Finding a Trail Name

In a recent comment on this blog, my partner Ashley inquired whether she had been given the trail name "Gimpy" as a result of our first hike. For those of you who may not be familiar with the term "trail name", it is a term used frequently among hikers of the Appalachian Trail. They are typically names that sum up your personality on the trail and are given by others. The idea is that the correct name will find you when the time is right. If I were a complete purist when it cam to hiking, I would tell Ashley that her trail name would have to wait until we are hiking on the 70 miles of the AT that runs through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Not being a person who has ever felt the need to follow the absolute letter of the law, however, makes me think her trail name could come about at any point during the Humdinger Project. So to answer the question, "Is Gimpy my trail name?" we will have to hike a bit further to see. If sprained joints become a regular part of hiking with Ashley, then Gimpy might be the name that has chosen her, but my hunch is that her trail name is still out there looking for her.

It took several hundred miles on the AT for the name "Worst Case Scenario" to be given to me, but I must say as fitting as that trail name is for me, I prefer the name given to my other hiking partner Fr. David and I when we hike together. It was while hiking on the AT in the Smokies toward Fontana Dam that three ladies dubbed us "The Karma Police". My favorite quickly acquired trail names are "Lost and Found" and "Longshot". Fr. David and I met both hikers on our first section hike down in North Georgia. "Lost and Found" got his name after having discovered that he had left his jacket on the trail seven miles back. He walked all the way back to retrieve it. "Longshot" was an older man from Florida who had decided to take on the challenge of the 2,000 mile thruhike. When his friends dropped him off they simply looked at him and said, "You're definitely a longshot." Some trail names come as easily as that. We will have to wait for Ashley's to make its appearance.

Activities for me and my Gimpy Friend

Since it seems that a jump from a rock at Rainbow Falls and my lack of attention to Ashley's sprain, the two of us will be embarking on some adventures that we originally thought best to be saved for later. Our intent has been from the beginning to write not only about the 800 miles of trails we plan to hike, but also some of the points of interest surrounding the park; restaurants, attractions, and other activities that those visiting the Great Smoky Mountains might be interested in seeing, or in some cases avoiding.

Gatlinburg has never been one of my favorite places. Bill Bryson, in his book A Walk In The Woods, describes it this way:

Gatlinburg is a shock to the system from whichever angle you survey it, but never more so than when you descend upon it from a spell of moist, grubby isolation in the woods. It sits just outside the main entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and specializes in providing all those things the park does not--principally, slurpy food, motels, gift shops, and sidewalks on which to waddle and dawdle--nearly all of it is strewn along a single, astonishingly ugly main street.

This may be exactly where we are heading this week, unless of course you can help us.

Ashley is not going to be up for hiking for another few weeks, so we have decided to check out some the the extracurricular activities surrounding the park while her leg is on the mend. We already have a few ideas. There is Ripley's Aquarium which would feed Ashley's interest in sharks. There are the Forbidden Caverns, which I have seen signs for many times, but sadly have never visited since they are forbidden. There are several places that specialize in horseback tours of the Smokies. The question is, for those of you familiar with the surrounding areas of the park, where should we go? We look forward to your suggestions.