I have been asked this question numerous times during the past six months while hiking on the Appalachian Trail. All hikers have a story about their trail name, whether given to them or self-selected.  Chief’s trail name is obvious to anyone who knows he retired as a Chief of Police. He has carried that title for over sixteen years so it seemed logical to use for his trail name.

So how did I become “Toad”?  You decide:

Scenario 1 – Our grandson couldn’t say Grandma Tina, instead calling me GrammaToad.

Scenario 2 – Instead is crawling as a baby I sort of hopped along.  Mom has called me Toad since I was small(er).

Scenario 3 – One of my favorite movie lines is from O Brother Where Art Thou – “We thought you was a toad!”

Scenario 4 – I thought about just using T. but figured it might be interpreted as Tee or Tea.  I then picked something in the woods that started with that letter.  Turtle sounded too slow so Toad was it.

Scenario 5 – Favorite lines from Stephen Crane:

“Think as I think,” said a man,
“Or you are abominably wicked;
You are a toad.”

And after I had thought of it,
I said, “I will, then, be a toad.”

Which scenario is true?  Thanks to hiker Firecracker for sharing Crane’s words with me; however, Scenario 4 is the actual unimpressive explanation for how I chose the hiker name of “Toad”. And now you know the rest of the story.

——

We just hiked into Pennsylvania – 2,089 miles done and exactly 100 miles to finish at Bethel PA Route 501.  Lord willing we should complete our journey on Sunday.  Watch for our “We Are Finished!” post…

Down the Homestretch,  Chief and Toad