GLOSSARY
Types of Hikers
Thru-Hiker
Anyone who attempts to hike the entire Appalachian Trail in one calendar year. Types of Thru-Hikers include:
Northbound: A hiker who starts in Georgia and hikes north to Maine (aka GAMEr (Georgia to Maine)).
Southbound: A hiker who starts in Maine and hikes north to Georgia (aka MEGA (Maine to Georgia)).
Flip-flopper: A hiker who starts at one end of the trail, hiking north say, and then skips ahead to hike south. Usually flip-floppers change direction because they try to make the hiking easier by choosing the direction with less uphill climb. (Note: I never did this!)
Slack-packer: A thru-hiker who day hikes without their backpack. A lot of hikers do this - they leave their backpack at a hostel, get a ride to the trail, slack for the day, get picked up further down the trail, and go back to the hostel for the night. That way they don't have to carry the weight of a full pack. (Note: I never did this!)
Purist: Someone (like me!) who hikes every inch of the trail in the same direction, carrying their pack the entire way.
Blue-Blazer: Someone who takes easier trails to bypass going over all of the mountains on the AT (see Blaze below). Most side trails on the AT are blazed "blue".
Yellow-Blazer: Someone who skips entire sections of the trail by getting rides and jumping ahead (the term "yellow" comes from the yellow lines painted on roads).
Section Hiker
Someone who hikes the entire trail in sections over a period of more than one calendar year. Usually section hikers will hike 100-200 miles/year over the course of 10-20 years.
Day Hiker
Anyone who is on the trail hiking for the day, usually with a day pack and no tent or sleeping bag.
Tourist
Someone who has no clue! Tourists tend to be at places on the trail which are accesible by car, such as Newfound Gap or on the summit of Mt. Washington. They usually have no idea what a thru-hiker is and are totally disgusted by our smell and unkempt appearance. Thru-hikers usually don't like tourists either and are appalled by how loud they are and how they throw trash everywhere.
Thru-Hiking Terms
Blaze
A blaze is a 2-inch wide by 6-inch high rectangular mark painted on trees and rocks along the trail to designate the trail. The entire Appalachian Trail is marked in white-colored blazes. Other trails that intersect the AT are usually blazed in blue.
Hiker Box
A hiker box is a box where hikers can leave stuff they don't need or want. There is usually a hiker box in every hostel along the trail and often times there is one at the post office and even at some hotels. Hikers will leave anything from excess food to unwanted gear to clothing to first aid supplies. Of course anything in the hiker box is free to take. It's much better than throwing unwanted stuff away and sometimes there are really good finds in the hiker boxes.
Home State Blues
This is an affliction that hits almost every thru-hiker on the trail. When you hike through your home state it's pretty hard not to get homesick. You see familiar license plates and hear familiar radio stations and it can be very tempting to just quit and go home.
Shelter
All along the trail are shelters which are three-sided lean-tos that are available on a first-come first-serve basis for thru-hikers to use each night. There is usually a shelter about every 8-10 miles along the trail.
Shelter Register
Each shelter has a register, or logbook where hikers can sign in and leave messages for each other along the trail. They are the lifeline of the trail and the only real way that hikers can communicate to hikers behind or follow the progress of hikers ahead.
Stealth Camping
When you set up your tent somewhere that is not a designated camp site or in a section where no camping is allowed.
Trail Angel
Someone who gives Trail Magic (see below).
Trail Magic
Anything from finding a soda in a stream to being invited to someone's house for dinner to getting free food from day hikers - all the "magic" happening on the trail makes it even a more special place.
Work for Stay
Many of the hostels along the trail offer this as an option for thru-hikers who are traveling on a limited budget. The hikers will do one or two hours of work and in return may stay at the hostel for free.
Zero Day
This is a day off from the trail, usually spent in town resupplying food, doing laundry, and calling home. It's called a "Zero" day because zero miles are hiked that day.
If you find any terms in my journal which are not well-defined, please email me and I will try to add them here!
e n t e r j o u r n a l
© 2001 jennifer thompson
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