Funny Trail Signs

The sign that inspired the post

One day Mule and I were hiking NOBO, and a little over a mile north of US64 (Winding Stair Gap) we encountered the above sign.  Once we did, we were DONE for the day.  Apparently we were actually at Swinging Lick Gap, but due to the expert carving skills of the sign “defacer” I thought it was called Swinging Dick Gap for several years.

I later learned that in the woods on the grounds of the University of the South in Sewanee Tennessee there is a place known as Thumping Dick Hollow.  There are several theories as to the origin of the name, one being that old-time moonshine stills had a part known as a dick that made a thumping sound.  Sadly, there is no sign to document the name.

Not too far from Swinging Lick Gap, a funny trail intersected with the AT.

On our hike through the Roan Highlands, my wife and I went over Little Butt and Big Butt, presumably named after our respective derrieres.

Who comes up with these names?  My youngest son refers to my rump as Jupiter aka the largest of the gas giants.  He would have gotten a kick out of hiking over the Butts.

Mule and I have often come up with “colorful” names for the many knobs on the AT that have broken our hearts, but apparently several of them actually have colorful names for real.

Now that we’re being fully sophomoric, I will close with this picture I found on the Section Hiker Blog.  I look forward to seeing this sign in person one day as my section-hiking adventures move further north.

If you have any funny pics of trail signs, I’d love it if you would share them with me.  Meanwhile, I’ll keep a sharp lookout on my next section hike (only 7 days away!).