Trail Names

Hikers on the AT often take (or are given) trail names. There is often a story behind the names. Cool Change is a young man who went to Afghanistan when a young man to help with developmental work, and later joined the Army Rangers and served in the same country. He is walking home to Alabama. Ring Master is a 67 year old man who walked most of the AT in 2007 (NOBO) before succumbing to Lime Disease from a tick bite. Now he is out hiking us all as a SOBO. He likes to do a trick where a ring is wrapped around a thin chain... thus his trail name.

My trail name is "Country Runner", a name given to me while helping to organize an international "running" event in Chiangmai, Thailand several years ago. It typically starts a conversation about trail running around the world.