![]() GORP – Homemade trail mix: known as granola, oats, raisins, and peanuts Trail Lingo GAME (concept) – An acronym used by northbound thru-hikers meaning “Georgia to Maine,” sometimes written as “GA→ME.” See NoBo. ![]() Term often applied when forced to take a dull trail to reach the one you really want to be on.ĭouble Walled – Tent construction that reduces condensation by having an inner net and an outer waterproof shell separated by some space.įKT – Fastest Known Time – the fastest time that anyone has completed a trail while officially being tracked.įlip-flop – To thru-hike the entire AT but in a non-contiguous manner.įootprint – A ground sheet for a tarp or tent. See Triple-Crown below.ĭeath March – Unusually long, not very interesting hike. If you’re in a place where resupply is difficult, you might ask/pay a local trail angel to hide a cache halfway through that section for you to pick up during your hike.Ĭairn – A small tower of rocks used as a trail marker in areas where trees are scarce or used sentimentally as a monument.ĬDT – Short for the Continental Divide Trail or Continental Divide National Scenic Trail runs 3,100 miles across the U.S.’ western continental divide, from Mexico to Canada. CĬache – A pre-placed and frequently hidden stash of food or supplies that have been left for a specific hiker or group of hikers. Everyone does it, but some admit it more. ![]() Sometimes also refers to the much smaller cluster of southbound thru-hikers who embark from Mount Katahdin the first week of June.īonus Miles – The extra miles you end up hiking to re-supply or when you made the wrong turn. The Bubble – The denser cluster of northbound thru-hikers who embark from Springer Mountain the last week of March and the first week of April. ![]() To learn more, check out my post on blazes and trail markings.īlue-blaze – To skip a section of the white-blazed AT by walking an alternative route. These are typically the heaviest, most expensive, and most critical categories of items carried, and thus tend to get the most attention during gear discussions.īlaze – A trail marker that helps to keep you going in the correct direction, helps to inform you of the trail ahead, and any turns or course corrections are done through these markings. A “bald” is usually a treeless summit in the southern region that is not necessarily above timberline, but the peak is still open at the summit.īanana Blazing – The opposite of pink blazing is following a man down the trail, typically due specifically to romantic interests, usually done by a woman.īaxter – Short for Baxter State Park, Maine, home of Mount Katahdin.īig Three – Your backpack, shelter, and sleep system. The headquarters in Harpers Ferry is also often referred to as “the ATC.”ĪWOL – Short for The A.T. Guide by computer scientist and AT thru-hiker David “Awol” Miller.īald – Describes a treeless, rocky summit in certain areas of the Appalachians. canoe, kayak, raft).ĪT (noun, place) – Abbreviation for Appalachian Trail or the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.ĪTC – Abbreviation for Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the organization that oversees the maintenance of, conservation on, and advocacy for the preservation of the AT. ![]() AĪmicalola – Short for Amicalola Falls State Park, Georgia, home of Springer Mountain.Īqua Blaze – To skip a section of the AT by watercraft (e.g. Let’s take a look at the most common thru-hiker lingo and hiking terms to help you be better prepared to understand the words most frequently used.Ī | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | #Ģ,000 Miler – Any individual who has hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, regardless of time spent doing so, and regardless of the AT’s exact length upon completion. There are loads of backpacking terms, AKA hiker slang, that can lead a new hiker to total confusion as these hiking words may sound silly at first. ![]()
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