Dirtbag Dictionary Part 2: Hiking and Backpacking
Words you need to know to understand your adventure-seeking friends.
If you have friends or family that are avid hikers or backpackers, odds are you have no idea what they are talking about half of the time. You could easily go the rest of your life without knowing the difference between a saddle and an apex. But if you’re a good friend that is tired of using the smile and nod method, here are some of the basic words you should be familiar with.
Cairn (care-in) – a small tower of balanced rocks that mark the trail without asking to speak to the manager first. “The trail would have been impossible to find if it wasn’t for the Cairns.”
Saddle – Not the kind that goes on a horse, but the kind a horse can go on. It is the part of the mountain connecting two peaks. Often appears to be u shaped. “The trail goes up to the saddle, then follows the ridge to the peak.”
Timberline – along with being the coolest stairwell on campus, the timberline, also known as tree line, is the point of elevation where trees don’t have enough oxygen to grow, creating a line where the trees suddenly stop. “It was a close call, but we got below timberline just as the storm rolled in.”
Cat Hole – a hole dug in the ground to poop into in order to follow the Leave No Trace guidelines. (everyone has a story). “That chili was good, but I better start digging a cat hole.”
Cowboy Camping – sleeping out under the stars, exposed to the elements, without a tent. (more cowboy-ey if you do it on a saddle). “We cowboy camped in the Grand Canyon so we wouldn’t have to carry tents the whole way.”
False Summit – a peak that looks to be the top of the mountain, gets your hopes up, makes you feel proud and accomplished; but once you reach the summit, you realize the actual summit is higher up, crushing all your hopes and dreams you’ve ever has since you were a child (everyone has a story because they are the absolute worst). “Mt. Elbert isn’t too hard, but its three false summits can be mentally challenging.”
Post-hole/post-holing – a miserable way to spend a winter hike. Post-holing is the defeating moment when you are hiking or snowshoeing and find weak snow, causing you to sink up to your knees or waist in that snow. “We only hiked up a mile, but we were post-holing to our knees almost the whole time.”
Crash Camp – an improvised campsite. When your planned 20-mile day turns out to be more than you bargained for, you might end up looking for a place to crash and camp. These campsites are often far from water, unlevel, rocky, and all around not ideal. “We ran into some obstacles early in the day, so we ended up having to crash camp.”
WFR (Woof-er) – an acronym for the Wilderness Frist Responder Certification, which is the standard certification required to work for most outdoor education or guiding programs. “I want to guide this summer, but I don’t have my WFR.”
WFA (Woof-uh) – a less intense certification providing a more general overview of the best first-aid practices in the outdoors. “I wish I would have gotten my WFR instead of my WFA.”
Bear Burrito – just a more entertaining name for a hammock. “I might just use my bear burrito all weekend”
GORP – sounds gross, but it’s actually an abbreviation meaning Good Old Raisins and Peanuts. A classic trail snack. “Aye yo, who got the GORP?”
Vista – a vista is what you stop to see at a “scenic view” pull-off or at the top of a mountain. Best described as a pretty view. “I say we stop for lunch at the next vista.”
Apex – No, not the game Apex Legends, though there are legends about some Apexes. It is the highest part of something, often referring to the peak of a mountain. “The apex of that ridge is called Sunlight Spire.”
