Trail Names: Earned, Important, Silly ?

[Chip]

I got my trailname one night during a weeklong backpacking trip years ago while I was staying at a shelter with a bunch of ATers. We got into a conversation about trailnames. Since I felt odd when they all introduced themselves by their trailnames and I didn't have one, I asked how people got them. They said that sometimes people give them to themselves, but most of the time they are given to you by the people you're hiking with.

The net result of this conversation, and our swapping trail stories, was that I got the name Double Bow (pronounced Dubl Bo) and my wife was trailnamed Shamie. That name was one of the best birthday presents I ever got and I continue to use and enjoy it. To me, it's much more special than an email address or any other "username". It's who I am. It's my hiking persona.

That said, I voted for it being a fun thing though I think that for some of us, it's a little more than that. I think it all comes down to how you got your name.

Great explanation, Dubl Bo, but is that 2 rainbows or a ribbon tying technique ?

After reading this I would change my vote and the last poll option to "They can be important for reasons you might not understand."

The reason I included "potentially pretentious" was because I did meet one thru hiker who deserved a trail name from Puck's list, but instead had one like "sh!t don't stink" or "greased lightning" or some such.

 

[pudgy_groundhog]

I was just thinking about screen names/trail names/real names because when I met some VFTTers this weekend I was confused if I should call them by their screen names or real names, or even ask what their real name was.

And when I chose this screen name (I use it in several places), I never thought about having to introduce myself by that name and say it outloud. I felt kind of silly telling people I'm pudgy_groundhog.

 

[keepin' on]

.......keep on keepin' on.......

 

[Jay H]

Gee, I'm Jay H..

I remember going to a kayak gathering in Maine where we all commented that every one of us used our real names (or at least part of it) at the event, nobody had an "alias" and this was with about 6-7 kayakers... Donna, Darren, Warren, me, Fred (funkyfreddy), Laura. Just an odd coincidence in the age of aliases and stuff...

Jay

 

[Kevin Rooney]

So if trail names should evolve to capture one's traits or personalities here is a brief list of what should be out there;

1) Wallhitter
2) Buttdragger
3) Windsucker
4)Wheezer
5)Moleskin
6)Hikerstench
7) Oopps
8) Essentialless
9) Bugbait
10) Lostmoron

Reminds me of my networking days. I used to have test accounts, like Margie Nahl and Bjorn Toulouse. I remember one of the programmer's whose middle name (unbeknowst to me) was Bjorn, and he put up quite a stink about that particular account. He was a little thin-skinned ... Of course, the Car Guys carry that vein of humor to extreme.

Kevin (aka Kevin Rooney)

PS - I think Paradox is one of the more clever pseudonyms.

 

[Kevin]

My trailname, is KevBoy... it is a shortened version of my real name, Kevin Boyce... A friend coined it many many moons ago, I used it when I DJ'ed as well. It also has a connection to my Pop who's nickname was RoyBoy where he worked, so I kind of kept the family tradition going...

Although Likeitsteep here on VFTT has a much more colorful name for me that I earned last summer as we hiked. It is shortened for a family website such as this as SMF... The S meaning Sweaty... The rest, well I will share that with folks on the trail sometime...

KevBoy

 

[carole]

I didn’t give any real thought to a trail/forum name when I joined one for the first time. My first name seemed just fine. Besides I fought quite hard with my kindergarten teacher for my name to be spelled correctly “the ‘e’ belongs there” and stress that even to this day.

But when I went to add an email address separate for hiking related emails I needed something and it came easy – “Where’s mom?” “She’s outwalkin.”

 

[Grumpy]

I chose the dumb made-up name, "Pete Hickey", which I use around here. At times, I'll even introduce my to people using that name. The funny thing about it is that if you choose a made up name, that sounds like it might be a real name, nobody ever asks you what your real name is. Hence nobody knows my real name.

Oh, goodness gracious. I fell for it, Pete (or whatever). Now I truly am ... Grumpy

G

 

[rhihn]

No big story with mine, and certainly nothing creative. When I signed up I thought you were supposed to put your first initial and your last name (I don't know why I thought that), so I did. The name 'Hihn' deserves to be misspelled, mispronounced, and otherwise screwed up. Someone thought it reminded them of 'rhino' or rhinitis' which I guess it does. On other forums, and in real (?) life, I'm simply 'Dick.'

 

[imarchant]

...... When I signed up I thought you were supposed to put your first initial and your last name (I don't know why I thought that), so I did. ...

We must have gotten the same instruction manual

 

[Danielle]

I have never had a nickname, and no one called me anything but "Danielle" until we hiked the AT last year, so I never thought to sign up here on VFTT as anything other than my real name.

Still, I really like my trailname, which is "Sparkplug", and think it's pretty cool to see how people got their trailnames! There are some really great stories, and some really interesting personality traits that come out in people's trailnames. I got mine on our 4th day of hiking the trail, when one of the guys we started with (we gave him the name "Mr. Fusion" for a myriad of hysterical reasons) said that I just powered up the hills. And "Sparkplug" was born

As we met more hikers last year, I found that, in many cases, their trailnames seemed to be a truer "name" for them than their real names (if we ever even found out their real names)!

 

[Chip]

Me too, most people actually think "David Metsky" exists.

-dave-, um, I mean -ChickenBoy-

I'm surprised you never received a Trail Name. You definately need a mightier moniker than CHICKEN BOY ! Chiken Man, KFC, The Colonel, I don't know, how are your legs ? Chicken legs ? CHIKIN' legs, like chicken and hikin' ?

 

[Jeff-B]

I didn’t give any real thought to a trail/forum name when I joined one for the first time. My first name seemed just fine. Besides I fought quite hard with my kindergarten teacher for my name to be spelled correctly “the ‘e’ belongs there” and stress that even to this day.

But when I went to add an email address separate for hiking related emails I needed something and it came easy – “Where’s mom?” “She’s outwalkin.”

I feel your pain....

My wife's name is Bethe....with an "e" and she pronounces "Beth-ie"

 

[marty]

Alpinista told me that my trail name of "Marty" was boring. Fortunately, she never directly told me that I was boring in general.

The only trail name I ever got was "Mooselook", due to my cabin on Mooselookmeguntic Lake. Guess that is cooler that Marty.

When Marty was unavailable at Whiteblaze.net, I registered as Mooselook Marty. I rarely post on that site, however.

 

[Iceman]

My screen name and trail name are completely different. I've actually had two trailnames. The first one I came up with myself while backpacking on the AT. I went by Pop Tart because that was all I used to eat. The name I stuck with was given to me at a hiker's party while a woman was talking to me and I said "excuse me while I go throw up in the bathroom." When I came back she said to me, "Brian, your such a lightweight." Then I thought, what a great trailname.

I use Iceman as my screen name because I only do winter peakbagging. I do some non-winter hiking but I perfer the cold weather.

 

[Mike P.]

Considering few people can even say my last name, unless you listen to NPR, or were unfortuntae enough to be a teacher or administrator (not me?) in the Manchester, CT school system & had myself (the oldest) & my six siblings, anything with the last name was out.

Peakbagger & Ridgewalker was already used, they best described what I was doing (other than driving a lot) so if using your first name was good enough for chicken boy (I ain't changing) it surely was good enough for me.

Besides I'm using bogus names on other sites, I hear on the www. you can actually interact with people online who attend every Star Trek convention & visit other websites you might want to keep a low profile about (Friends of overfreiendly Purple Dinosaurs, & Dungeon & Dragons)

 

[NewHampshire]

My real name is Brian. Not the best name to have when you want to differentiate (If I took a poll on this site I could only imagine how many of you are, or know someone named, Brian .) Ive used the "New Hampshire" tag on a few other websites. I also have more personal reasons for it....but y'all dont want to hear about that .

But on the flip side there are those people who like to hide behind the veil of their trail names and will not reveal their real name even to those who are good friends......not pointing at anyone in particular.......nope, not me.......no way.........Ahem, MtnMagic.

HEY WHO SAID THAT!!!

Brian

 

[Greg]

Mr. Clean

I kind of took mine from Mike P. and called myself Greg P. on here, but on the trail I am called Mr. Clean for my need to clean up at the end of a day of hiking, no matter what. I hate crawling into a sleeping bag for a good nights sleep with dried sweat all over me. I get the itchies. So Mr. Clean was born.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Peakbagger & Ridgewalker was already used, they best described what I was doing (other than driving a lot) so if using your first name was good enough for chicken boy (I ain't changing) it surely was good enough for me.

When I joined VFTT I wanted a hiking name that sounded hikerish, and saw Ridgerunner I decided to do Ridgewalker. I have seen Ridgewalker as a user name before on several sites, so the idea is not original. I might have gone by my own name and faced a similiar situation like Carole: Besides I fought quite hard with my kindergarten teacher for my name to be spelled correctly “the ‘e’ belongs there” and stress that even to this day. My name is Clarke and the "e" dropped frequently, so I've gone by C.T. Haywood ever since, hence the new hiker alias.

 

[bubba]

PS - I think Paradox is one of the more clever pseudonyms.

Yes, me to. On the trail this past weekend I announced that I was hiking between Daxs and Doxs... and that got me to thinking and pulling things together when [lightbulb] I got the Paradox name... duh. Hiking with "John's" dogs, I don't think everyone get that "Chips" is a great name for a Chocolate Lab!! I love it.

Okay, here's my story... my screen-name was adopted to be my trailname. But, my screen name was adapted from a nickname that I received in a corporate job just out of college. Large international company with a great group in our local office and one of the girls at a party or something came up with 'bubba' and it stuck. Everyone at the office called me by that name. Funny thing was that I was dating my [now] wife and we arrived at a company picnic... walking across the lot from the car you could hear "Oh, bubba's here" My wife looks at me and asks... "What are they calling you??" Too funny as I answered to it and was accustomed to it and she had never heard it before!

Anyhow, as Puck related... I too looked around my workspace. I had recently visited old friends for lunch. When I arrived at their office, they had jokingly had the creative dept prepare a "Welcome Bubba" sign in the lobby. I took it back to my office and it was on the wall!!

I think, especially with screen names, it depends on two things: (1) how well it rolls off the tongue (2) how you introduce yourself.

I'm very comfortable being called bubba and, although I don't fit everyone's image of a "real" Bubba, it gets my attention and it's still fun for me. I also introduce myself as bubba, and don't offer any more. I know first hand that when introduced over the past weekend, Pudgy Groundhog introduced herself as Kathy, and then said her screen name...

Now (do I need to reveal this...) the other nickname that I have with family, skiing and cottage friends is '********'... I really didn't think that it was all that appropriate for a handle on this board. It's this bad... we are called the "Face" family because when used in a sentence: Where is Mary and ********... it's as if it was a last name (i.e. Mary and Dick Face)... "Where are the Faces?", "Are the Faces going to be here tonight?" Then there's babyface, dogface... a wierd group...

I remain to ya'll
-bubba