[at-l] (Guest Post) Trail Name

[jbullar1 at twcny.rr.com (Jim Bullard)]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Walter Daniels" <wdlists@optonline.net>
Subject: RE: [at-l] (Guest Post) Trail Name


> Although I am not a thruhiker, just a section hiker with 655 miles to go,
I
> have not had a trail name so far and see no need to have or use one now. I
> have a given name, it is my legal name, and I see no need to hide who I
am.
> But I have no objection to others using them.

Historically many people go to the trail to leave their (unsatisfactory)
lives in "the real world" behind. Maybe they suffered the loss of a loved
one, lost a job, or just lost their sense of direction (figuratively
speaking). They go to get a new perspective on things, achieve a sense of
success and in the process, to become a "new" person, thus the new name. In
recent years it's become more of a fad complete with peer pressure on those
who don't have a trail name yet. "What? You don't have a trailname yet?"
>
> I am one of those people who goes out to read trail registers when we need
> to find a hiker because some family member needs to contact them. Not all
> family members know what trail name their person is using. Few register
> entries use real names. This makes my job hard. I have had only two such
> requests so far this year. For one, his father did not know what name he
was
> using but gave me a good description. I lucked out and found a SOBO at the
> shelter that had just seen him going north a half hour ago so I didn't
have
> to read any registers. For the other one, we had both real and trail names
> for three people and found one with a trail name signature. For this one,
it
> was a law officer looking for him for questioning so he indeed might not
> want to have been found. He did call and talk to the law, but as far as I
> know the other two have not been heard from.

As a former lean-to adopter in the Adirondacks and a DEC Search & Rescue
Volunteer I can tell you that lots of folks don't bother to write in the
registers at all. Even in the 'Dacks where it isn't fashionable to use trail
names quite a few sign only their first name or a nickname. I've always
encouraged hikers to make at least a quick note in every register they pass
on the grounds that it helps them get found quicker if something bad happens
but most hikers think it won't be them that need rescuing.

Saunterer