Top row: Justin, Geoff, James; Bottom Row: Emily, Dave, Ramon
Trail names are mutually agreed upon by the group, usually after an unfortunate event. In theory, the individual has veto power over his or her name, but peer pressure usually forces one to accept. Here are the trail names from the weekend.
Justin – "Alpine Justin" – for proclaiming that we had finally reached the treeline at a breathtaking 1200 feet above sea level. To his credit, we had actually reached a line beyond which there were no trees. After a few hundred yards of climbing, we reached another treeline and went into the trees again.
Geoff – "Bermuda Geoff" – in honor of his flamboyant hiking shorts. The '80s called. They want their shorts back. No, really, they weren’t that bad, although the rest of us should get our vision back sometime next week.
Emily – "Bullseye" – for throwing her shoes into the river twice. We had to ford a thigh-deep section of the Big Sur River to get to the campsite. Both times, Emily figured it would be easiest to huck her shoes across the river before crossing. It was actually easier for her, since she was able to talk Ramon into wading 50 yards downstream and retrieving her shoe.
Ramon – "Rocket Man" (with inflection a la Elton John) – Next time we’re putting rocks in his pack. Also “Shrinkage Doesn’t Happen to Germans” – Justin and I showed our manliness by jumping from the hot springs into the river, squealing like little children, and immediately hopping back into the hot springs. Ramon strolled into the river, practiced his breaststroke (no kidding) for a few minutes, and walked out, claiming that this procedure actually warms one up.
Dave – "It’s Green Tea, I Swear" – We were only convinced that this was maté after Dave pointed out that very few people steep their medicinal/recreational leaves in hot water and drink through a straw with a strainer on the end (a bombilla).
James – "Gillette" – Apparently, Justin thought it was hilarious that most newborns have more hair on their legs than I do. He gently reminded me of this fact by asking whether I had shaved that morning or the previous night.
