What's in a Name?

A few years ago Tricia gave me an Appalachian Trail Conservancy membership for my birthday. As part of this membership I receive a monthly magazine, AT Journeys . Last month's magazine listed all the hikers who managed to finish the trail last year. 500 of them were thru-hikers (finishing in one year) and 120 were section hikers (taking a number of years to bit and piece the trail together). Either way, they each walked more than 2,100 miles which is awfully impressive.

Hikers on the trail do not go by their given names. Rather, each receives (or gives themselves) a trail name. At first this seems a little strange but with time they grow used to being called Lego or Chuckwagon. Many times the majority of the hikers they encounter never know their real names - just these bizarre aliases.

Last year when the boys and I were on the trail over spring break I heard someone receive their trail name. It was just past sun-up and I was lying in my sleeping bag and listening to the sounds of the early risers break down their tents and pack up their gear. There was an older hiker named Roger who had been going by the name of "Mr. Rogers" but had confessed the night before that he really didn't like it all that much because it was too obvious. A young girl came over to him as he packed up his stuff and told him she had been thinking about his name when she went to bed the night before and came up with something she thought he'd like.

"How about Trolley Stop?" she asked. "You know, like on Mr. Rogers. He would sit on that little bench and the trolley would come and take everyone to the fantasy land. That was always my favorite part of the show."

Roger thought it over and decided he liked it. For the next five months everyone he met came to know him as "Trolly Stop." He packed up and left before the boys and I even made it out of our tents so we never did see him again. However, it was exciting to find his name in the magazine and see that he had completed his hike. Turns out people off the trail know him as Roger Gorrey. Go figure.

Here is a list of other interesting trail names I found on the list. I've tried to group them by category.

Jobs/Schooling - Not so surprising, most people shy away from names that reconnect them to the workforce. However, I'm glad to see that one of the few who do are in education!

Professor (Does this sound snotty to you? Maybe it's a reference to Gilligan's Island, though.)
Grad School
Engineer

Interests - Right or wrong, each of these kind of gives a mental image of what they might look like.

Bookhawk
Guinness
Six String
P.C.
Kayak
Right-Click
Portrait
Whiskey

Cliche - Some of these names get used over and again. Others are just too obvious.

Caveman
Spartan
Tarzan
Frodo (Historically, this is among the most popular trail names. That may tell you a bit about the folks you see out there.)

Animals - Do you suppose these are given because the hiker's appearance shares a likeness? Are there any animals you'd care to look like?

Grasshopper
Chickadee
Loon
Squirrel
Moose
Shark
Chimp
Billygoat (The boys and I met Billygoat about 70 miles into his hike. We stopped and chatted for about five minutes or so. He was a really nice guy and hiked incredibly fast.)

Movies/Books - I'm certain these names are self-selected before hitting the trail. Except maybe "Buscemi". Surely no one would do that to themselves.

O.B.1
Odyssa (She set the AT record for fastest hike - averaging more than 50 miles per day. We missed crossing paths with her by two days just south of the entrance into Smokey Mountain National Park.)
Muggle
Ewok
Buscemi
Griswald
Firefly
True Grit
Hobbit

Superheroes - These seem pretty lame. If I came across any of these hikers I'd either speed up or slow down.

Boy Wonder
Cape Crusader
Captain America

Pace/Perseverance on the Trail - Names related the act of walking are super-common.

Little Engine
Pacemaker
WalkAbout
Shuffle
Steps
Inchworm
Meander
Wanderer
Slo Jo
Truckin'
Stride

Hardships/Tribulations on the Trail- You have to love someone who can find humor in bad situations.

Black Foot
Rain Gear
Turn Around
Bum Knee
Hospital Guy (I really like this name. It's original and makes you want to ask the inevitable question...)
Oops
Whoop!

Forewarning to Other Hikers - These are hikers who should be avoided at all costs.

Chainsaw (Snores at night)
Ass Trumpet (Passes deadly gas at night)
Stinkbug (Stinks even worse than the typical hiker - which is saying a lot)
Dogbreath (Thru-hikers DO bring toothbrushes)
Whistler (Everyone's least favorite morning hiker)

Food/Hunger Related - To provide a constant reminder of the limited food choices on the trail.

Sweet Tea
Oatmeal
AYCE (All-You-Can-Eat. These are the favorite restaurants among hikers hitching into town.)
Chowhound
Vegan
Mountain Dew

Self-Deprecating - The underdogs!

Low Expectations
Old Fat Dad
Foureyes
Putz

Tells a Bit About One's Personality/Self- Wouldn't parties be easier if everyone had one of these? Remember Close Talker?

Maniac
Witticism (This name would seem to put a lot of pressure on its owner.)
Checklist (This sadly sounds like it could be me.)
Optimist
No Worries
Happy Jack
Jerryatric
Tattoo

Probably Has an Accompanying Story - The best category.

Snake Farm
Lady Pants
Kerosene Charlie
Hand Me Down
Mothership
Spork
Barnacle

Hiking Duos Whose Names Play Off One Another- This is essentially the equivalent of those couples who dress alike.  They disgust me!

Hansel and Gretel
Oompa and Loompa
PB and J 

Eat Fresh

This spring we joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm. We paid up front for a share that will provide us with a weekly box of seasonal veggies that are locally grown. The benefits for the farmer are: (1) they get to market their crops early in the season, (2) they receive payments up front rather than at the end, and (3) they have the opportunity to connect with the families who purchase and eat their food. The benefits for the consumers are: (1) getting really fresh food, (2) supporting local farms, (3) reducing their carbon footprint, (4) knowing where their food comes from and how it is grown, and (5) trying new foods.

For thirteen weeks we will receive a big box of produce from Pinckney Farm. They deliver their boxes around the state. We pick ours up each Thursday afternoon from a garden center about three or four miles away from my school. Shares are offered in various sizes- from small to extra-large. Given that we have a family of seven to feed each night we went with the extra-large portion. The box is roughly the size of a recycle bin. We bring it home full of veggies each Thursday and then trade our box in the following week.

The first few weeks had a lot of greens, cabbage, cauliflower, and squash. Actually, loads of squash. I never knew there were so many different types. One Ball squash. Eight Ball squash. Yellow squash. Patty Pan squash (pictured at right with beets). We have never been squash eaters so this has really challenged us to find recipes we like. Tricia steamed the patty pans last week, cut off the tops and scooped out the insides, and filled the remaining "squash bowls" with a mixture of rice, squash, and cheese. It was good and a lot of fun to look at.

These are cool weather crops. As the weather turns warmer the contents of our box will change. I'll be excited to see the sweet corn, potatoes, string beans, carrots, and tomatoes find their way into the box. In the meantime, we're learning how to make pickles, stir-fry cabbage, and freeze surplus squash in hopes of adding it to our fall and winter soups. This is quite a leap for Tricia and I provided there was a day not all that long ago when we only ate two or three different types of vegetables.

Here's a look at some of the meals we've been enjoying...

Salad greens and onions came from the farm. Tomatoes and carrots from the grocery store.

We have MANY jars of strawberry jelly in the freezer. It tastes way better than anything Smuckers makes.

Dressed squash, zucchini, and grape tomatoes before hitting the grill. This has been our favorite so far.

Making our own pickles with cucumber, vinegar, mint, and cilantro.

What do you do with two huge heads of cabbage each week? Make lots of slaw!

I've learned to like cauliflower. When seasoned correctly, it's really very good.

The Compost Crew

We've been flying right through spring, heading toward an early summer. Or maybe there is no spring in South Carolina. It seems the daily highs somehow skipped the 70's and jumped right into the high 80s and low 90s. I'm not complaining, though. I love throwing on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt each morning and not having to worry about whether or not it'll be cool at recess. It never is.

I used the shift into warmer weather to sort out our compost a few weeks back. We keep two compost piles in the back. One is the traditional sort where we layer food scraps with other organic material. The other is a vermicompost which consists of a couple thousand red wiggler worms, shredded newspaper, and a few cups of weekly food scraps.

We used to temporarily keep our food scraps in an old margarine tub on the kitchen counter until someone took the initiative to get them outside. However, it didn't take long for the fruit flies to find their way in and before we knew it our house was full of what must have been hundreds, if not thousands, of tiny flies. They were everywhere. We eventually had to start taking our compost straight outside. This was effective but a hassle.

A few months ago Tricia's parents sent us a countertop compost crock. It is aerated by tiny holes in the lid. A small filter fits into the lid to control the odor as well as to keep out unwanted guests. We've had very few flies since making the switch.

This has been our first real attempt at composting. Much of what we've been doing has been trial-and-error. I've tried doing research to help improve our chances of success but much of what I read contradicts other sources and some of this stuff has too much scientific jargon for my present level of understanding. So, basically we've decided to collect our compost-friendly food waste and dump it all into a pile with some leaves and ash and wait to see what happens. There are worse places to start.

The traditional compost seemed to be a bit slimy at times. I suspect this was due to too much food matter (green) and not enough carbon (brown) matter. I could have kept the compost too wet, as well. Either way, when I pulled the plastic housing off the pile and spread it out it looked as though everything turned out pretty well. Pulling the pile apart with a shovel, I found that nature had produced a heap of dark black soil from all that stuff I had thrown in there over the past eight months. We immediately used it to plant a few pots of herbs and vegetables and the rest went into a large storage bin to be used in the future.

The vermicompost was a little more labor-intensive. The bin had to be dumped out onto a large tarp in the sun. There was a pile of sticky black soil (aka, worm poo). The worms, exposed to the sun, immediately made their way down into the pile. We scooped up the top later and placed it into another bin. This exposed the worms again so they dug even deeper. Again we scooped off the top layer. On and on this process continued until we had separated the soil from the worms.

Here are the worms doing their job - eating our trash and making it into soil.

Everything is dumped out into the sun. The worms hate this part.

The soil is really wet and sticky. It was hard to get any evaporation during the winter months.

Sorting it all out. We found many "balls" of worms in there.

This is the final result - super rich soil.

Shredding newspaper to start all over again. The worms will eat this paper in addition to the food scraps.

We used our compost to plant basil, cilantro, tomatoes, and a few other things.

We also used it to plant some Carolina Jessamine around our screened porch. This is watered with the rain barrel.

The rest of the vermicompost is being brewed into "worm tea."

Here you see the bag of vermicompost sitting in the rainwater. An aquarium pump and air stones work to circulate the water. The resulting tea will help keep our plants really strong and healthy.

I'd love to go through this whole process next year with my class at school. It'd be fun to compost our food, sort the soil, brew it, and then conduct some experiments to see what benefits, if any, the worm tea offers. Taller plants? Greener plants? Stronger root systems? Who knows. If nothing else I can guarantee such a project would save many pounds of food from being hauled away by the gas guzzling trash truck.