Genre Customary Lore, Ritual

Language English

Country of Origin United States

Informant Amy-Marie Irvine, ’19

Date Collected March 3, 2018

Collected by Adrian Padilla

Informant Data

Amy grew up in North Carolina. She lived near the William B. Umstead State Park, a large park where she and her father hiked. She is a pre-med student majoring in psychology, and states that she has intended to go into medicine for her entire life. Though initially not a hiker, Amy began to hike with her father, viewing hiking as an excellent bonding experience with her father, who had hiked for his entire life. Because hiking through the large state park took some time for her to get used to, Amy grew very familiar with this piece of folklore.

Contextual Data

In the south, it is custom to be polite to strangers. One needs to be friendly and say hello. When hiking, however, the customs are slightly different. It is important to note that the American south is very hot. Due to this, the unspoken rule of hiking in the south is that it should be done rather early in the day, or much later in the day. Those who go hiking during midday should know to stop and take some time off in the shade. Additionally, in the hiking trails of the Umstead State Park, there is one main path, and many side paths. Usually, a break on a side path is a routine break, whereas a break on the main path is usually a more urgent break, where the individual hiking may not be feeling well. Thus, it is custom for fellow hikers to check on the state of other stopped hikers.

Item

If a hiker in the south comes across another hiker stopped on the side, they must start a lighthearted conversation, albeit one that requires a proper response from the stopped hiker. This is usually done to gauge the well-being of the stopped hiker.