Trail Names
Trail names are part of the Appalachian Trail community. They came about some time in the seventies, as a way to distinguish hikers. Too many Tom, Dick and Harry's. There are some trail names that are a little too frequent. Lord of the Rings characters, foot names,wolfs, foxes and bears.
There are many ways to get a trail name. The simplest way is use a nick name from home,or just make one up. This does not always work. The community may pick a name for you anyway. In '01 there was a hiker that wanted to be "the Universal Adventurer" but his name was Tom and he fell a lot so Tumbling Tom was born.
Most people end up with the right trail name. Early in a thru-hike every body will be trying to name each other. Be care full what you say or do. Also, in 01, When a group of us were siting around in the Smokies, this guy said,"every thing smells like ass, even my face." I think four or five people immediately said Ass Face.Thus Ass Face was born. He actually embraced the name. Although, in towns he would say Face or Facio. So as to not offend the delicate sensibilities of the towns folk. You do not have to accept a name someone gives you. I doubt Ass Face would have had to carry the moniker 2000 miles if he did not want it.
I think the best trail names are the short ones like Chef, Water, Bucket, or Pumpkin.
There are many ways to get a trail name. The simplest way is use a nick name from home,or just make one up. This does not always work. The community may pick a name for you anyway. In '01 there was a hiker that wanted to be "the Universal Adventurer" but his name was Tom and he fell a lot so Tumbling Tom was born.
Most people end up with the right trail name. Early in a thru-hike every body will be trying to name each other. Be care full what you say or do. Also, in 01, When a group of us were siting around in the Smokies, this guy said,"every thing smells like ass, even my face." I think four or five people immediately said Ass Face.Thus Ass Face was born. He actually embraced the name. Although, in towns he would say Face or Facio. So as to not offend the delicate sensibilities of the towns folk. You do not have to accept a name someone gives you. I doubt Ass Face would have had to carry the moniker 2000 miles if he did not want it.
I think the best trail names are the short ones like Chef, Water, Bucket, or Pumpkin.
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