There's one thing you can't prep for - your trail name.

Perhaps one of the quirkiest parts of trail culture is the time-honored tradition of receiving a Trail Name. Once you have one - you ALWAYS have it. The name on your birth certificate becomes secondary - handy for hotel or shuttle reservations, but useless to every other hiker you bump into.

There are a few basic rules for this process : 1) you are not allowed to give yourself your own trail name. Originally, Sponge wanted 'Juice' to be his name - a nod to how addicted he is to electronics and his beloved portable battery packs. But it goes against the next rule: 2) your name should match your personality or be connected to something you have done on the trail that other hikers witness (likely something foolish or embarrassing).

Sponge encountered quite a few hikers with incredible trail names on a somewhat busy portion of the Appalachian Trail in June 2025. And without fail, every single one proved the above two rules work.

Moonpie? Got his name for showing his named butt to other hikers repeatedly. Blackfoot? Got hers for never wearing shoes in camp, resulting in, well, black feet. Flash? For his age, absolutely no slowpoke. Even Tofu had an incredible story where she was starving - eating raw tofu, when a chipmunk stole it and she gave chase trying to get the morsel back.

At first, it seemed like Sponge would not get a trail name - his only goofy outward flaws were was his overstuffed pack and somewhat unique black hat. Not that those facts deterred some hiking vets from trying. One hiker (trail name withheld) was hellbent to be the guy who gave birth to Sponge's trail name. When learning how curious Sponge was... about everything ...he pitched "Neo" (as in Neolithic - the final stage of the stone age, when humans made huge advances in learning and adoption of tools). Sponge explained many would think of 'Neo' as the main character from The Matrix movies, and wearing a long black trench coat on trails was far from appealing.

In the end, it was not an active hiker - but rather a Trail Angel that bestowed Sponge with the name he would use from then on. Trail Angels will be a future blog entry - but just know that these are men and women who help out hikers in strategic spots - often where there are few services available. Sponge learned there would be Trail Angels serving chili dogs at a campsite - and pushed hard to make it there by the time printed on a flier, worrying the whole way that he would arrive too late. He made it - discovering an entire family with three generations of friendly folks, serving chili-dogs, salad and even beer. Sponge, having severely underestimated the Appalachian Trail to this point, collapsed in a folding chair and soaked up everything this kind family has to offer for hours. He listened to their stories about other hikers and when their own son did part of the trail. He listened when advice was given about what gear he needed and what he should ditch. These 'angels' even offered to mail home extra weight and allow Sponge to pitch a tent on their lot that night. But the gifts weren't done.

"You really seem you like want to know everything possible," the father observes aloud, after another round of questions. "You're like a sponge. Maybe that should be your name."

And from that moment, it was. Embarrassing? Hardly? But 100% given and spot-on. Sponge IS that guy who can't watch a movie without looking up every aspect of its story, actors and filming online. He is a walking, talking sponge with a black hat.

So for those with Trail Names, Sponge hopes they are (and continue) to serve you well. For those still seeking them - no worries. The right trail name will find you. And once it does, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it!

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