Like any community, we use a lot of jargon. Terms that only we understand, or mean something different than the norm when used to talk about hiking. Here are some commonly used words and phrases and what they mean. Let us know if anything is missing!

Enjoy your hike – 1) a statement you say to other hikers in passing, hoping they enjoy their hike. 2) a statement you say to someone who has stopped and is talking to you and you don’t want to talk to them anymore, indicating that the conversation is over.

false summit – the bane of many hiker’s existence. You’ve hiked for hours and through the tops of the trees, you glimpse a summit. You get there, only to realize it isn’t THE summit, it’s just A summit, and you still have a mile to go to the real summit. Heartbreaking and demoralizing.

HYOH – Hike Your Own Hike. A phrase that fits many scenarios, and is the friendly hiker version of “do you”. Someone disagrees with your gear choices, “hike your own hike”. Someone insists there is only ONE way to do something, “hike your own hike”.

lemon squeezer – when the trail goes between two large rock faces and you feel like a lemon in a lemon squeezer. Sometime wide enough to walk through, other times so narrow you have to take off your pack and go sideways. Always fun (unless you’re claustrophobic, then possibly not so fun).

LNT – Leave No Trace. The idea that you leave the hiking trails as you found them, or better. See lnt.org for more information.

lollipop – not a sweet treat, but a description of a hike route. A combination of a loop and an out and back, generally where the beginning and the end of a hike are on the same trail, but at some point you can make a loop trail.

microspikes – traction devices that go over your shoes/boots in icy conditions. Less cumbersome than snowshoes, they’re great for steep-ish, icy conditions. Not as serious as crampons, and don’t require mountaineering boots like many crampons do.

mud season – spring time on the trails, when the snow is melting, and rain is falling, and many trails become muddy messes. Some trails (in Vermont especially) close for mud season. Hiking around mud widens the trail and kills vegetation. Best to avoid mud season, if possible.

out and back – a trail description. You go out on the same trail you’ll come back on. Sort of the opposite of a loop trail.

PUD – pointless up and down. You’re on an ascent, but the trail goes down, then up, then down again, then up. You just want to get up the mountain. All the extra up and down just add to the difficulty of the hike.

SAR – search and rescue. Hopefully you never need them, but they’re the folks that will come get you if you get injured. Here in the White Mountains, there are several regional groups, made up mostly of volunteers, and coordinated by New Hampshire Fish and Game.

scramble – not how you like your eggs. A scramble usually means a part of the trail that is steep enough to require you use hands and feet to ascend/descend. Fun for some, terrifying for others.

slab – New Hampshire is called the granite state for a reason. Many of our trails are “slabby” or have exposed granite slabs. Some are small/short, not that steep and only require a quick scramble or good momentum. Others are long and steep and require intestinal fortitude.

traction – generally referring to either microspikes or snowshoes or crampons, depending on the conditions and your preferences.

You’re almost there – the three most hated words in hiking and the biggest lie ever told. Generally said to you by a perky 20-something who hasn’t broken a sweat as they descend, while you’re struggling for your life and you’re still a mile away from the summit.