Welcome to my blog. Thank you for allowing me to share my experience on the Appalachian Trail with you. I hope you will find reading it a worthwhile endeavor. I will not be able to spend the time it takes to proof, edit, or revise my entries, therefore I do apologize in advance for any crudeness you will likely find in the quality of some of my writing.

Trail names

Trail names have been a part of Appalachian Trail lore since the late nineteen forties, when Earl Shaffer became the first known person to successfully thru hike the trail in its entirety. When the trail was completed in 1937, conventional thinking was that it was humanly impossible to complete the trail in one hike. In 1948, walking to clear his mind of the horrors from his recent return from the battle front of WW II, twenty nine year old Shaffer became the first person to be officially recognized for walking the entire trail in on continuous thru hike. Shaffer was known as “The Crazy One”, by others in the hiking community.

Hikers take trail names for many reasons, some to preserve their anonymity while on the trail, many seek to discover a better version of themselves on their journey, their trail name being symbolic of their quest to leave their old self and identity behind. Others take trail names just for the fun of it, as a great conversation starter, or just because many people have the same or similar given names, and trail names help to make people more unique and memorable.

Trail names can be self appointed, given by family and friends, or many times, trail names are bestowed by fellow hikers. These names are usually based on some unique attribute, habit, or quirkiness this hiker possesses. Many times this can result in a very less than flattering trail name. The saving grace being that a hiker reserves the right to accept or reject any trail name suggested by another person.

I chose to take the trail name Juanito. The past two Januaries I have had the privilege of spending time hunting in the mountains of the Sonoran Desert in Mexico. A truly very rich part of those experiences have been spending time with the local people who work in the camp. A husband and wife do all the meal preparation and cooking, their sons and a nephew take care of the game we harvest and help their parents, others help us hunt and help with game recovery in the field. It has been an honor to spend time with these great people. They have almost nothing and very little opportunity. Despite this, they are undoubtedly the happiest, fulfilled, and authentic people I have ever encountered. They don’t waste their time wanting or worrying about the things they don’t have, they value each other and the richness of their relationships. They live in the moment, they aren’t always trying to meet a deadline. They take pride in accomplishment of their tasks, and the skill with which perform them. They laugh often and loudly. Even though my Spanish is nearly non-existent, and their English not much better, we still are able to communicate through gestures and the few words and terms we do understand from each other’s native language.

Juan is the Spanish equivalent of my English given name John. In Mexico the local people call me Juan. In camp the young boys started calling me Juanito, a pet name in Spanish that means “little John” or “Johnny”. For me, taking the name Juanito while on trail represents my choice to live more simply and authentically, to have much less, but experience the true richness of life much more. I want to carry everything I need to live for six months on my back. I want to walk a very long way in nature. I want to live focused on the moment for a time. I want to spend a time in deep reflection. I know there will be some suffering, but I believe there will also be great joy. As Juanito, I hope to become a better version of myself. I look forward to the prospect.