Trail Name

Trail name. On the AT, hikers use a trail name as an alias. The name can be given by oneself or by others.  Sometimes the name stems from something that happened. Some of my favorites of other hikers: I B. Hiking and Lost and Found (she was constantly losing things). To learn more about trail names, visit this site from the Appalachian Trail Museum.

While taking my pack off for a rest near SR-16 in southern PA, I noticed a turtle laying on its back in the nearby stream. The Eastern Box Turtle was flaying desperately trying to turn over.

So I pulled the turtle out of the water and placed him right side up near the stream shore (or her, not sure how to tell).  After a few moments, the turtle’s head and limbs reappeared as it attempted to understand what happened and ponder its next move.

Creating a trail name became a challenge while continuing on the AT. Other hikers asked for stories or events to assist in creating an alias. In the meantime, I used “Not yet” until a better suggestion presented itself or myself or another hiker found a good name from this story. Some hikers suggested “Teenage mutant ninja turtle (too long) or “turtle saver.” So after 51 days, I finally had a trail name as the hiker Scout suggested Turtleback after she heard the story at the Mohican Outdoor Center in New Jersey. Her suggestion stuck and the name stayed my moniker for the rest of my 2021 AT section hike as well as for my 2022 thru hike.