Trail Name Question

imported
#1

I’m a section hiker who has been using my real name for my journal since I don’t have a trail name. When someone asks I just say I don’t have one, and no one has “named” me. About a year ago I began to use the ID “Seabiscuit” on another BACKPACKERing site because I had looked up his story and read it when I heard they were going to make a movie. I like the name Seabiscuit (or maybe CBiscuit) as a trail name because the horse wasn’t supposed to do well and had a few things going against it. I began to do section hikes in 2002 and had pretty low expectations of myself because I didn’t know how well I would do, wondered about getting back into hiking in my 50’s, and wasn’t sure I could even finish the planned hike. I was the oldest hiker in our once-a-year weekend hiking group and worked hard so the younger guys couldn’t harrass me too much! I did fine on the 2002 section hike and kind of got pumped that maybe I could do better than I had expected. I also hiked again in 2003 and am planning another section for 2004. I feel funny giving myself a trail name. It’s not that important for me to have one, but I feel funny posting under “davepaumen”. So what do you think? Should I bother to take a trail name? Is it OK to select your own trail name or should you wait for someone else to do it? Is CBiscuit a good name for me?

davepaumen

#2

I wondered the same thing?? I thought it was traditional to be given your trailname, but hey, it’s your name after all.

CBiscuit is a cool trailname.

Ross

Ross - England

#3

whats yours ross? or shoud it be… Limey! :stuck_out_tongue: hahaha…

Bloody Cactus

#4

Limey !! That’d be to simple. I was finking sumink more t’do wiv the way i speak? Sumink like “Lock stock”?? I live in the eastend for 5 years. It rubs off.

Where did Bloody Cactus come from?

Ross

Ross

#5

Do you have a stove pipe hat like Dick VanDike in Fiddler on the Roof? I feel a trail name coming on 'ere I fink, Gov’nuh.

BW

#6

Umm… do you mean Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins? Fiddler on the Roof starred Topol, who also played the mad scientist guy from Flash Gordon.

Er… it’s my wife… she makes me watch them. Honest… :nerd

Ardsgaine

#7

hmm you an east ender then guv?? trade you. i hate living in the east end. my landlord is right cockney.

i was named BC back in scouts on a scout survival camp/bush trek… when i was a kid, i had two incidents with cactii… one, i sat right on one… ouch… and the second, i accidentally headbutted a rotten prickly pear and got some spines stuck in my head. small red ones, like splinters… that was fun, mum+nan with tweezers and mag glass :slight_smile: hahahah
and the bloody cames from using it as a nice prefix :slight_smile: ‘my bloody knee!’ ‘bloody spiders’ ‘bloody leech pit’…

the moral of the story is, avoid telling childhood tales around campfires with scouts (and scousers! but we didnt have none of them in australia, but its a good warning!)

before that i had been named ‘chunder’ on account i threw up a few times… i like bloody cactus much better than i like being called chunder.

uh… you aint scouse are you rose?? or a geordie??

hmm names from lock stock… (soap… barry the baptist, winston! hmm plank?? :slight_smile: joken…)

Bloody Cactus

#8

Nope, not a scouser or geordie. Grew up in Surrey. Developed coarse accent. Moved to London. It got worse. From previous USA travel, they have trouble understanding me…either that or they think I’m Australian (how insulting…only joking) or I’m from out West somewhere.
Nope, I have to make alot of effort to “posh” myself up, to be understood.

Ross

Oh yeah, and DVD had the worst cockney accent in the history of cockney accents. 10/10 for effort though Dick :happy

Ross

#9

thats ok. i keep getting asked which part of new zealand i am from… (and there is NO bigger insult! i love my kiwi cousins across the pond but enough is enough! hehehe)

oh yeah, if your gonna buy some Ibuprofen before you go, tesco 16 caps, 45p, boots brand, 1pound… both same 200mg… take your pick!

BC

#10

That’s growing on me. Similarities are there; I have a shady past, a bizzare infatuation with knives and like to keep 'me 'ands clean (in both senses).

Tricky one though. Maybe it should be left until the trail. Something or someone will present me with one.

Ross

Cheers for the Ibuprofen advice. And…I can tell the difference between the Ozy and kiwi accent’s.

Ross

#11

Dave, you can do what you want. It’s another HYOH issue. Some will say you should wait for the trail to name you, some take a trailname. Mine is a combo of both. There’s no rules, despite what kind of answers you might get (for every subject brought up!). If you like CBiscuit and think that would suit you and want to introduce yourself that way, then do!

Bluebearee

#12

cbiscuit is pretty cool. reminds me of a friend of mine called Chuck Biscuits (musicia, but not the blag flagg/danzig guy).

i dont think it matters much if you name yourself or you are named by others. either way, its down to you. cbiscuit might fit you very well!

BC

#13

Bluebearee is right. A name is important, and ultimately it’s up to the individual. If you feel CBiscuit fits, go for it. One caveat: I would recommend that you keep an open mind. To me, there’s more magic to a name that comes to you through events and other hikers. Remember, you can always change the trailname if another one that is tied to specific memories along the trail presents itself.

My .02

RenMan

#14

Bluebearee has some good advice.

I think a trail name should be just that: a TRAILname. In my opinion, people who name themselves before setting foot on a trail do not have a TRAILname. They have a NICKname. More importantly: by naming yourself, you cheat yourself out of a great story and memory.

Them: “How did you get your name?”
You: “Oh, that’s a funny story…”

My friend Gottago was named on a PCT training hike. She had to pee. She thought she was alone, started to take care of business, then some guys on mountain bikes rolled by. One of them said, “when you gotta go, you gotta go”.

Let your trail name happen. It will find you.

yogi

#15

Dave,
I would wait and let yourself be named on the trail. Hike your own hike, but I tend to give more value to a trailname that has come to a person.

Bankrobber

#16

I had never heard the tradition of trail names till i started my 1st hike. I signed the 1st journal i came to with my real name (scott) and was introducing myself as scott. but all the veteran hikers were like “im wicked.” im wakapak. i crumbsnatcher. etc.etc. and i was like what the heck??? I knew the south was weird but these were all northern accented people.
SO THEN they explain trail names. start telling me how they get theirs. starts making a bit more sense. and then they are like “we;ve got to name you” no; thats ok; i’ll stay scott. its a big deal to veteran hikers to name people. its like their mission in life the first month or so; cause there isnt really much to do. I got named; and I like my name; but i just figured i’d play along and they’d forget about it.
so i got introduced to people. they’d say “this is big boy.” and i’d go “call me scott” no one ever remembered scott. after a while i just gave up and accepted the fact everytime i set foot on the trail; or see one of those people; no matter where; im gonna be big boy; even if i loose like 200 lbs and weight like 53 lbs. (name isnt from the weight; but still. calling a skinny person big boy would sound kinda weird). SO; thats me. Let the trail name ya. or the scouts. thats a good one too. I wouldnt have minded my scouts nickname – moose-- cause i was the leader of the moose patrol for many years. but what the heck. Big Boy is a better story. its on my profile if u feel like reading it.

Big Boy

#17

Dave, Seabiscuit is fine. Choose whatever spelling you like. All these ‘rules’ are just the mind rambling on and on and on. The only rules are the ones you put upon yourself.

Go with RenMan’s advice and be open to let it change as you change.

Dharma

#18

There are no trail name police. You can choose what you like, whenever you like, and no one can say squat about it. On second thought they can, but who cares? Anyway it’s your name and you must be happy or at least confortable with it.

You can also be creative with it a little bit. Like Seabiscuit, CBiscuit, C B Cute, or CBS.

Letting a trailname come to you works also. And a thousand or a million will come. Just pick the one you like you like. There are many moments on the trail and many things said on the trail, like “tough walking up this mountain” naturally leads to the trail name “Tough Mountain Walker” or someone saying they’ve eaten road kill of course leads to the trail name “Road Kill”.

So HYOH. See you out there. :cheers

Maintain

#19

I would never understand why a person would want to name themselves, but to each his own.

It seems more traditional to earn your trail name on a trail, but that’s my opinion.

nobody

#20

Leads to an interesting question for you experienced AT hikers. How many are given their trailname, as opposed to those who name themselves?

I’d imagine about 90% name themselves, since everybody who comes to these boards seems to have already chosen their name, before they’ve taken their first step on a thruhike. (p.s. steve hiker is not a trail name; if and when i do my thru i’ll let a name find me)

steve hiker