Date: 2005-03-16
To: Cool Trekking and Name Gaming
Miles today: 0.0

I am staying at "Mountain Mama's Shelter" tonight (a.k.a. roaring fork sh). Thanks to a tip from "Big Daddy D" that this shelter had not yet been demolished , I had the fortunate opportunity to skip Walnut Mtn Sh. and camp out here about .4 miles S from Lemon Gap. The new roaring fork shelter is not finished and this shelter did not show up in my 2005 handbook. I also bumped into Early Bird today. I wish I had the opportunity to chat more with each of them but I knew how far they were from town. They looked like they deserved a good break or a zero. I decided against going to Maxpatch for time reasons. I have to make it home by Friday. At least I can make it to a bar for St. Patty's day. Maybe I will see some more thru-hikers. I am rather proud of myself; today I went 10+ miles through 2 icy mountain tops (I had frost form on my forearms) and did not get a single foot blister. The sock liners work well and are worth the weight. Gear wise, I need a better outer shell. I hiked with just my vest and body shirt on and was much better off than using my Eddie Bauer nylon rain suit, which allowed my perspiration to condense on the inside of my coat soaking everything, so IT HAS TO GO! I have thought of some very good trail names. Most are for humorous reasons but two are more personal. Some are as followed:1. "Hazard!"- I slip on everything and frankly I should wear a sign to warn people.2. "Boondock"- I admit sometimes I have a backwards, country way of looking at things.3. The sound "Click! Click!"- Instead of a word for a name you had a sound. Kind of like that of one of the tribes in Africa who use clicking as a language. I can imagine the looks on people¢s faces when I introduce myself; maybe funny at first but annoying after a while, not to mention if I got lost what people would call out when looking for me.4. That leads me to "P.I.C." because politically incorrect and even tasteless jokes of all kinds; are still humorous to me no matter how ashamed I am to admit it.On a serious level, I am considering one of following 2.1. "Dreamcatcher"- the likely name for our Bed and Breakfast but a little too feminine.or2. "Timberwolf"- My favorite so far, because the timberwolf is a very admirable and resilient creature, and largely misunderstood. I have been using the identity on various sites for a long time, whiteblaze being one.I know it is tradition to earn a name from fellow thru-hikers. Much concerns me about this tradition. For example, if I had an unfortunate mishap which resulted in similar labels to "Dingleberry", "Streak", or "Squirt". All of which are rather ambiguous handles with a variety of possible origins. However, upon introductions could be associated with an unintended meaning or an experience best forgotten. Note Disclaimer: The names mentioned in the above example were not intended to single out any individual or to cause offense to anyone who currently holds, has held, or will hold said handles. Furthermore, this entry should not prohibit the future naming of hikers "Dingleberry", "Streak", or "Squirt¢ in any way, especially if the name fits perfectly and the individual does not mind the name.