Jabbertalky

Able to walk the walk but have no idea how to talk the talk?

That’s the mantra at slackpacker.com where newcomers get a crash course in trail-speak by scrolling through the Slackpacker’s Lexicon.

Slackpackers are those hikers who tromp through the backcountry with a daypack instead of a backpack, who complete long-distance hauls -- like the Pacific Crest Trail or the Appalachian Mountain Trail -- in a series of day hikes. This, according to the website, allows for four-star restaurants instead of boil-in-the-bag slop, warm beds instead of hard ground. You get the idea. Want to learn their language? Here’s a few choice words from their lexicon.

AT: Appalachian Trail

AYCE: All-you-can-eat restaurant

Fourteener: Peakbagger pursuing mountains exceeding 14,000 feet in elevation.

MUDS: Mindless ups and downs. Where the trail goes up and back down for no other reason than the amusement of whoever designed the trail.

Nobo: North bounder (AT or PCT).

PCT: Pacific Crest Trail

PUDS: Pointless ups and downs. (See MUDS above.)

Scree: The sort of stuff found on a talus slope: loose rocks, scrabbly, hard to get good footing on. Sticklers for detail will claim that scree is smaller than talus; all we know is that it’s tough to walk on.

Shelter rat: Usually referring to AT thru-hikers, a shelter rat is anyone who camps exclusively in trail shelters.

Sherp: Verb meaning to act as a Sherpa. “We sherped 80 pounds of gear to camp.”

Sobo: South bounder (AT or PCT).

Sweep: Last hiker in a group -- by design. This person follows all others, ensuring that no one falls behind or is left needing assistance.

Tourist: The regular definition but with the added meaning of someone who blasts into a scenic area, stays at a resort and plays lots of golf. When they go hiking, tourists head for the busiest trail wearing the latest gear and blabbing into a cellphone.

Trail angel: A person who provides unexpected and much-appreciated assistance to a hiker.

Trail squatter: A person who regularly camps in the same spot -- usually the best spot -- on a trail. Arrives early in the day and stakes a claim while the rest of the world is busy hiking.

Yo-yo: Describes the concept whereby a thru-hiker gets to the end and then turns around and hikes back to the beginning. (See also “lunatic.”)