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WTH is a Tramily?!? An AT Slang Dictionary


For an experienced AT hiker, it's easy to throw around hiking specific terms without an after thought. It isn't until a confused relative asks you what a "NOBO" is that you begin to realize that nobody understood what you were talking about for the last 15 minutes.

For those who sometimes feel like hikers speak a different language, here you go:

General-

AT: (n.) This one should be obvious. It's an abbreviation for the Appalachian Trail. If you still don't know what that is... click here

"Hey, are you hiking the AT?"

Springer: Southern terminus of trail, located in Northern Georgia.

"What day did you leave from Springer?"

Katahdin: Northern terminus, located in Maine.

"I swear to God ,I'll either leave here by walking off of Katahdin or they will have to airlift me out!"

NOBO: North-bounder, or someone starting a thru-hiker at Springer Mountain and Heading to Katahdin Mountain. Start dates range from early March to May.

"Not another NOBO!"

GAME/ MEGA: Abbreviations for Georgia to Maine or Maine to Georgia- not as common as NOBO/SOBO

"She was a GAME-r."

SOBO: South-bounder, the opposite of a NOBO. Typically starts in late June.

"Man, these SOBOs need to stop asking me so many damn questions!"

Flip-Flop: A variation of a thru-hike in which a person starts at Harper's Ferry heading North, and then "flips" back down to Harper's Ferry heading South, finishing their hike in Georgia.

"Oh god, I have hiked into the flip-flop bubble."

2000-miler: Person who has hiked the whole trail

"Did you get your 2000-miler certificate yet?"

LASH-er: Abbreviation for Long Ass Section Hiker, this is someone who is hiking so long they become an honorary thru-hiker even though they never finished the trail (typically you have to be hiking several hundred miles to be a LASH-er, otherwise you are just a section hiker.)

"Really? He is a LASH-er? I could have sworn he told me he started in Georgia."

Blazes: Rectangles painted on trees signifying you are still on the trail. White = Appalachian Trail, Blue= Side Trail

"I must be lost, I haven't seen a blaze in like half an hour."

Bubble: The dense hiking community that forms when everyone leaves from a terminus at around the same date and moves at a similar pace, typically the largest come from NOBOs who left in March and April.

"Oh god, you left April 1st? You will never get out of the bubble!"

Hostel: Homes or other structures that have some sort of indoor space, typically pretty dirty, with beds for hikers to rent out, typically for between 10 and 30 dollars a night.

"The hostel I stayed at last night was incredible- they had sheets for their beds and nobody snored!"

Culture-

Register/Logbook: These are notebooks located in shelters, hostels, and other places along the trail where hikers write a message and sign their name. This both allows other hikers to see where they are in relation to their friends, and allows authorities to track the last place you stayed from your logbook messages.

"Pizza just signed the logbook yesterday... we might be able to catch her if we hike late today."

Trail Name: The often humorous alter ego you are given when you hike to protect your identity, and because, heck, who wouldn't want a fun nickname.

"Why is your Trail Name Thunder Buns?"

Tramily: The group of other thru-hikers that you travel in a loose group with, aka trail family

"Oh, are you a part of Bird's tramily too?"

Trail Magic: When non-thru-hikers do something for a thru-hiker, such as giving free food or offering rides into town.

"I got the best trail magic yesterday- hot dogs, soda, chips, and he let me charge my phone!"

Trail Angel: Person giving trail magic.

"Have you met Fresh Ground? He is my favorite Trail Angel."

ATC: Appalachian Trail Conservancy, or the central body governing the preservation of and information regarding the AT. Their headquarters are located in Harper's Ferry, and it's where hikers get their pictures taken for the thru-hiker register.

"What day did you get your photo taken at the ATC?"

Ridge Runner: A person employed by the ATC who hikes a 50 mile or so section back and forth for the hiking season acting as sort of a park ranger/ Leave No Trace Advocate.

"They were going to smoke weed in the shelter, and then who should appear but the ridgerunner."

Trail Days: Reunion of AT Hiker classes that takes place in Damascus, VA each May. There is a tent city with rampant drug and alcohol use, vendors come with giveaways and deals on hiking gear, and there is a hiker parade for past and present AT hikers.

"Dude, you have to come to Trail Days next year! I won a hammock and tried shrooms during a ceremonial drum circle."

Purist: Someone who believes the only way to "properly" do a thru-hike is to hike every single mile (the severity of purists varies- some want to see every blaze, others will go back and retrace their steps several feet, etc.) Purists hate Blue and Aqua Blazers.

"I mean, maybe I'm just a purist, but you walked three feet off trail, so therefore your whole hike is a lie."

HYOH: Abbreviation for Hike Your Own Hike. Used as a sort of "f you" to purists and those who believe flip-floppers/SOBOs aren't "real" thru-hikers. Generally a sentiment used by the hiking community to dismiss those who want to discount your efforts, and to assert that your experience is independent of a societally constructed goal but rather reflects a personal effort which is bound only by your own personal opinion on what "success" means.

"HYOH, I can carry this camp chair if I want."

Ultralighter: Person who meticulously tries to reduce their pack weight, often taking extreme measures to do so.

"I'm sorry, I can't accept your business card. I'm ultralight."

Bushcrafter: Person who insists on living off the land even though there are resupply points every few days and it directly violates Leave No Trace ethics.

"He was carrying what appeared to be a full axe. Must be a bushcrafter."

Logistics-

Guthook/Guthooks: A map app on your phone that divides the trail into sections and gives you your GPS location relative to points of interest like water sources, shelters, etc. Also allows users to comment on points of interest for the sake of reporting sources drying up, a wasp nest, etc.

"How has he made it this far without Guthooks? I'd have gotten lost for sure."

Mail Drop/ Bounce-Box: When you mail yourself food, gear, supplies, money etc. to a post-office or business so you don't have to carry them. A bounce-box contains infrequently used things like gear repair supplies, and you keep mailing it forward if you don't need its contents.

"Damnit! The post office closed for the weekend but I need to get my mail drop!"

Cat Hole: A hole you poop in.

"Can I borrow your trowel to dig a cat hole? The soil is too rocky for a stick."

GORP: Trail Mix (Good Old Raisins and Peanuts)

"I'm sick of eating freakin' GORP."

Hiker Box: A place in a trail town where hikers can deposit unwanted gear and sometimes food for future hikers to take.

"I found this Ziploc bag full of beef jerky in the hiker box- do you think it's safe?"

Hiker Midnight: Approximately 9pm, named as such because most hikers go to bed when the sun sets.

"SHUT UP! It's 9:30pm- that's after hiker midnight!"

Zero Day: Day you hike no mileage.

"I need a zero. My feet like they are going to fall off."

Nero Day: Day you hike very little mileage.

"I'm too cheap to zero, so instead I just near-oed there."

Shelter: Three-sided shed located near water sources and maintained by the different trail clubs. Sometimes they have a privy too...

"Are you going to shelter or tent tonight?"

Privy: Sort of like a composting porta potty.

"What would you rate this privy on a scale of Tennessee to Birch Branch Shelter?"

Vitamin-I: Ibuprofen, used to ease the pains of hiking.

"Ugh, pass me the Vitamin I!"

Ramen Bomb: Common Hiker Meal consisting of a package of ramen (usually chicken) mixed with a package of instant mashed potatoes- bonus points of you also add an envelope of tuna packed in oil cause you got to get max calories and protein.

"If I have to eat another ramen bomb I might puke."

Blue-Blazing: Taking side-trails that link back up with the AT rather than hiking only along the white blazed path.

"She got here so much faster... maybe she blue blazed on the creeper trail?"

Aqua-Blazing: Bypassing a section of trail to kayak/ canoe up a river instead. Most commonly done instead of the section through Shenandoah National Park.

"I can't wait till Waynesboro so I can stop walking for a few days and aqua-blaze."

Postholing: When it snows a lot and you are the first one out of the shelter or campground and have to make the footprints that everyone else can follow and step into.

"I think I am going to sleep in tomorrow so I don't have to posthole for everyone else."

PUDs: Pointless ups and downs (ie when the trail goes out of its way to take you over every single hill or mountain)

"Stupid PUDS!"

Sketchy happenings-

Yellow-Blazer: Person who skips sections by hitchhiking.

"I swear to god I saw him get into a hitch and go around the mountain. I never thought he'd be the type to yellow blaze."

Pink/ Banana Blazing: Trying to keep pace with someone because you want to have sex with them

"I wish there weren't so many damn pink-blazers in the bubble."

Yogi-ing: Hanging around non-hikers until they offer you the food that you wanted them to give you all along.

"That pizza sure does smell good. Hey, I'm going to go over and try to yogi some, want to join?"

Slack Packing: When someone holds your pack for the day and drops you off and picks you up so that you can hike the day with just water and a snack (which makes it easier to crush the mileage).

"I wonder if I can slack pack across the entire state of Virginia?"

Safety Meetings: gathering of people to smoke weed

"Hey, um, I think it's time for another Safety Meeting." *Raises brow conspicuously*

"Are you safe?": How stoners on the AT ask you if they can smoke weed around you without you getting offended or ratting them out; sometimes used to ask if someone smokes or is high depending on context.

"Hey man, are you safe or what?"

Green-Blazing: Someone who hikes while stoned, less commonly used in reference to bushwacking rather than following the trail.

"He walked the whole day in the wrong direction and didn't notice? Man, he must have been doing some serious green blazing."

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