A
Aqua Blazing
Using a waterway as part of your continuous path, such as rafting or canoeing.
AT
Appalachian Trail
ATC
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy
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
Cowboy Camping
Sleeping outside without shelter.
CTDC
The Continental Divide Trail Coalition
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.
NoBo
Norhbound.
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.