About Trail Names
Most thru-hikers take trail names, nicknames that they either choose for themselves or are given to them by another thru-hiker. Trail names generally derive from a personal characteristic or an event. For example, I chose the trail name Turtle, because I hoped to be persistent in my attempt to thru-hike. It helped, of course, that my hiking pace was on the slow side, as well.
In order to preserve the confidentiality of my participants, I chose pseudonyms even for their trail names. In doing so, I attempted to maintain something of the meaning of their “real” trail names while still camouflaging their identities. For this study, I interviewed 15 thru-hikers and 2 individuals who worked at hostels at which thru-hikers commonly stayed. The table lists the study participants’ pseudonyms and some descriptive demographic information, along with the places and dates of the interviews.
| Participant’s Trail Name | Demographic Information | Location and Date of Interview |
|---|---|---|
| Critter | White male, mid-50s, retired biologist | Damascus, Virginia; May 19, 2001 |
| Sassafrass | White male, early 20s, college student | Pinefield Hut, Virginia; June 20, 2001 |
| Mole | White male, mid-30s, equipment manager | Caledonia Park, Pennsylvania; July 9, 2001 |
| Turtle | White female, late 30s, graduate student | Peter Mountain Shelter, Pennsylvania; July 15, 2001 |
| Davenport | White female, mid-30s, software consultant | Vernon, New Jersey; July 29, 2001 |
| Jumper | White female, early 20s, college graduate | Salisbury, Connecticut; August 11, 2001 |
| Jockey | White male, early 20s, college graduate | Cheshire, Massachusetts; August 21, 2001 |
| Jennifer | White female, mid-20s, college graduate | Bennington, Vermont; August 22, 2001 |
| Iron Foot | White female, mid-30s, land surveyor | Woodstock, Vermont; August 25, 2001 |
| Kelton | White male, mid-40s, technician | Woodstock, Vermont; August 25, 2001 |
| Belly Dancer | White female, early 20s, high school graduate | Woodstock, Vermont; August 26, 2001 |
| Tenderfoot | White female, early 50s, retired nurse | Glencliff, New Hampshire; September 1, 2001 |
| Sure Pace | Black male, mid-50s, doctor | Glencliff, New Hampshire; September 1, 2001 |
| Barton | White male, mid-50s, hostel manager | Gorham, New Hampshire; September 10, 2001 |
| Buffalo | White male, early 20s, college graduate | Gorham, New Hampshire; September 10, 2001 |
| Binx | White male, late teens, high school graduate | Gorham, New Hampshire; September 10, 2001 |
| Bill | White male, late 50s, hostel owner and manager | Elizabethton, Tennessee; October 13, 2001 |
From “Taking a Broad View of Literacy: Lessons from the Appalachian Trail Thru-hiking Community” by Leslie S. Rush.
Reading Online, www.readingonline.org
Posted April 2003