A

ATC

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy

A

ATC

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy

A

Aqua Blazing

Using a waterway as part of your continuous path, such as rafting or canoeing.

AYCE

All you can eat.

B

Backcountry

A wilderness area far from civilization.

Bald

A mountain that has no trees on the summit.

Base Weight

The weight of your packed backpack excluding consumables.

Bear Bag/Cannister

A bag or container with a lid designed to keep bears from getting into the contents.

Bear Box/Cable

A large metal box on the ground or a rope strung high from a tree designed to keep your food away from bears and other animals.

Blaze

A marking (usually on a tree) that indicates you are on trail.

Blow-down

When tree blows down over the trail.

Blue Blaze

A side trail, as many are marked with blue blazes.

BMT

Benton MacKaye Trail

Boardwalk

Wooden footpaths built over muddy or swampy trailbeds.

Bounce Box

A package sent to one's self in order to move unneeded materials down the trail.

Bubble

The regional along a long trail where there is the highest concentration of hikers heading the same direction.

Bushwhack

To hike overgrown trail or where there is no trail

C

Cache

The storage of food, water, or other goods to be retrieved later.

Cairn

A pile of rocks usually above treeline used to mark the trail.

Cat Hole

A hole dug for defacating in the woods. LNT dictates 8" deep by 6" wide.

CDT

Continental Divide Trail

CTDC

The Continental Divide Trail Coalition

Cowboy Camping

Sleeping outside without shelter.

D

Ditty Bag

Bag containing small necessities such as chap stick, wallet, phone charger, small knife, etc.

Double Blaze

The painting of two blazes to signify an important trail feature such as a switchback or crossing.

Dry Camp

A camp without any water source.

E

EMS

Emergency Medical Service

F

False Peak (or False Summit)

A high point that appears to be the summit while approaching but is not the true summit.

FKT

Fastest Known Time

Flip-flop

The act of completing part of a thruhike one direction and completing the rest the opposite direction.

Ford

The act of crossing a river, creek, or stream.

G

Gaiters

A garment worn over the shoe and ankle (sometimes higher) designed to keep out debrit from inside your shoes.

Gap

A low point or opening between mountain peaks, synonymous with pass.

Glissade

Sliding down a snowy or icy hill or mountainside in lieu of hiking down.

H

Hiker Box

A box commonly found at gear shops, hostels, etc. that contains excess food and gear left behind by previous hikers.

Hiker Hobble

An altered gate attributed to the near-constant injured state of most hikers.

Hiker Hunger

Immense hunger a hiker faces from the amount of calories that are consistently burned throughout long days of hiking.

Hiker Midnight

Early evening. A reference to the fact that hikers go to bed early to wake with the sun.

Hiker Trash

Thru hikers that have stripped away any reservations regarding hygeine and manners.

Hostel

A communal lodging option generally with shared rooms and common areas.

HYOH

Hike Your Own Hike - a philosphy

J

JMT

John Muir Trail

L

LASH

Long Ass Section Hike

Lean-to

A three sided shelter.

LNT

Leave No Trace

M

Mail Drop

A package sent to a hiker that contains items for resupply.

N

Nero

A day with nearly zero miles hiked.

A

ATC

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy

NOLS

National Outdoor Leadership School

Notch

A term used in New England for a pass.

NPS

National Parks Service

P

Pack It Out

The act of carrying an item out of the wilderness with you. Commonly applied to garbage, but can refer to human waste.

Pack Weight

The weight of your packed backpack including consumables.

Pass

The low point betweek two peaks.

PCT

Pacific Crest Trail

PCTA

The Pacific Crest Trail Association

Peakbagging

Hiking with the explicit purpose of reaching the top of one or more mountain peaks.

Pink Blazing

Altering hiking speed in order to pursue a romantic interest

Posthole

Breaking through a hardened snow surface while hiking.

Privy

A box and/or shelter for defecation, intended to lessen the impact of backpacking traffic on natural areas

PUDs

Pointless Ups and Downs

Puffy

A down or synthetic insulated jacket.

Purist

Someone who wants to complete every mile of the trail by passing every blaze and not taking any side trails or alternate routes.

Q

Quilt

A sleeping bag without a back. Often used by lightweight and ultralight backpackers.

R

Resupply

The act of buying supplies in town to pack out on the trail.

S

SaR

Search and Rescue

Scramble

A steep or rocky climb or descent that often requires using hands.

Section Hiker

A hiker who is out for a section of the trail rather than an entire thru-hike.

Shelter

A fixed structure for backpackers to take refuge in.

Shuttle

A vehicle for shuttling hikers to and from the trail to town, resupply, etc.

Slackpacking

Carrying a lighter/day pack with only essentials like food and water to cover larger miles.

SoBo

Southbound

Stealth Camp

Camping in a non-established campsite and trying to remain unnoticed.

Suncups

A pattern formed during the melting of snowy surfaces

Switchback

A trail that zigzags up or down a mountain rather than directly over it.

T

Thru-Hike

Hiking the entirety of a trail in a calendar year.

Trail Angel

A person devoted to improving the lives of hikers by providing free food, goods, or services.

Trail Family

A reference to the group of hikers that a hiker spends the most time with on trail and considers family.

Trail Legs

A reference to the muscle and stamina gained from extended time on the trail, being broken in.

Trail Name

A name given to a thru-hiker on trail.

Trail Register

A notebook at a point of interest where hikers can

Tree Line

The altitude at which trees no longer grow.

Triple Crown

Hiking the AT, PCT, and CDT

U

UL

Ultralight

USFS

United States Forest Service.

USGS

United States Geological Service.

V

Vitamin I

The trail term for Ibuprofen.

W

WFA

Wilderness first-aid.

Widowmaker

A dead tree or branch that has the potential to fall.

Y

Yard Sale

Can mean either the spreading out of gear at a campsite or hostel or the spreading out of gear as a result of tripping on trail.

Yellow Blazer

Someone who skips ahead miles via a road/car.

Yo-Yo

Thru-hiking a trail from one end to the other, then turning around and thru-hiking it in the opposite direction.

Yogi

The act of obtaining free food or services from non-hikers. Named after Yogi Bear.

Z

Zero

A day with zero miles hiked.