What follows is an incomplete list of terms used on this site (and the AT) which are a bit jargony and may need an explanation.

2000 miler (n) — Anyone who has hiked all of the official trails, whether as a thru-hike or in sections.

Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) (n) — Formerly the AT Conservancy, the overseeing group for the entire trail. (Photo)

AYCE (adj) — All-You-Can-Eat. A highly sought after meal in town.

Bear Cable (n) — A device, at some sites in the south, which is used to hoist food up sot that it is suspended from a cable between two trees. Using pulleys, the contraption makes it easy to lift the food to a height of at least ten feet, well beyond the reach of the bears.

Blaze (n) — A two-by-six inch white paint mark, generally on trees along the trail, but sometimes on cairns, rocks or even telephone poles. (Photo)

blowdown (n) — A fallen tree across the trail.

Blue blaze (v) — To follow blue-blazed side trails which bypass some hard parts of the trail.

Bog bridge (n) — Also called a puncheon, generally two logs are placed across supports in order to lessen impact on bogs and thin soils, and to keep hikers high and dry. (Photo, Photo)

Double blaze (n) — Two blazes, one over the other, indicating a trail turn, junction, or other obstacle ahead. Sometimes, an offset double blaze shows a turn in the trail. (Double blaze, Photo)

Fire Tower (n) — A structure, often at a high point on the trail, used (and often abandoned) for searching for forest fires. (Photo)

Flip flop (v) — To hike from one terminus towards the other, and then drive or hitch to the other terminus and hike back towards the midpoint. For instance, to hike from Springer Mountain to Harpers Ferry, drive to Katahdin, and hike back to Harpers Ferry.

GAME (n) — A northbound hiker. From the abbreviations for Georgia (GA) and Maine (ME).

Hut (n) — In the Shenandoahs, synonymous with shelter. In the White Mountains, a full-service lodge providing backcountry accommodations, generally free to thru-hikers. (Photo, Photo)

Leave No Trace (n) — The ethic of leaving as little trace on the environment as possible. I prefer Minimum Impact because it is impossible to leave no trace, but LNT is oft-used. It even has its ownWebsite.

Lean-to (n) — A three-sided shelter along the trail which, in theory, has its open side away from the prevailing wind (hence it lean in to the wind). Term mainly used in New England, interchangeable with Shelter (Photo, Photo)

MEGA (n) — A southbound hiker. From the abbreviations for Maine (ME) and Georgia (GA).

Nantahala Shelter (n) — A shelter design, widespread in new construction in Georgia and North Carolina, where the roof covers both the sleeping area and a picnic table. (Photo)

Nearo (n) — A day with very little hiking, a portmanteau of "nearly zero."

Nobo (n) — A northbound hiker. A portmanteau (of a sort) of NOrthBOund.

Pointless Ups and Downs (n) — A series of climbs and descents with no views or substantial elevation change.

Privy (n) — An outhouse, at most if not all shelters, and other sites as well. (Photo)

Purist (n) — A thru-hiker who seeks to skip none of the official trail on their thru-hike.

Rebar (n) — Steel bars drilled in to the rock in order to help hikers climb steep, treacherous slopes. (Photo)

Rhododendron Tunnel (n) — A section of trail where the Rhododendron grow in a thick canopy above, lending the trail a tunnel-like feel. (Photo)

Section hiker (n) — A hiker who intends to hike the whole trail in multiple sections.

Shelter (n) — A three-sided structure along the trail, although many new shelters are more elaborately constructed, and some use old woods buildings. Interchangeable with Lean-to. (Photo)

Slab (v) — A term describing trail construction where the trail is cut out of a hillside, see Photo.

Sobo (n) — A southbound hiker. A portmanteau (of a sort) of SOuthBOund.

Stile (n) — A device used to climb over barbed-wire fences. (Photo)

Switchback (n) — Trail construction which zig-zags up a hill in order to climb a steep slope. (Photo)

Trail magic (n) — Items, generally food, left by the trail for the benefit of thru-hikers. (Photo)

Thru-hiker (n) — Generally spelled "thru," it refers to any hiker who seeks to hike from Georgia to Maine. However, only a hiker who completes every bit of the trail is a 2000 miler.

Washout (n) — Where a bridge should be, but isn't. (Photo)

White blaze (v) — To hike every foot of the official trail, unless it is impassible or closed.

Yellow Blaze (v) — To hitchhike or drive around a section of trail, so-called due to the yellow blazes going right down the middle of the road.

Yogi (n, v) — The fine art of obtaining food from strangers (mainly day hikers) without actually asking. If you ask, it's begging.

Zero day (n) — A day spent off trail, such that zero miles are hiked.