I was given a trail name last night as mentioned in the quick video below. I’ve paraphrased the scene for you below as best as I can recall how it played out. Apologies to my new friends if I didn’t get it quite right.
[A dozen prospective AT thru-hikers plus handful of veterans sit around a campfire at Woods Hole Hostel, Virginia, NOBO mile 625.]
RTK: “So, does anyone have any final questions or topics they want to cover tonight?”
Benj: “Well, I still need a trail name…”
RTK: “Okay. Look, everyone, it’s not often you get a chance to give someone their trail name! Let’s take a shot at it…”
Benj: “Maybe something to do with technology? Who was the guy who developed new tech for James Bond? Wasn’t it Q?”
Ramdino: “No, Q was from Star Trek.”
Pony: “How about Batman’s tech guy?”
Benj: “Alfred?”
Pony: “No, his name was Lucius. He was in the comic books.”
Benj: “Never heard of him, so that doesn’t bode well for a trail name. And people will think it means Lucius Malfoy.”
Pony: “It’s Lucius Fox. But more likely people will confuse it with the word ‘luscious.'”
Benj: “Hmmm. I don’t know about this… Any other ideas?”
Pony: “Well, you can call yourself whatever you want, but you can’t really control what other people call you. Sometimes a name just sticks…”
RTK: “And there’ll be such a great story leading to this one. Around a campfire at Woods Hole Hostel [of Platinum-Blazing Hall of Fame] no less!”
[Benj tries to control the narrative by submitting an edit to Ramdino’s 2025 Appalachian Trail Thru Hiker Support List spreadsheet with trail name Lucius. Ramdino checks a notification on his phone and grins menacingly.]
Benj: “OK, I guess this is happening. I used the spelling Lucius, but you can pronounce it luscious, if you really want.”
Pony: “Luscious, Luscious!”
Everyone: “Luscious, Luscious, Luscious, …”
Ramdino: “I fixed the spelling on the support list to Luscious, and made it bold, all caps, and blinking. Oh, and I locked that trail name cell of the spreadsheet.”
Luscious: “I guess that settles it.”
[End Scene.]
I don’t know if this is already an Appalachian Trail aphorism, but it should be: “The Trail Giveth (my name), and the Trail Taketh Away (my dignity).”
