiked all the way onto Sassafrass mountain the next morning- when i broke out into a big "warm fuzzy" smile when another hiker came up behind and said "Hi Perkolady!"

And so it was.

Trail names are one of the endearing things about backpacking.
But, I think it should be up to the individual.
My two ounces,
Perkolady

[The Weasel]

This thread has died off a bit, but because I see a lot of new members here who seem to be adopting nicknames, I hope they'll read it (and others add to it), since "self-adopted" trail names are a bit contrary to a wonderful trail tradition of letting your name find you.

The Weasel

[Former Admin]

I think the internet has destroyed the concept of trail names coming to be on the trail, good thing or bad who knows? Times do change and so do trail traditions and hiking concepts? I think alot of folks that use the internet in their planning stages like to be associated with a name before they start, its cool to meet people you meet on the internet while hiking. I meet quite a few last year that I knew from Trail Journals and AT BaseCamp. So yes my name was self appointed, which was probably a good thing in my case since I have habits that some hikers find offensive, like cigarrette smoking and the one habit I'm sure I would pick-up a trail name from ...... SNORING!

I can also see the fun in letting my trail name come to be, but its a little late for that for me, but if your just a lurker on the internet this might be the way to go and let the name find you.

[The Weasel]

Yeah, well, OK, pick a name if you all think it's cool, but don't be surprised when your REAL name finds you on the trail.

The Weasel

[MOWGLI]

My trail name - Little Bear - was somewhat self appointed. During my hike I carried a small stone bear fetish given to me by my daughter. Before my hike a co-worker used to refer to me as "Little Bear in the Night" because of my propensity for leaving her notes while I worked the night tour.

In March 2000 I talked to a couple of hikers - Leap Frog & Giggles as we descended into Unicoi Gap. They wanted to know why I didn't have a trail name yet. I mentioned a few names that had been suggested along with Little Bear. They really liked Little Bear and immediately started referring to me by that name. Hence, my trail name.

Funny thing is... that was my name on the trail in 2000. If I were to undertake another thru-hike (and I may), I would probably take on a different trail name. In other words, the person I was in 2000, is not the person I am today.

[Mini-Mosey]

I have not been able to be out more than 5 days on any one backpacking trip(yet). Usually it's been overnighters and day hikes. I originally called myself "Mosey" because I am not a fast hiker; I "mosey" along. Then while out on the AT a couple of years ago, I found out that a thru-hiker was called "Mosey" so I adapted my trail name to that situation; she should be the more important Mosey since she was a thru-hiker, so I added "Mini".
When I am able to get out on the trail for more trips, especially longer ones, someone may end up with something different, who knows? For now, I'm Mini-Mosey.

[Virginian]

I dont like trail names and would not have one!!

[Jumpstart]

Virginian:

I felt as you did, before we did our thru-hike, and my husband conciously avoided it, but if you let them, a (usually) appropriate name will find you. I got mine from Brushy Sage because of my tendency to wake up and get a "Jumpstart" on the day at about 4:00am Trail names that other people appoint for you are especially fun, because often they can reflect a side of your personality you never realized was unusual, or outstanding, and having one defintely makes you feel more a part of the trail family, part of the moving community

[Virginian]

Hello Jumpstart,
That was a joke. I mean my name is Virginian. You didnt think that was my real name did you?

[MedicineMan]

I think most know my story but if not hear goes...30 years of AT section hiking and no trail name, but last month my oldest daughter accompanied me from Unicoi Gap to Dicks Creek Gap in Ga...we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express the night before and she evidently noticed all the meds I took that morning to ease the pain that was coming to my knees....later that day while hiking we met some thru's and learned some trail names, shortly thereafter she looked at me and said my trail name should be Medicine Man.....I said because I'm a pharmacist and she said no it was because of the number of meds I have to take to hike!

[Rebel, with a Cause!]

My son and I started hiking the trails in the Smokies about 6 years ago. My real name is James Deane and his is is the Same

So one day we introduced our selves as The James Deanes and a Thru Hiker said, Wow, The Rebels without a Cause ! My son replied: No we are the Rebels, WITH a Cause !! because we want to do a thruhike. For several years we used that as a combo trail name.

When I started planning for my 2002 thruhike, my son said to use Rebel, with a Cause !! for my self and at Trail Days he started being called: Lil Reb.

And thats how it is to this day.

[Sleepy the Arab]

Well, if your name is James Deane, I guess the "Rebel" moniker is better than "The Sausage King."

Ha ha - get it? Jimmy Dean Sausages?? Ah well, I can be pretty obscure sometimes.

[icemanat95]

Iceman was bestowed on me by Bald Eagle and Sleeping Bare at Mt. Collins shelter. I received it as a backhanded compliment, or two edged sword sort of thing. I was named after the Val Kilmer character from Top Gun, for while I was icy competent at what I was doing, I was also a bit of an arrogant prick who needed his ego knocked down from time to time. I accepted the name in the spirit it was given and tried to use it as a reminder that humility is a good thing.

[Baldy]

The name I go by, "Baldy" was given to me before I ever set foot on the trail. One time, when my dad cut my hair, he took the guard off to do some trimming, and forgot to put it back on when he went back to cutting, so he shaved a little strip of my head bald. So the next Scout meeting I went to, someone called me "Baldy" and it stuck. I had been called it before, but this was when it was made "official". Incedentally, my dad was also call Baldy when he was a kid, so I guess it's sort of a family tradition.

[fwassner]

Trail names are cute. I agree that one should allow a name to come to him/her.
If I do a thru-hike (planning for 2004) my name would probably have something to do with amateur (ham) radio and/or trains.
I will probably carry my radio with me (if for no other reason than to get weather reports) and talk to others about my adventures with trains.
I can imagine something like "rail trails", but that's already a copyrighted name associated with the Rails to Trails Conservancy.

Whatever. I'll let a name come to me if I'm going to get a name at all.

For now I'm just Frank

[MadAussieInLondon]

i've had two trailnames in my life. my current one, Bloody Cactus, and Chunder Downunder.

chunder is aussie for throwing up/technicolour yawn/puke.. which was what I did a lot of at one point in a hike

bloody cactus came about because a group of us got to telling childhood stories around the campfire...

when I was little, I sat plumb right on a cactus and had to have the spines pulled out of me bum!! as well as my gear breaking down and me swearing that my stuff was cactus and bloody cactus..

(cactus is aussie for dead/broken/bung/sh-thouse;
bloody being the aussie universal qualifer)...

my whining 'this compass is bloody cactus, my knee is cactus, my guts are bloody cactus' and my childhood story earned me the name Bloody Cactus...

(I much prefer it than being called Chunder Downunder)

once your given a trailname tho, its yours for life!

i was given it by two brothers, gecko + skink (they never shutup going on and on about lizards and stuff)


i think its good to be given a name from someone else, since its often something more imaginative than what you would have given yourself....