Hiking Terminologies
Did someone mention a term or an acronym that you aren’t quite sure what it means?
Here are several hundred of the most common (and not so common) hiking terms and their definition. The links will give you a deeper discussion of the term.
Here are most of the hiking terminologies you hear on the trails, in the hiking forums, FaceBook groups, or in website articles.
Eventually, all terms will be expanded with a more in depth article if warranted.
10 Essentials
100MW or 100 Mile Wilderness
A
Alpine Start
Alpine Touring
Alpine Zone
AMC or Appalachian Mountain Club
AT or Appalachian Trail
B
Backcountry
Backcountry Camping
Backpacking
Base Layer
Base Weight
Bear Bag
Bear Box
Bear Cable
Bear Canister
Bear Hang
Bear Locker
Bear Pole
Bear Wire
Bearanoia
Beaver Fever
Bench
Beta
Big Three
Billy
Bio Break
Bivouac
Bivy Sack
Bladder
Blaze
BLM (see Bureau of Land Management)
Blow Down
Blue Bag
Blue Blazer
Bluebird day
Boardwalk
Bomber
Bombproof
Bonk
Book Time
Book Packing
Boot Ski
Bothy
Bouldering
Brain
Break Camp
Break Trail
Buff
Bureau of Land Management
Bush Bashing
Bushwalking
Bushwhacking
C
Cable Car
Cache
Camel Up
Camelbak
Camp Fuel
Campground
Camping
Campsite
Car Camping
Car Shuffle
Carabiner
Cathole
CDT (See Continental Divide Trail)
Cirque
Class 1, 2, 3,…
Cliff Out
Col
Cold Soaking
Coleman Fuel
Compression Sack
Continental Divide Trail
Contour Lines
Corduroy
Corrie
Cowboy Camp
Cozy
Crampons
Crux
Crypto or Cryptobiotic Soil
Cuban Fiber
CWM
D
Day Hiking
Deadfall
Deadman Anchor
Declination (See Magnetic Declination)
DEET
Designated Campground or Camp Area
Detritus
Dirtbag
Dispersed Camping
Ditty Bag
Double-Wall Tent
Drop Toilet
Dry Bag
Dry Weight
Duckboard
Duff (See detritus)
Durable Water Repellency (DWR)
Dyneema
E
Elevation Gain
Elevenses
EMS (Emergency Medical Services)
Exposure
F
False Summit
Fast Packing
Fear of Packing Out Bag
Fell Walking
Female Urination Device (FUD)
Fire Ring
FKT
Flagging Tape
Fleece
Flipflop
Fly
Food Bag
Food Cache
Food Locker
Footprint
FOPO Bag
Ford
Freezer Bag Cooking
From Skin Out
Frontcountry
Frontcountry Camping
FSO
FUD (See Female Urination Device)
G
Gaiters
Game Trail
Gap
Gear Explosion
Giardia
Glacier
Glissade
Gore-tex
GORP
GPS (Global Positioning System)
Gram Weenie
Grey Water
Groundsheet
Guy Lines
H
Hammock Quilt
Hand Sani
Hardshell
Head Torch
Headlamp
Heat Exhaustion
Heat Stroke
Herd Path
High Point
Hike Your Own Hike
Hiker Box
Hiker Midnight
Hiker Tan
Hiker Trash
Hiking
Hill Walking
Hot Spots
Hump
Hut
Hydration System
HYOH
I
Injinji or Ingees
inReach
J
John Muir Trail (JMT)
Junction
K
Key Swap
Kicking Steps
Kindling
Kula Cloth
L
Lash
Lean-to
Leave No Trace (LNT)
Loft
Long Drop
Long Underwear
Long-distance Trail
Loop Hike
M
Magnetic Declination
Merino Wool
Microspikes
Mid
Mid-layer
Moleskin
Monorail
Moraine
Mountaineering
Mummy Bag
N
Naphtha
National Parks Service
Neve
No-cook
No-see-um
NoBo
Notch
NPS
O
Out-and-back
Outer Layer
Outhouse
P
Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)
Pack Brain
Pack Weight
Pad
Pass
PCT (see Pacific Crest Trail)
Peak-bagging
Pee Bottle
Pee Cloth
Pee Funnel
Pee Rag
Pee-pee TP
Pegs
Permit
Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)
Piezo Lighter
Pit Toilet
Platypus
PLC (see Personal Locator Beacon)
Plunge Stepping
Point-to-point
Post-holing
Pot Crazy
Primaloft
Primitive Camping
Privy
PUD
Puffer
Purist
Q
Quilt
R
r-value
Rambling
Redline
Reservoir
Resupply
Return
Ripstop
River right/left
Rock Hop
Round-trip
Route
Rucksack
S
Saddle
Sand-bagging
SAR
Satellite Messenger
Scat
Scrambling
Scree
Scroggin
Search and Rescue
Section Hiking
Self-arrest
Shelter
Shoulder-season
Silnylon
Single-wall Tent
Skin Out Weight
Slackcountry
Slackpacking
Sleeping Mat
Sleeping Pad
Slog
Smoko
Snow Stake
Snowfield
Snowshoes
SoBo
Social Trail
Socked In
Softshell
Spork
SPOT
Spur Trail
Stakes
Stealth camping
Step-kicking
Stoked
Stuff Sack
Sucker Hole
Sufferfest
Sun Stroke
Switchbacks
Synthetic Insulation
T
Talus
Tarn
Tarp
Tent Body
Tent Pad
Tent Pegs
Therm-a-rest
Three-season
Throne
Thru-hiking
Thunderbox
Tinder
Topo
Touron
TP
Track
Trail
Trail Angel
Trail Family
Trail Magic
Trail Marker
Trail Mix
Trail Name
Trail Runners
Trail Running
Trail Weight
Trailhead
Tramily
Tramping
Traverse
Treeline
Trekking
Trekking Poles
Trip Plan
Triple Crown
Type 1,2, and 3 Fun
U
Ultralight (UL)
United States Forest Service (USFS)
United States Geological Survey (USGS)
Urine Diversion Toilet
Ursack
V
Vault Toilet
Veggie Belay
Vestibule
Vitamin I
Vly
W
Wag Bag
Walk-in Camping
Walk-up
Water-resistant
Waterproof
Waterproof Breathable
Wetted Out
WFA (See Wilderness First Aid)
WFR (See Wilderness First Responder)
White Gas
Wild Camping
Wilderness
Wilderness First Aid
Wilderness First Responder
Windproof
Windthrow
X
Y
Yaktrak
Yard Sale
Yellow Blazer
Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV)
Yoyoing
Z
Zero-day (Zeroing)