Thru-hikers have a surprising amount of slang. As I use terms in posts, I’ll add definitions to this page. Underlined terms in posts will have definitions on this page (I may go through and do this retroactively at some point but am not going to at the moment). Note that the definitions are largely my own understanding of the terms, and that views on exactly what they mean may vary slightly between hikers and between trails.

For more details on what the CDT is and what a CDT thru-hike entails, check out the Q & A page.

A B C D

Alternates – routes that circumvent parts of the CDNST that are sometimes taken by thru-hikers. Alternate routes exist for many reasons, including facilitating easier resupplies, better water access, easier terrain, more scenic views, etc. Most CDT hikers take alternates. For the difference between the hiking the CDT and the CDNST, check out the Q & A page, linked above.

Base weight – the weight of all your gear not counting consumables (food, water, fuel, TP, etc.).

Bear box – metal boxes installed at established campsites for safe food storage. Allows you to keep your food from getting eaten by bears, and keeps bears from getting habituated.

Bear bag/bear hang – hanging one’s food from a tree to keep it from getting eaten by bears. Requires skill and good trees to be done correctly.

Bear can – a carbon fiber, metal, or plastic canister you store your food in to keep it from getting eaten by a bear.

Bear spray – mace for use against bears in case of an encounter. People have a lot of strong opinions about when it is/isn’t necessary, or if it’s necessary at all. I will have it on my person at all times in grizz country and don’t plan to carry it at all in black bear country on the CDT. I didn’t carry it at all during my NOBO section in New Mexico. To each their own.

(The) Bootheel – the little rectangular section at the very southwestern end of New Mexico that sticks out into Mexico.

(The) Bubble – the concentrated group of thru-hikers headed in the same direction, generally referred to as either the northbound or southbound bubble. Also called the herd.

Camel up/cameling – drinking a lot of water at or near a water source prior to a long stretch, or drinking a lot of water at once to get rid of it rather than dumping it out.

Crampons – rigid traction devices with fixed spikes that strap onto boots to provide traction on snow and ice. Used for mountaineering and climbing. Sometimes seen on the CDT or PCT, but are less common than micro-spikes.

Cold soaking – rehydrating dehydrated food (instant mashed potatoes, oatmeal, instant rice, etc.) without heating the water first. It allows you to avoid carrying fuel and a stove, and also saves time. It does not work for all types of dehydrated food. I add my food to my Nalgene (water bottle), hook it to my pack, and wait 20 minutes to a few hours (depending on what the food is). The food could be better but I’m generally hungry enough that it doesn’t matter, and I find cooking on trail to be a hassle.

Cowboy camping – sleeping outside of any kind of shelter, often just on a ground cloth and sleeping pad. Just you under the stars. Common in the desert. I always used the mesh section of my tent due to fear of spiders and to keep my stuff from blowing away in New Mexico’s often relentless winds.

Dispersed camping – camping outside of an established campsite.

Dry Camping – camping without close access to water.

E F G H

Flip-flop/Flip-flopping – refers to hiking the trail non-linearly. Sometimes, due to time constraints, weather conditions, injuries, etc, hikers will opt to hike the entire trail, but to do so in a manner that is not hiking from one terminus to another. It often means starting somewhere in the middle of the trail, hiking to one terminus, then travelling back to the starting point or to another terminus and hiking the rest of the trail. Flip flops can be as creative as the hiker needs them to be.

Grizz Country – grizzly bear territory. Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming on the CDT. Slightly different best practices compared to black bear country.

Groundhogs – the specific tent stakes I use. Shaped kind of like an inverted triangle, about the length of my hand. Overkill for most backpacking, but very useful in the desert and for snow.

Hiker funk – the interesting smell you and all your gear develop while thru-hiking. Does not, in my experience, wash out of clothing or other materials easily, if at all.

Hiker hobble – the strange gait developed by thru-hikers because everything is sore. May come and go. Mine always came after sitting for longer than 5 minutes.

Hiker hunger – ravenous hunger caused by the insane amount of calories one burns per day while thru-hiking. Has been described to me as there being no point when one couldn’t eat an entire XL pizza, including immediately after having eaten an entire XL pizza.

Hiker midnight – 9PM and/or when it gets dark. Quiet is usually observed at camp after this time.

Hiker trash – a hiker or group of hikers who have embraced the typical lifestyle of thru-hiking (not showering for days/weeks at a time, wearing the same set of clothing every day, eating typical hiking foods, constantly sleeping outdoors, etc.). Generally an affectionate term, and thru-hikers will often refer to themselves as hiker trash.

I J K L

InReach – referring to a Garmin InReach, specifically (in my case) a Garmin InReach Mini. It’s a satellite communicator that allows for GPS tracking, preset and two-way messaging, and SOS communications with first responders. Most thru-hikers have one, myself included.

LASH – Long Ass Section Hike.

Leukotape – brand name for a type of athletic/medical tape that is commonly used by thru-hikers and seems to be considered the gold standard for blister management among thru-hikers. It stays stuck to the skin for days through sweat and river crossings. It’s like $6 for a giant roll and it’s basically magic.

M N O P

Micro-spikes – a step down from crampons. Traction devices used for walking on snow and ice, comprised of metal chains and small spikes. Not unlike tire chains, but for your shoes/boots. Often preferred over crampons because of their versatility and their ability to be worn with trail runners.

Nalgene – brand name for the water bottle I use for cold soaking my food. Plastic, basically bomb proof, inexpensive. See also, cold soaking.

Nearo day/Nearo/Nero – a partial day of hiking, generally when a hiker is spending half the day in town. Called this because nearly zero trail miles are hiked. Exact definitions of what counts as a nearo vary from hiker to hiker. I’m counting any day where I hike significantly below my average mileage because I’m doing something other than hiking for part of the day (be it sightseeing off trail, doing town chores, hanging out with other hikers in town, etc.), but I’m not counting days where I do significantly below my average mileage due to terrain, weather, or other on-trail, hiking related hold-ups. See also, zero day.

NOBO – northbound. Generally referring to hikers who start at the southern terminus and hike north to the northern terminus, but also refers to anyone headed toward the northern terminus of the trail, regardless of where they start. See also, flip-flop, terminus, and SOBO.

Privy – outhouse.

PUDs – Pointless Ups and Downs. When the trail sends you over every little hill presumably for the fun of it, because you could’ve far more easily walked around the hill and there’s no view. The CDT really didn’t do this to us in southern New Mexico, which I am grateful for.

Q R S T

Sawyer – referring to a Sawyer Squeeze. It’s one of the most common water filters used on the trail. Generally bulletproof if maintained correctly, but its one kryptonite is getting frozen. To prevent this, we often sleep with our filters in our sleeping bags at night.

Section Hike – hiking a part of a long distance trail.

SOBO – southbound. Generally referring to hikers who start at the northern terminus and hike south to the southern terminus, but also refers to anyone hiking toward the southern terminus of the trail, regardless of where they start. See also, flip-flop, terminus, and NOBO.

Terminus – the starting or ending point of a long distance trail. The southern terminus of the CDT is Crazy Cook Monument in the Bootheel of New Mexico and the northern terminus is Waterton Lake, which is technically in Canada and also technically part of Glacier National Park. There are several alternate terminuses for the CDT due to the many alternate routes that exist. See also, Alternates.

Thru-hike – hiking a long distance trail in its entirety, also described as an end-to-end hike of a trail. For more on what thru-hiking entails, check out the Q & A page.

Town chores – doing laundry, taking a shower, restocking food for the next stretch, charging electronics, cleaning equipment, backflushing water filters, etc. All the gear maintenance and prep necessary to complete the next stretch of trail.

Trail angel – people who go out of their way to help hikers, often by providing rides, food, water, cold drinks, showers, lodging etc. Sometimes these people are former thru-hikers or have friends/family hiking, but often they’re people who learned about the trail and got absorbed in the culture. Often they do this off of donations alone. These people make distance hiking possible.

Trail legs – referring to the phenomenon when, after a month or a little longer, the body suddenly becomes capable of hiking an absurd number of miles for the same amount of pain that much shorter stretches previously caused.

Trail magic – acts of kindness by trail angels. It varies in form from rides to food/gatorade/water caches to lodging, to shade shelters and drinks in the middle of a barren strip of New Mexico desert (You’ll probably never read this, but thank you, Apple, that absolutely made my week).

Trail name – aliases used by thru-hikers. Pretty much everyone has one. They’re generally given to you by other hikers. They provide some anonymity and a lot of entertainment. Mine was Questionable Noodle (Noodle?) to start, but I was renamed Drugstore because my medical kit looked like a drugstore aisle.

Trail register – logs thru-hikers sign that are in towns, and occasionally on the trail itself (typically using their trail names). They are commonly found in or near water caches, in or near shelters, and at signposts near trailheads and on roads. Signing them is fun, lets hikers behind you know that you’re ahead of them, and lets search and rescue know that you made it to and beyond a location in the event that they have to come looking for you.

Tramily – trail family. A group of thru-hikers that hike together. Often times, tramily members meet each other on trail and decide to join together.

U V W X Y Z

Vitamin I – ibuprofen.

Water caches – jugs of water left on or near the trail by trail angels and sometimes NPS/USFS/CDTC staff. They make a lot of the southern sections of the CDT possible.

Zero day/Zero – a day in which 0 trail miles are hiked. Generally zeroes are used to rest up and do town chores. See also, nearo day.