Genre Verbal Lore, Traditions, Nicknames

Language English

Country of Origin United States

Informant Jesse Ryan Harris, ‘14

Date Collected March 2, 2018

Collected by Adrian Padilla

Informant Data

Jesse grew up in the Boston area, but would often visit New Hampshire with his family to go on hiking trips. At Dartmouth, he would sometimes hike and ski during terms. Most of his time outdoors was spent doing cabin and trail maintenance for the Dartmouth Outing Club. He had the job for two summers, and spent time on or near the Appalachian Trail. From his many years of experience hiking, and from speaking with his brother Sean (who has also hiked some of the AT), he has learned of the following piece of folklore.

Contextual Data

Hikers often wish to get away from one or many aspects of their lives, including but not limited to: work, interpersonal relationships, or in some cases, even legal trouble. Thus, hiking fosters a culture of anonymity. Because of this, nicknames are an important part of the hiker’s identity. Southbound hikers are often granted further anonymity, since they are unlikely to hike with the same person or people throughout the day, or camp with them for more than one night. A lot of time may pass before Southbound hikers encounter someone who recognizes them. In one extreme case of nickname use, hikers told the story of a man who hiked up and down the Appalachian Trail endlessly. He bought food and supplies with embezzled money, and evaded capture for multiple years by only going by his trail name and being constantly on the move.

Item

Hikers on the Appalachian Trail have nicknames, given to them by other hikers. Hikers will often base nicknames off of one’s appearance or behavior. In most cases, hikers will identify with their nicknames, although often a few options are tried before a name is set in stone. It is up to the hiker to introduce themselves using their nickname.