Date: 2016-02-09
To: Some Trail Terms A thru R
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Trail Terms for those interested, this is several that we found informative and we will be using some of them. More to come and more out there. 2,000 Miler -- A Thru Hiker or Section Hiker who completes the A.T.A.T. -- Appalachian TrailAYCE --'All You Can Eat' Restaurants that offer all you can eat buffets are very popular with hungry hikers.Bald -- A low elavation mountain surrounded by forest yet devoid of trees on the crown. typically covered with meadows, balds can offer great views and are a good place to find wild berries, they also attract much wildlife. A southern term.Blazes -- are painted, 2-inch by 6-inch, vertical white rectangles that are placed at eye height on trees and other objects, in both directions, to mark the official route of the Trail. Side trails are marked with blue blazes. You see horizontal, diagonal, arrows, and other blazes along the Trail.Blue blaze -- Spur trails off the AT to bad-weather routes, views, shelters, water sources etc are often marked by AT style blazes painted Blue.Blue-blazer -- is a long-distance hiker who substitutes a section of blue-blazed trail for a white-blazed section between two points on the Trail.Cairn -- A obviously manmade pile of rocks erected as a trail marker. Chiefly used above timberline. Should be close enough to see the next one in heavy fog, and high enough to see above fallen snow.Double blaze -- Two blazes, one above the other as an indication of an imminent turn or intersection in the trail. Offset double blazes, called Garveys, indicate the direction of the turn by the offset of the top blaze.Flip-flop -- a term used to signify a hiker that starts hiking in one direction then at some point decides to jump ahead and hike back in the opposite direction. Some hikers on the AT will start hiking northbound from Springer Mt. and usually at Harpers Ferry they may decide to go to Katahdin and hike back down to Harpers Ferry, thus completing their thru-hike. This is a good way for someone to still get their hike completed if they are behind and their time is limited due to the oncoming winter.Harpers Ferry -- The ATC's National Headquarters and Information Center is located in Harpers Ferry WV, about 1000 AT miles north of Springer Mountain. A short blue blazed trail leads to HQ, where AT hikers traditionaly sign the register and have their photo taken.Hiker Box -- A cabinet or box at hostels where hikers donate unwanted food for the hikers coming behind them.Nero Almost a Zero ...in other words, a very short mileage day.NOBO Northbound thru-hiker (Georgia to Maine) SOBO Southbound thru-hiker (Maine to Georgia) Also a MEGAPUDS -- is thru-hiker shorthand for "pointless ups and downs", referring to the less interesting sections of mountains thru-hikers encounter from time to time; several PUDS in a row are MUDS, which is shorthand for "mindless ups and downs"Purist -- A hiker who wants to pass every white blaze on the trailRegister -- A log book normally found at a trail shelter or a trail head. The original intent was for hikers to sign in so a searcher needing to find a lost hiker could tell where they last were.