Author Archives: f002c25

Campfire Songs

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Genre Verbal/Customary Lore, Song, Ritual

Language English

Country of Origin United States

Informant Rory Gawler, ‘05

Date Collected February 26, 2018

Collected by Adrian Padilla

Informant Data

Rory Gawler is the Assistant Director of the Dartmouth Outdoor Programs Office. He grew up in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and listened to classic rock growing up. Upon arriving at Dartmouth, Rory got into hiking, and found the environment to be a huge contrast to Toronto. In the city, he often found himself bored, and upon coming to Dartmouth, he joined the Dartmouth Outing Club. He also began to listen to folk music instead of rock music. He is particularly fond of the Kentucky Bluegrass Boys, and Pete Seeger, who he calls the grandfather of sing-alongs. Folk music was, to him, something that he could do in a group, and this gave him a strong sense of place.

Contextual Data

Song and dance are joyful expressions of human culture, particularly in the case of folk and bluegrass music. Campfire songs, which are a form of folk music, are often associated with land, a sense of place, environmental conservation, as well as the kind of people who are excited about the outdoors. Folk as a whole is a participatory genre of music, meant to be sung by anyone. Most of the groups who have sung folk and campfire songs were historically low skill, low training groups. These campfire songs can be considered an intersection between folklore, and nature.

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Outdoor activities, including hiking, include campfire songs. These are usually sung in unison, even if off-key.

Post-Hike Cuisine

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Genre Customary Lore, Rituals

Language English

Country of Origin United States

Informant Emma Rieb, ‘18

Date Collected February 27, 2018

Collected by Adrian Padilla

Informant Data

Emma is from Colorado, and has been hiking since before she got into Dartmouth. She did day hikes with her family, although never anything as long or intense as at Dartmouth. Upon arriving to Dartmouth, she joined Cabin and Trail. She first heard of it through her brother, a ’13 who was involved in the C&T community. She found she connected very well with the people, and now most of her friends are involved in outdoor activities.

Contextual Data

Hikers usually eat heavy meals before or during hikes. However, after finishing, they may eat more on the way back. They tend to stop at snack places, and particularly ice cream shops. These places are usually quick, and are more for snacking. C&T members will also visit different diners, and shop for snacks for students on first year trips, to teach them about the types of foods bought for normal hiking trips.

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On specific hikes, hikers of C&T will stop at specific places for food, usually desserts. One hike, for example, is called “The Hunger Trifecta”. It is a 4-mile hike, where on the way back C&T members will stop by places including the Cabot Cheese Outlet Store, the Cold Hollow Apple Cider Mill, and Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory.

Appalachian Trail Nicknames

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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.

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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.

The Southern Hikers’ Hospitality

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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.

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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.