Outdoor Lingo

A rock cairn along the Greenstone Ridge Trail at Isle Royale National Park

• 10 essentials: the ten essentials you should have for camping

1. Navigation
2. Headlamp
3. Sun protection
4. First aid
5. Knife
6. Fire
7. Shelter
8. Extra food
9. Extra water
10. Extra clothes

• 11th essential: the eleventh essential to carry when going outdoors, a trash bag. This initiative was started by a fellow Ohioan in order to encourage more people to pick up the trash they find outdoors.
• Access trail: a trail that was created and maintained in order to get to another specific area. It could be for a climbing area, beach, campground, or something else of that sort.
• ADT: American Discovery Trail; 6,800 mile collection of roads and trails that goes from Delaware to California
• Alpine zone: the area between the upper limit of trees and permanent snow
• Approach shoe: a show that is kind of a mix between a climbing shoe and hiking boot. A lot of times people who climb will wear these on their way to a climb.
• AT: Appalachian Trail; ~2,200 mile trail that extends from Maine to Georgia. People often thru hike the trail in 4-6 months or can hike sections.
• Backcountry: remote, undeveloped land; no parking lots, trash cans, or typical developed camp amenities; what you bring in must be brought out
• Base camp: a style of camping where a person sets up a main camp and then hikes or does other activities out from that area. You typically leave most of your gear like the tent, bags, etc left at camp.
• Baselayer: the layer of clothing that is most directly on your body. Often referred to in regards to outdoor activities in cooler temperatures. It should typically be a wool or synthetic layer. The purpose is insulation and wicking away sweat.
• Base weight: total weight of all gear, excluding food and water
• Bearing: a navigational way to describe directions
• Bear bagging: a way to hang food in a tree to keep away from bears
• Bear box: a stationary steel box in parks that are used to protect campers belongings safe from bears and so bears can’t get to human food
• Beta: information about a climb or hike
• Blaze: a painted mark to signify the direction of and what the trail is
• Blow-down: a tree that has fallen down across the trail
• Bivy: short for bivouac; bivy sacks are typically for climbers who want a lightweight, rainproof protection for sleeping bags when doing longer ascents on walls
• Buff: technically a company, but people typically refer to the tube that they make; they can be worn numerous ways
• Bushwack: a form of traveling through wilderness in which you are more or less making your own trail and navigating through wilderness
• BT: Buckeye Trail; a ~1,400 mile loop trail that goes around the state of Ohio
• Cache: food, toiletries, gear, etc. that people along a thru-hike will pick up to resupply
• Cairn: a stack of rocks used to indicate the direction of a trail
• Calorie loading: eating a ton of food while on a thru-hike/long distance hike to intake enough calories
• Camel up: loading up on a ton of water to stay hydrated
• Cathole: a hole that you dig to poop in, it should be at least 6-8 inches deep and 4-6 inches wide
• CDT: Continental Divide Trail; 3,100 mile point-to-point trail that runs from the Mexico/New Mexico border up to the Canada/Montana border
• Cowboy camp: to sleep outside without a form of protection other than a sleeping bag or quilt
• Crampon: an attachment for the bottom of shoes or boots with spikes or chains to add traction for winter activities
• CVNP: Cuyahoga Valley National Park
• Day hiker: someone who only hikes for a day
• Declination: the difference between magnetic north and true north
• DWR: Durable Water Repellent
• Electrolyte: electrically charged minerals (ie-sodium, chloride, potassium, etc) that help the body perform numerous functions involving muscles 
• External frame pack: a pack design where the metal or aluminum frame is visible and constructed on the outside of the pack
• Eyelet: a small round hole in fabric
• FKT: Fastest Known Time
• Flip-flop: hiking a trail in a non-continuous way; starting at one point and then switching to another
• Frontcountry: outdoor areas close to roads, usually have running water, trash, and sometimes restrooms
• Footprint: (aka-ground cover); a nylon/ripstop/tarp piece that goes directly on the ground beneath the tent; the purpose is to protect the bottom of the tent from abrasions and help against moisture
• Fourteener: a mountain peak with an elevation of at least 14,000 ft.
• Freestanding: tents that can stand on their own
• FSO: From Skin Out-in reference to total weight of gear
• Gaiter: a covering that goes from ankle to mid-calf or knee; worn to protect against water or loose rocks/debris
• Gear head/junkie: someone who is obsessed with/knows a lot about gear
• Giardia: a microscopic parasite in water that causes diarrhea fatigue, and cramps
• Glissade: a way to slide down snow/ice low on your feet with an ice axe
• GORP: Good Ol’ Raisins and Peanuts; often also used as a general reference term for trailmix
• Gor-tex: a waterproof, breathable membrane; it is a registered trademark 
• Grey water: dirty dish water or water from washing clothes
• Hiker box: a cabinet or box at hostels, along trail, or other places where hikers will donate their unwanted food or gear for other hikers
• Hiker hunger: intense hunger that hits hikers on the trail; a willingness to eat anything
• Hiker midnight: typically about 9pm; hikers are usually dead tired when getting to camp and go to bed early-hence 9pm is like midnight to hikers
• Hiker shuffle (hobble): the limp/shuffle of someone who just took off their packs after hiking all day
• Hiker tan: the goofy tan from hiking all day; it will look different depending on what you wear
• Hiker trash: a way of life….when you’re hiker trash, you just know
• Hiking layer: the main layer you hike in; this will vary depending on the season, but a t-shirt and pants is an example
• Hydration bladder: a pouch that can be filled with water and sits in a pack. The hydration bladder has a flexible straw and valve; helps with drinking without having to stop to get out a water bottle
• Insole: the inner (usually) removable part of a shoe that adds support and cushion
• Internal frame pack: the frame of the pack is on the inside; many new packs are made this way
• Junction: the intersection of other trails or roads
• JMT: John Muir Trail; 211 mile point-to-point hike through California
• Katahdin: The northern point of the Appalachian Trail; the highest mountain in Maine
• LASHer: Long Ass Section Hiker
• Lean-to: a three-sided shelter  made for hikers 
• LNT: Leave No Trace; a set  of principles on how to take care of the natural areas we recreate in
• Mail drop: a resupply package
• Mountain money: toilet paper
• Nero: nearly a zero day, but some mileage is still hiked
• NCT: North Country Trail; a 4,600 mile point-to-point from North Dakota to Vermont
• NOBO: North Bound 
• NOLS: National Outdoor Leadership School
• Old growth: a forest that was never cleared, a mature forest
• Out-and-back: a trail where the intent is to hike out to a point and then turn and hike back
• Peakbagging: when someone attempts to reach a number of summits in a specified amount of time  
• PCT: Pacific Crest Trail; a 2,650 mile trail spanning from the California/Mexico border up to the Washington/Canada border
• Point-to-point: a trail that is intended to be hiked (or where the mileage is recorded) from one point to another; often will need a shuttle or a ride arranged for hikes like these
• Post hole: sinking deep into snow (usually knee or even waist high)
• Privy: trailside outhouse
• PUD: pointless ups and downs
• Puffy: usually refers to an insulated jacket; a hikers staple for cooler hiking weather
• Rainfly: an external part of a tent that covers it to keep out rain
• Register: a log book at the beginning/end of thru-hikes/longer trails/summits that people can sign showing they hiked it
• REI: Recreational Equipment Inc.; a co-op outdoor gear/clothing store
• Resupply: getting more food-and sometimes clothing or gear-along a thru-hike
• Ridge runner: someone who is paid to hike along the trail and educates hikers
• SAR: Search and Rescue
• Section hike: hiking a part of a longer trail
• Scramble: hiking over rough terrain that will often require using hands
• Scree: small loose stones that make up the side of a mountain
• SHT: Superior Hiking Trail; a roughly 300 mile point-to-point trail on the easter shore of Minnesota
• Shell layer: a jacket/coat; often a thicker sweatshirt, puffy, or windbreaker 
• Slack pack: hiking without your pack on; sometimes thruhikers will pass off their bags to someone else who will meet them later at camp or in a town
• SOBO: South Bound
• SOL: shit out of luck; when things go wrong on the trail!
• Stuff sack: a sack used to hold clothes, food, or other gear in a pack
• SUL: Super Ultralightweight
• Switchback: a sharp turn in the trail, zig zag, when ascending or descending
• Thru-hike: hiking an entire long trail in one season/year
• Topo: topographic
• Trail angel: someone who does acts of kindness for hikers like rides to towns, providing food and water, and other resources
• Trail family: the people you meet on the trail and hike with
• Trailhead: the beginning of a trail
• Trail magic: kind acts by trail angels towards hikers
• Trail name: the name other hikers give to a hiker, usually from a funny story or a notable personality trait
• Triple crown: the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail; these three thru-hikes are the triple crown
• Trowel: a small hand held shovel used to dig a cathole
• UL: ultralight
• Ultralight: gear that is very lightweight
• USFS: United States Forest Service
• Vitamin I: Ibuprofen
• Wag bag: a bag specifically made to carry out ones poop and toilet paper
• WFR: Wilderness First Responder
• YMMV: Your Mileage May Very
• Zero day: a day of no hiking; many hikers take their zero days in towns

If there are any terms you come across you aren’t sure of, drop a comment below! I’ll reply and update this piece as needed for everyone. Happy trails!!! 🙂