Trail Name Survey

Trail Name	Story
32oz	Short for 32oz gatorade... given to me after a bit too much moonshine had been consumed. Several reasons for the name, one of which is the fact that I refuse to leave my tent on a cold winter night.
-:MAD MAX:-	on my way to the AT I encountered a freight yard worker who asked me what my name was, when I said "max" he replied "mad max!" since then I wrote it on the back of metal signs.
3rd Wind	I was a bit older than the other folks sitting around the campfire during one of my section hikes. I related my story that I wanted to someday finish a they hike but my current goal was to section hike one month per year until completed. One camper remarked "it sounds like you're getting your second wind," to which I said " more like a third wind at my age!" ...and it stuck!
Backwoods	I was always asking off at work for backpacking. My boss said your going back to the woods again? So he started calling me Backwoods!
Bad Camel	My husband was always trying to get me to "camel up" when we first started our thru-hike.  I hated doing it and was always burping and grunting as I tried to drink a lot at once.  One day early on, I looked over at my daughter & my husband and said, "I'm a bad camel".  Their eyes lit up and they both said, "that's your trail name!" and so I became Bad Camel.
Bean Counter	My profession. I have been an accountant for the past 36 years.
Beatnik	Late 80s/Early 90s Fascination with the Beat writers, carrying with me books by Kerouac, Ginsberg... Signing all Trail registers "Howdy Howdy Happy to BE HERE!" Usually responding to "How are you?" with "Beat."
Big Walker	A miserable summertime section hike in VA that included Big Walker Mountain...blisters the size of quarters, broken eyeglasses, blown transmission in my van...just a miserable trip (loved the hiking though). The name Big Walker became synonymous with my troubles that fateful year.
BigTex	A group of us were at Laurel Trading Post late at night. In the store I was telling how I lost a lot of weight. Another hiker (Chair) said when he met me in the Smokies he had asked where I am from and I said "Texas" (I am British so speak with British accent but I live in Texas). I didnt realize it but at the time he thought I was being ugly as I had never met him before and he was just trying to be pleasant. One of the other hikers (Queen) saw behind me a cake called a Big Texan and suggested thats my trail name. I said due to my weight loss it would be Big Tex as I have no ass (as) so its was given as BigTex. I didnt want the name but people would talk to my son and I and when he said his name was Rugby they would turn to me and say "you must be BigTex". Later I came to find out my son was signing shelter registers "Rugby and Bigtex - father & son"..........and thats how it started!
Birdy	I was geeking away looking at birds (yes I brought a small pair of binos on my thru) and my new hiker friends the third day said I can be Bird or Birdy, which do I want?  And I said Birdy.
Black Foot	Toe Nails were black from hiking
Blaze	Starting a fire at Old Orchard Shelter after 8 days of rain, my mentor looked at me and said, I finally have your name, Blaze. You've managed to start a fire every evening and dance by the blazes all day. About 15 minutes later I was peeling bark off a branch to try to keep a soggy fire going, and there was a white blaze painted on what I was about to throw in the fire. I carried it home and it's framed in my kitchen!
Blue Shoes	My hiking boots were killing my feet. I finally gave up, put my electric blue fake crocs on and hiked in those for the remainder of the section I was doing in Maine, quickly being dubbed "blue shoes"
BonBon	I support an orphanage in Vietnam. We are putting all of the kids there through college. I visit them every year. My name is Bonnie, but they have always called me Bon bon, which is the name of a fruit over there too. I had another trail name, but the kids in Vietnam could not pronounce it, so I am going by the nickname they gave me. They will be following my journal to improve their English, and I am using my hike as a fundraiser for them.
breamfisherman	I like to fish for bream (Sunfish, crappie, etc. (It';s a Southernism)), so when I joined a hunting and fishing chatroom back about 1999, I picked that as a handle. When I did my first section hike I decided I wanted to use it as a trail name,
Bulldozer	Given to me for the way I handled switchbacks coming out on Bright Angel in Grand Canyon.
Carmen Sandiego	I've backpacked around the world in over 60 different countries.  So "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego" just like the video game and TV show!
Cashmere	I tend to sweat a lot.....so I'm a "sweater". Therefore, my friend named me Cashmere (as in a cashmere sweater). I looked cashmere up online and found that it is very soft but has a very strong tensile strength. I liked that is I decided to keep the name. :)
Cliffdiver	When I was 28, I fell off near the second observation point at Linville Gorge overlooking the falls. I fell 75 feet, landed in a tree and had to be rescued by Wilderness Rescue Squad. I named myself Cliffdiver so hopefully karma won't let me repeat the experience while hiking the AT.
Clifford	My high school soccer team nicknamed me Clifford after the big red dog on PBS because of my red hair/beard and size.
coolpop	My last name is Cooley. I was called Coolpop years ago before I started hiking. :)
Corky	After a long talk with a hiker about wine, another hiker named me Cork Dork, I didn't really like this name, so I changed it to Corky.
Crooked Sticks	"Big Naranja" and I named each other our third day on the AT in Georgia in 2012 It was a rainy day and I had hiked into Gooch Mountain Shelter which was full of other hikers taking a lunch break out of the rain. Set my home made bamboo poles (with the natural, angled DOGLEG in them) to the side. Then here came Aussie, John Hibbs with a huge pack, and an equally huge, BRIGHT ORANGE poncho over everything. Asked him if he had a trail name, and he said no, so I initially offered the Spanish word for orange by itself. Then I added the word “Big” to denote just how impressive he looked when he arrived. He asked if those bamboo poles were mine, and when I answered yes, he dubbed me with “Crooked Sticks."
cubicle	hiking with my son and was complaining that i was so much slower because i worked in a cubicle all day. must have said it one time too many. :-)
Danger	My friends have been calling me "Danger" for thirty years. It stems from my years as a whitewater kayaker. They said I was a danger to myself while shooting the rapids. They began to shout "Danger!" from downstream as I came upon them, and the rest is history. "Danger" is my outdoorsman name, transferred to my trail name. It's how most people know me, so I'm keeping it to reduce confusion.
DaVille	Coming into Dick's Creek Gap? and needed a hitch into Haiwassee.  A wife and husband gave me a ride and asked where I was from. I said Louisville and the oh from DaVille. The other hikers started calling me DaVille.
Dayhiker	Never too old to be a backpacker, but age finally gave me the trail name, Dayhiker.
Deepfoot	Was SoBo AT thru hiker in 1977 and others couldn't help but notice the deep footprints in the mud and bigs of Maine.
Disaster	About 15 yrs ago 2 friends and I decided to do the section of the presidential mountains ending in Mt. Washington.... We all had done different sections before... due to jobs we were not able to do the whole trail at once. Anyway, the third day was not a good day for me. It started the day before. My knees were hurting, ... too many years of sports and hiking... and I had to bandage them them. The following day, I bandaged the knees for support, but I could not get footing on the trail and kept losing my step and tripping until I placed my foot on the only pebble around and I heard a "pop".... The tendons and ligaments of my ankle made that noise. Needless to say that is how I received my name. Managed to walk 10 more miles on a swollen ankle to the next bail out trail.
Divinity	Divinity....awfully sweet....a little nutty and hard to figure out
Downhill	My preferred direction of travel
dreamcrusher	Group hiking,  when asked "how far do we have left?" Or "are we there yet?" I would always say something like " just one more mile," or "just over the next ridge. " then the mile or ridge would pass and the questions again with the same hopefull answers, then one said "you are crushing my hopes and dreams (of stopping) , you're a dreamcrusher! " and we would hike just one more mile or ridge,  really just one more.
DSoH (Dry Sense of Humor)	I had a much crappier TN given to me by someone who quit in Hot Springs. My trail buddies, while sitting in an AYCE pizza joint, proposed DSoH (Dry Sense of Humor) as more fitting for my personality. Eventually that morphed into Dragon Sorceror and DSoH The Wise as inside jokes. I'm surprised it wasn't something like "bonfire" since I set a tarp, a table and part of Fonz's face on fire in the first week.
EarthTone	All my gear and clothes were either black, green, tan, grey or brown and one day I was resting in my hammock out on the trail and I noticed this and the name came to me in a vision like way.
emerald	My hike was last year and right in the middle of it all landed my birthday! Mays' birthstone is emerald!! I was very happy with it. I was J LEGEND for a but wasn't feeling it :-D
Evac	During my 2014 then hike attempt with Warrior Hike my left knee blew out causing me to be medevaced from the trail. The guys with Warrior Hike thus named me "Evac"
Fiver	I was finding five leaf clovers near the beginning of my hike and a group of hikers I had met at the time suggested Five Leaf Clover for my trail name but it was then shortened to Fiver (also the smallest rabbit in the book Watership Down).
Freethinker	For 30 years I was a hiker who never planned to thru-hike, but was out for about 10 weeks every season. Whenever I met up with thru-hikers or section hikers I was always asked what my trailname was. After many years I came up with this, which describes me and my place in my family of Fundamentalists (I am the only freethinker), and also describes how I tend to do things and think differently from most people in our society--for instance, I have had no TV for decades, I won't get a normal job because then I couldn't backpack long enough each year, I homeschooled my kids but not in the way most people do and not for religious reasons, I eat differently from the way most people do, I dress differently...you name it. At the time I didn't realize anyone would care what my name was or how I got it, but some people seem to think there is only one way to do things on the trail. I hope your survey shows that the trail is home for all--er--freethinkers.
Garnet Turtle	Wore little garnet earrings and was very slow in the mornings but still made the miles for the day!
Gentle Ben	I'm a bigger guy... the first night on my trip through MD I slept on the upper story of the Cowell Shelter and was observed climbing down in the night in an apparently bear like fashion... and apparently I snore, I can't confirm or deny because I'm asleep at the time and the guy who named me said it reminded him of Gentle Ben... it is funny because unbeknownst to him my nickname in college was bear...
goat	Not really interedted in having a trail name, but needed something that would also work for my hiking blog. And since my wife and I raise dairy goats, well, there you go.
Gremlin	My students gave it to me.
Hardcharger	"Hardcharger" was my call sign in Vietnam 1969-1971. Like a lot of military guys you end up with a nickname that seems to stick. Back in 1971 while on a home leave from Vietnam I did a weekend hike with Ed Garvey on the C&O Canal with my brother's scout group, My Dad, who was one of the leaders and Ed's sometimes trail maintaining partner started calling me by that name so it doubly stuck. When we went into our first encampment all the Scouts were looking for the softest spot they could find to set up their camp. Having just spent the last 12-months in a combat zone I found some large rocks and set up behind them (cover and concealment!) Ed thought that this was one of the funniest things he'd seen in his many years of hiking so Hardcharger really stuck! Today I carry the moniker in honor of all my buddies that didn't make it home. - Hardcharger
Header	I can be really clumsy, and was looking down while hiking. I hit my head on a low hanging branch
Hey Everybody	I routinely walked into a camp or group and said "Hey Everybody". One after noon I was extremely sick, entered shelter area and collapsed at table. A Marine put his hand on my shoulder and said "Hey Everybody" you going to be OK? The name stuck!
High Maintenance	I was putting on my make-up in the shelter on the first morning of a weekend backpacking trip - one of my first - when a guy by the trail name of Fridge commented about what I was doing and my painted finger nails and said I probably even had pained toe nails which of course I did. He said "you must be high maintenance" and it stuck; but later I made sure I was one of the stronger hikers in the group and now I wear the name with pride and a smirk.
Hikerhead	My friends played softball EVERY weekend...I called them Softball Heads.
HikerMom	Sure. I came up with a username for a hiking forum, I joined It morphed it's way into being my trail name. I love it.
Infinity	I was given my trail name Infinity on my first attempt at a thru-hike of the AT in 2009 by my fellow hikers.  They said that since I was always the first out of camp in the morning and I carry a small stuffed Buzz Lghtyear on my pack that I should be called Infinity - "To Infinity and Beyond".  Last year I was given the additional name of "Supa G Infinity" because of all the time I spend with my grandchildren.
Inside-Out	Respondent skipped this question
Jon's Dad	I have done camping and hiking with the Boy Scouts for many years. The scouts have trouble remembering everyone's name so I ended up just being called Jon's Dad. I took it as a natural transition to be my trail name.
Keebler	I'm not that tall. So, my buddies, said that I look like an elf walking thru the woods....hence the name Keebler
Kodak	On our first section hike I was taking pictures like crazy so the other guys I was with gave me the name.  It has stuck and I continue to take lots of pictures.
Lefty	Easy: I'm left-handed and politically left and proud of it :-)
Locked Out	Locked my keys in my partner's car(32oz) at the AT trail head on a point to point. Realized I didn't have my keys when we got to my car 15miles away. Oops! Hitchhiked back to his car with a trail angel speeding around mountain roads, listening to 70's porn music! Haha! Never so glad to have my feet on the ground as after that ride!
LOL	I laugh at everything. The day Osama bin Laden died, we were at a hotel in Franklin, NC. We were all standing around discussing the hilarity of the trail and other hikdrs, and I was dubbed Baby Giggles. I refused that one, and accepted LOL. :)
Lumberjack	I snored so much at Springer Mtn Shelter that someone joked that a sawed down all the trees.
MamaMoab	My first thru hike was the PCT. My 11 year old son and I started very early so we were all the way to Cajon Pass by the kick off that year. We met some hikers that had caught us and hiked together until Kennedy Meadows. When we met only one of us had a trail Name. I was gifted with MamaMoab by Dustin Hobell who later became Radio.
Mamaw B	Early in my thru hike I talked a lot about my grandson who calls me Mamaw so fellow hikers started calling me "Mamaw" and since there were other hikers with similar names the "B" for my first name was added. Didn't feel like an old woman but didn't mind the name. I just told others that I was every hikers grandma.
Mighty Blue	I've supported a lousy soccer team in the UK for over 50 years and, for some apparent reason, fans started calling them the Mighty Blues in the 1990's. I was a first time (useless) hiker in 2014, so I thought I'd take on the name in an act of self-deprecation.
Mother Puma	My trail name is in memory of my cousin Christine. When we were teenagers our mothers took us on a girls  only backpacking trip in the White Mountains, Mt Osceola area. The first night we had a fire in front of a huge boulder and we joked about Mother Puma sitting on top of the Boulder watching us. My cousin died in 2009 at the age of 50. I've taken the name of Mother Puma to keep her memory alive and out there on the trails.
Mrs Baggins	I am a HUGE fan of all things Tolkien and especially Lord of the Rings. We went to New Zealand in 2003 because of the movies. On a hiking trek with our trekking group, up Fox Glacier, we stopped at a big boulder to have our group photo taken. I'm short and couldn't make the 1st step up to get on the boulder. One of my trek mates reached down, took my hand, and said "Come on Mrs Baggins!" I loved it and it has stuck ever since.
Mushroom	My youngest grandson (he was about 8 at the time) gave the name to me when my wife and I still owned and operated a Bed & Breakfast in Lexington, Virginia. I used to put mushrooms in most of the breakfast casseroles that we prepared. (We even found a recipe for a French Toast casserole that used mushrooms!)
NativeCadence	I have PTSD. I have had to do a lot of therapy. Hiking solo has been lifesaving. I hike with a rhythmic cadence all the time - it took me a while to find it, my NATIVE cadence, that is. Someone very close to me suggested the name. And that's the nutshell version.
No Spring Chicken	Self explanatory.
Not Yet	I was working on sectioning NY and and I was just sitting at the Arden Valley Circle having some breakfast. A former thru-hiker, Paddy-O, came up and we were chatting for a few. We spoke about our travels, people we know, etc. He asked if I had a trail name, my response was merely "not yet." His response: "Well alright, Not Yet." Many thanks to Paddy-O for giving me my trail name.
Numbers	I am a Cpa and one of my clients calls me this
odie	I hike slow and fast and with several people someone asked me which group are you in and then another hiker said he doesn't have a pacific group he's an "Outside Dog" eventually it was shortened to ODie
Odometer	I hiked 30 miles on my first day of that year's section hike, and Circuit Rider came up with that name. I was unhappy with the name "Firestarter" which some tried to pin on me, and asked Circuit Rider if he would come up with a trail name for me by the end of the week.
Oenophle	A friend gave me one last year but this year he wanted to change due to my love of wine.
Oldog	Was given to me by best man at my wedding, before I started backpacking 20 + years ago
OnStar	Name (OnStar) was given because I always know where I am on the trail and how far to the next milestone. Received name in 2005. If I'd been given a name more recently it might have been based on the name of a GPS (e.g. Tom Tom).
opie	My last name is Taylor, so in order to tease me.  I was called Opie Taylor, started owning it....no red hair so I win
Pay Day	Bring a Pay Day bar on every section hike
Pedals	I started hiking in the winters to stay in shape for a cross country bicyle ride hence the name Pedals.
Peepshow	Broken zipper
Phys Ed	I spent my career coaching, and teaching health and physical education. And my name is Ed
Pockets	I was wearing a fleece vest and hiking pants both of which had many pockets. On my first day out I came to a lean-to and wanted to take pictures. As I patted each pocket to find my camera, my hiking buddy said you are now "Pockets".
Poncho	18 degrees the night i started in Georgia had on everything i owned including a Giant and Very Purple poncho around a small fire, several very cold fellow hikers referred to me by my outer layer of clothing, which happened to be said poncho never looked back
Pops Smull	People seen me on the trails a lot and just started to say Hi Pops, how's your day!!
Powerhouse	I'm a slow hiker but was the first in my group up blood mountain. At the top I was told, whoa you're a powerhouse. Name received.
Professor Gnome	Professor comes from my many inventions I take on the trail ...like the professor on Gilligans island....Gnome comes from my physical appearance ...being short hefty with a red beard ..like a garden Gnome
Prop Blast	Prop Blast = the first force of the wind from an airplane's propeller when a paratrooper exits an aircraft.
quiot	I had it as a name/tag before starting the trail. Called quiet riot by people I've traveled with. Shortened to "quiot" for artistic purposes.
Rabbit	My partner was Turtle.  Pretty self-evident
Rambunny	I'm an Aries (the ram) and I go like an energizer bunny
Raspberry	I will always find berries
Rhythmic	I tend to set a pace and put the blinders on, lowering my head and not letting up until I cover an appropriate distance (set in my own mind) before I should slack up or take a breather, unless of course I come across something along the trail worthy of my time/attention like a view or animal or what have you.  I always maintain a consistent rhythm despite the terrain... it helps me push through and cover more ground in a decent time, and ultimately (hopefully) avoid finishing the days miles by headlamp since I'm not much of a morning person -- I'm usually one of the last ones to step off from a shelter/campsite in the mornings. It also helps push my hiking partner to get past the ascents that tend to be his weakness and my supposed strength (and vice-versa, downhill kills me). The first time we hiked a longer section of the A.T. my cousin (hiking partner) gave me the name because he always wanted me to set the pace and lead... problem was, the pace I set on easy ground was the same pace I'd use when hit with ascents, and he couldn't keep up. It would wear him out. Now I don't enjoy a hard climb either, but I'd rather just get it over with and catch my breath once up top. This, plus the fact that I'm a drummer and percussion instructor, led to him naming me Rhythmic.
River Song	This survey should have another question. We're you given your name during a thru-hike or long section? The phenomenon of being "named by the trail" is either revered, reviled, or ignored, depending on who you ask. In my case, I got my name from my friend Betsy. She and I went for a short hike in the Catskills, at a time when I knew I was gearing up for my AT thru-hike. We chatted about trail names for a while, and decided on what our names would be for that 3-day hike. Since we were both fans of the show Dr. Who, we picked character names that most suited our personalities and traits. She became 'Oswin Oswald', and I, 'River Song'. Since the character by that name is a scholar and adventurer, as well as a strong, capable woman with an iron will, I felt that was a perfect mental image for me to take with me on the thru-hike. Every time I gave or wrote my name, I felt proud to be River Song.
Rocket Girl	I was the last of the crew who didn't have a trail name. All of the guys decided it was time. We were sitting by a road talking about the lives we left behind. I told them I left my job at NASA to hike the trail. Rocket girl stuck right away. Little did I know that I was names after a beer... :)
Rockin Rex	Fits me to a T. I am always moving and full of energy. Rock on.
scarecrow	I didn't want to pick my own trail name so one day while we were hiking, my wife said you are skinny and blonde hair, your name is scarecrow. It stuck.
scrapiron	Both knees replaced.........
Seeksit	Flippant answer:  I found it Short serious answer:  From the George Noble 1935 bronze plaque: "A footpath for those who seek fellowship with the wilderness." Longer serious answer:  It's an acronym:  "the Soul's Emergent Evolving Knowledge Sustains, Impels, Transcends" - this comes from the book I've been working on for years, which is, in part, a story of a spiritual journey of growth. Further news:  Next time I attempt a thru, which may be 2016, I plan to *seek* a genuine, gifted, earned trail name, and perhaps go by 'Peej' (PJ) until I get one. (Joe, if you're interested, - I think you expressed interest in the previous version - I'm posting a completely new version of that story on my blog--only the most basic plot elements remain the same, and this time I plan to keep posting until I have the whole seven book series posted.)
Seven	we would have to be drinking whiskey around a camp fire for me to tell you that
Shark Bait	I have tread water while holding a shark above my head, and another time made one throw up by accident while holding it down to save my hook.
Shea	I started off my thru hike wearing a New York Mets hat and that's how most hikers identified me on the trail. About a week in, another thru hiker said I needed a trail and mentioned Shea which is the old stadium where the NY mets used to play.I liked it as it wasn't too over the top.
Sherpa	On a trip with a new group of people in Oct, 2012, I was eager to make a lasting impression on the new hiking companions.  I was in charge of Sat night dinner for everyone, so I made an awesome pot of chili at home before going out for the weekend and froze it in several blocks.  I packed it with about a pound of dryice to keep it frozen through sat am.  With 14 lbs of chili & dryice already packed, I figured what's another pound - so I packed individual servings of icecream for 14 people.  The same trip our group was plagued by several equipment failures and each time I had a back-up piece of gear to save the day.  So at dinner, after providing a spare working stove, waterfilter & tarp, I served the group the chili & icecream.  I was named as the groups sherpa because I was carrying everything that was needed & fixed the best backpacking dinner in memory.  Nearly 3 years later, I still get asked after dinner if I have any icecream in my pack. ...I guess I did make an impression.
Signage	At the beginning of my 2007 Thru hike, I was always calling ahead and asking if that was signage ahead and did it say "Shelter." And I thou that should be my trail name. I love my name as I really like knowing where I am and take pictures of the AT signage!
Sisu	Got it years ago from my father-in-law who was a native born Finn. I've had it on my license plates for years.
Slim	I met my future hubby in 11th grade. I was a skinny little thing so he would call me Slim.(after Lauren Bacall). We began hiking in 1987. Then we met other hikers who had Trail names, My hubby named me "SLIM" bc I was such a skinny girl. He eventually became BOGEY both named in honor of Humphrey Bogart and I was his Lady, Slim.
SlingShot	I like to slingshot by you on the downhill, at least when I'm running.
slow turtle	i did call myself turtle because i walk so slowly but then I saw in a trail register there was another and so many of the trail names have a fanciful or ironic nature so I changed it to slow title
Snow Princess	First backpacking trip was in a good bit of wonderful new-fallen snow with some experienced hikers who helped me a LOT -- provided AND carried my tent, cooked my dinner, ... so I became the Snow Princess
Soaring Eagle	Have myself that name for a few reasons. First, I like what it represents. Strength, grace, freedom. Second, my daughter goes to Elmira College. Their mascot is a Soaring Eagle.
Squirrel	Originally dubbed flying squirrel because of the way I flew up springer mountain in my eagerness to start my trip, I soon dropped the flying part because I am not fast however squirrel stuck because of my chit chattery nature and my scatter-brainess :)
Stickmaker	I carve Hiking sticks out of Paulowina and cut mahogany stringers in them, and thats that.
Stretch	I was hiking with Slow Poke, he asked if I had a trail name yet, I said no, he said what about Stretch because I'm 6'7" and up hills would slow me down but down slopes and straight stretchs I stretched my legs out and was gone lol.
Stripper	I was working with SWEAT crew in the Smoky Mountains doing trail maintenance and I was the oldest, most out of shape person there. We were putting in water bars and the guys used an ax to chip the bark off the tree. When it came to the next waterbed they asked me if I wanted to try and I said yes. Laying the ax aside, I pulled out a pair of pruning shears and clipped a section of bark about 2 inches wide and "stripped" the bark off the log in about 2 minutes. That night around the campfire the crew leader said I was the "best tree stripper" he had ever seen. They named me "Stripper" that night and it's been my name for the past 8 years or so!
Suds	It was raining while hiking through the Grayson Highlands. I neglected yo thouroughly rinse the laundry soap from my socks. The wetter my shoes got the more soap suds were produced through the mesh of my treking shoes. Subman bestowed the name suds on me.
Sunshine	Whether hiking or running ultra races. I usually bring the sunshine. Most of the time.
Sunshine	It almost always rains when I hike and has several times even when there has been 0% chance of rain. A friend I hike and bp with on a regular basis started calling me sunshine and has stuck with our group.
Surefoot	During my most recent section hike (Wawayanda State Park, NJ south to Flatbrookville Rd in the DE Water Gap Natl Rec Area, NJ), I caught myself from a small trail misstep, and thought, "You still continue to be able to maintain your footing from a small misstep, so you should make your TrailName - Surefoot."
Taco	I hammock, which a friend says makes me a Bear Taco. So they call me Taco
Tattoo	Anticipating a thru in 2008, I asked the kids if they had something of theirs that they wanted me to carry.  Of course it had to be small and light.  My son gave me his call sign (he is a Harrier pilot in USMC), Tattoo.
Thorne	i used to travel around a lot when i was younger, hopping trains, hitchhiking, etc. and freinds i had called me a "thorn" in their side cause i had a real pain in the ass attitude and it stuck... thorne is the old english version for thornbush which symbolizes now that i protect all that is beautiful to me...
Tick Tock	Was gifted to me by Brownie at Trail Days 2013 because of my obsession with my watch abd needing to know what time it is!
TickleMonster	A fellow hiker was trying to stick me with the nickname "Raincoat" which I found super lame. So, at the first hostel I threatened to tickle him in the middle of the night if he didn't stop calling me Raincoat. It caught like wildfire and TickleMonster was born and became a bit of a legend amongst the 2012 AT class.
tie	I'd been hiking the AT for three days. It was freezing (late March in GA) and my hiking buds and I were in a cabin @ Mountain Crossings. The weather didn't let up for days (wind, snow, rainstorms), so we slacked a couple of days and returned to the cabin @ night. I hung out A LOT in my base layer, which is colorfully tie-dyed. I was named Tie Dye, but the shortened "Tie" has become a nick name which has stuck.
Tinkerbell	I've got a bear bell in my pack and Tinkerbell just turned out to be how I was referred to by several, unrelated hiker friends.
tipsy	I fall down a lot
Torta-lean-y	So my first trail name was The Tortoise. After a while I lost a lot of weight and got much faster. My friend Mountain Mama gave me the name Torta-lean-y because I was no longer slow and lost a lot of weight :)
TrailGal	I worked. In Corporate America and twice a year I took off for a couple weeks to hike the AT , I was at a meeting and my boss said we are on our own for the next couple of weeks, our Project Manager is playing TrailGal! So TrailGal it is!,
Treebait	I have a habit of nearly getting hit by falling trees/branches. I'm very good at spotting widowmakers now.
Treehugger	I don't really hug too many trees but I do love them. I love what they look like, what they do, and what they represent: longevity. I am most comfortable amongst them. My favorite has to be a tie between the Sassafras with it's white bark shining like a ghost in the forest, and the grand White Oak, so sculptural. I made a living for twenty years protecting trees and their habitats. My friends would kid me, calling me a "Treehugger" thinking it was an insult, as many do strangely enough. It's connotation with being a liberal minded environmentalist is right on, so it's no insult to me and I am going with it!!
Trudge	Easy. I started out relatively heavy and walked slowly and painfully . I trudged everywhere I went . My now fiancé gave it to me :)
Two sugar	The hiker felt I carried to much weight to make my coffee (Bag of ground coffee, Bag of sugar, Perculator, etc) And I take my coffee with two sugar.
WalkAway	I chose it because that's what I am doing walking away from my life for a bit
Wayseeker	Not much of a story but I refuse to use it until I thru-hike.
Wile E. Coyote	My trail name was given to me in week 1 of my thru hike in 2001. A group of hikers at a campsite in Georgia ( I cant remember which one exactly) were planning there day pondering over maps while I ate breakfast. One (A Canadian woman named "Chinook") asked me my plans. I walked over leaned over the group and looked at the topography section of the map, pointed to a flat spot about 5 or 6 miles from us and said, "Lunch", another 2 miles further, "Snack", and a shelter 11 miles from us, "Dinner, camp." Chinook then declared that I was just chasing my next meal, like Wile E Coyote constantly chasing the road runner. And, a trail name as born.
Wing-Heart	I wanted people to be able to spell my last name Wingheart without the "h"
Wise Willow	My 18yo daughter, also a hiker, teases me frequently for always coming up with "trail lessons" as we hike. (I'm a life coach by trade) She also always notices when I almost trip and fall (on every hike). She came up with my name... she says a willow tree always looks like it's about to fall and added "wise" to the willow to combine the 2 things I always do on the trail.
Wiz	It's essentially an alter ego of mine. The Batman to my Bruce Wayne.
Wolverine	I heal fast.  Bug bites, scratches, bruises, etc all disappear over night.  When a bee string literally disappeared in about an hour I was given the name by my two fellow hikers.
Yak	I puked on Khatadin lol
ziploc	I was named Ziploc because I don't like to get out of the tent to pee.
Zipper	I'm a flip flop hiker (VA-ME VA-GA '09) and so my third week on the trail was entering Shenandoah National Park. At the first shelter, there was a sweet group of retired guys doing a long section, and we were all going shelter to shelter. On maybe the second morning, one of them, named High Tops, remarked on the largeness of my pack - it was a light pack but looked big on my body. He said, "you're so small to have such a big pack! Without your pack, you're so skinny if you stood sideways and stuck out your tongue you'd look like a zipper!" I thought about it that day, and I just liked the name. It was gender-neutral, made me sound like maybe I was a fast hiker, and sounded upbeat and energetic. So from then on I was Zipper. And High Tops was so proud to have named me! It was a silly remark to start the name, but an awesome trail name that I still love! Especially when pronounced by French Canadians. "Zippp-erghh!"