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).”
I had no idea there were pre-hike support groups like this. Cool. The more you know…
Since Luscious is tangentially related to batman, I asked an LLM to have Batman encourage you on your hike.
“The Appalachian Trail is a test, not just of strength, but of will. Out there, you’ll face challenges, but it’s in those moments you’ll discover who you truly are. No shortcuts, no easy way out—just like Gotham, the trail demands perseverance. But you? You can conquer it. One step at a time, one mile at a time. Remember, the only way to fail… is to stop moving forward.”
That is so inspirational, thanks, AI Batman!! (I’m hearing it in a raspy Michael Keaton or Will Arnett voice.)
Benj, this is certainly a name that could stick! We will see!
So far you’re doing a terrible job helping it stick. 😂 Benj is dead. Long live LUSCIOUS!
I met some thru hikers at the Zealand hut and they all had stories about how their trail names came about. They may change it for you.
I’ve decided to fully embrace my inner Luscious, with equal parts blame and gratitude to those who bestowed it upon me. 😉
Love this!!
❤️ So glad you’re following along, Joanne!