As with the abundance of acronyms associated with the Pacific Crest Trail, an entirely new collection of words also joins the thru-hiker’s vocabulary.
As someone new to thru-hiking, I wondered what many of these things meant and whether or not I should expose my ignorance by asking the ever-present question, “Wait, so…what exactly does that mean?”
Thankfully, after months out in the wilderness, I have unraveled the mysteries of thru-hiking jargon, and I will now share said knowledge with you all.
The PCT Glossary
Angeling verb: the act of providing unsolicited help to hikers; being a “trail angel“
Banana Blaze: verb: the act of hiking more quickly than you would otherwise hike to catch up to a male love interest; to hike according to the schedule of a male hiker
Base Weight: noun: the total weight of your fully loaded backpack before adding consumables (food, water, fuel, etc.)
Blue Blaze: verb: the act of using watercraft and waterways to complete a section of trail (e.g., taking a boat across a lake)
Bounce Box: noun: a single box or container containing extra gear, equipment, food, or other supplies that hikers repeatedly send ahead to resupply stops to avoid carrying the contents in their pack
Cache: noun: a supply of food, water, or otherwise useful items left out for hikers
Cairn: noun: a manmade stack of stones indicating where the trail continues
Camel Up: verb: the act of drinking a lot of water at once to quickly hydrate and delay the need to drink water again
Cat Hole: noun: a hole dug for the express purpose of pooping in
Cowboy Camp: verb: the act of sleeping without a tent or shelter; sleeping under the stars
Day Hiker: noun: a person who is only hiking for a day (the lowest level of hiker)
Dry Camp: verb: the act of camping without a water source nearby
Fastest Known Time (FKT): noun: the (speed) record for a trail; this can be either supported, unsupported, or self-supported.
Flip-flop: verb: the act of skipping a section of trail with the intention of returning to the skipped section and hiking it at a later date (typically in the opposite direction of their initial approach)
Floaties: noun: any item found in your water after filling up (it’s usually poop)
Giardia: noun (g-ARE-d-ah): a parasite that colonizes and reproduces in the small intestine, causing violent diarrhea, excess gas, stomach or abdominal cramps, upset stomach, and nausea
Glissade: verb: the act of sliding down a snow or ice-covered hill (on one’s feet or butt) as a means of shortcutting the trail and having an incredible time
HEET: noun: a commonly available gas-line antifreeze and water remover that hikers burn as fuel for their stoves
Hiker Box: noun: a supply of food, gear, or any other item left behind by hikers for use by future hikers (usually found in post offices, motels, and trail angel houses)
Hiker Hunger: noun: a feeling of insatiable hunger brought on by repeated days of hiking and a limited food supply (see more here)
Hiker Legs: noun: the rock-solid pieces of muscle mass developed by hikers following continuous weeks of nonstop hiking (see more here)
Hiker Midnight: noun: although it is hotly debated, hiker midnight is said to be 9 PM (aka when it is dark)
Hiker Trash: noun: a word used to describe thru-hikers – typically characterized by an offensive odor and a grungy beard (regardless of sex), frequently looking for beer, wi-fi, and electrical outlets
Kick-Off: noun: refers to an event taking place each year in Southern California when many hikers begin their PCT thru-hike; also known as the ADZPCTKO (note that the ADZPCTKO is no longer an annual event)
LASH: noun: An acronym that stands for Long Ass Section Hike
Near-o: noun: a day where very few miles are hiked – no definite measure exists, but it can usually be measured as 25% or less than your daily average
PCTer: noun: a name for a hiker of the Pacific Crest Trail
PCTing: verb: the act of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail
Pink Blaze: verb the act of hiking more quickly than you would otherwise hike to catch up to a female love interest; to hike according to the schedule of a female hiker
Puffy: noun: a name for a down jacket
Purist: noun: someone who believes that every single mile of the official trail should be hiked unbroken for a hike to be considered a thru-hike – probably an asshole (more on this here)
Register: noun: a logbook, piece of paper, or otherwise inscribable object used for documenting a hiker’s passing of a point on the trail.
Section Hiker: noun: a person who is hiking a portion of a trail but does not intend on thru-hiking
Shelter: noun: refers to a person’s tarp, tent, or cover; a fixed structure on the trail that can be used by hikers for escaping the elements
Skipping: verb: the act of missing a section of trail (usually without the intention of flip-flopping)
Slack Pack: verb: the act of carrying less than your entire pack by way of stashing gear for an out-and-back detour or using a third party to carry your gear ahead for you
Stealth Camp: verb: the act of camping with the intent of not being found by anyone else (authoritative or otherwise)
Supported Thru-hike: noun: A hike of the trail that involves the assistance of others i.e., someone meeting a hiker along the trail with supplies; Supported: adjective
Thirties: noun: describes days where more than 30 miles, but fewer than 40 miles are hiked
Trail Angel: noun: a person who performs acts of trail magic and assists hikers expecting nothing in return, monetary or otherwise (see more here)
Trail Days: noun: a yearly weekend-long event held in Cascade Locks, Oregon, for Pacific Crest Trail hikers, usually during the first two weeks of September
Trail Magic: noun: an unexpected act of kindness on the trail – can manifest itself in the form of a cache, the appearance of a trail angel, or otherwise awesome occurrence (see more here)
Triple Crowner: noun: a person who has completed a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and the Appalachian Trail
Twenties: noun: describes days where more than 20 miles but fewer than 30 miles are hiked
Unsupported Thru-hike: noun: A hike of the trail that does not involve the assistance of others i.e., the hiker is completely self-sufficient; Unsupported: adjective
Vitamin I: noun: another name for ibuprofen
Vortex: noun: a place, group, or thing that “sucks” hikers off the trail and contributes to diminishing mileage
Weekend Warrior: noun: a hiker escaping the 9-5 grind by taking two nights out in the wilderness (between a day and section hiker)
Yellow Blaze: verb: the act of soliciting rides as a means of skipping sections of trail
Yo-yo: verb: the act of hiking the entirety of the trail and then turning around and hiking it again in the opposite direction
Yogi: verb: the act of cleverly soliciting food, drink, rides, or otherwise useful things from unsuspecting strangers you meet along the trail
Zero: noun: a day when no miles are hiked (see more here)
Any questions? Something to add? Comment below and leave your contribution in the greatest hiking lexicon on the internet.