I lingered on the brink of a bluff yesterday evening, intending to press on. The air still, no one around, the sun lighting the hills in gold from behind, dramatic clouds, there suddenly seemed no valid reason to continue. Why shorten a moment? Why miss the sunrise that would come to these cliffs? I made camp.
Sunset. Warm night.
Warm day. A sudden heavy rain. Cool evening.
Change shapes the world, and outdoors, no thermostat as a barrier, you feel each whim and caprice. I hiked with no one, thinking I would be alone for another day, until coming across Boston, Yolo, and OG at the end of the day. New thru-hikers: another change. Boston, astonishingly, is on his fourth AT thru-hike.
My misnomer
Each time I introduce myself as Chef too sometime new, they ask, without fail, if I cook good food. Maybe it’s hikers’ subconscious food cravings wanting to see or imagine some delicious food that prompts this question. I’m always amused because Chef is a misnomer. My food quality probably falls below average (those freeze dried meals I lack are the real gourmet out here). I will say my food probably has lower sugar than all but a few hikers. Some start consuming honey buns, Little Debbie snacks, Snickers, and cookies out here like there’s a looming shortage. Recently, I’ve been heavy on crackers, cheese, and balsamic glaze; ramen, dark chocolate, and almonds. Minimal assembly required – again subverting the chef expectations.
We often define misnomer as a false name, but for my purposes, misnomers are often incomplete more than incorrect. For example, I earned the trail name Chef by cooking a pot of curry one night. Because of this instance, the name is not wholly incorrect, but it encapsulates very little of who I am on the trail.
Characteristic misnomers
There are many other markers that we use to describe or name ourselves, both to others and to ourselves. I’ll call these characteristics. Our level of education, for example, or where we grew up, our socioeconomic status, our grades and work experience, the types of clothes we wear, the way we present ourself, our vocabulary, political alignment, celebrities we’ve met. These characteristics may be accurate descriptors and important parts of who we are. Ultimately, what I think matters more though, is character. Things like integrity, kindness, reliability, whimsy, self-sacrifice, generosity, levity, patience. When we use characteristics to interpret the goodness of others or represent the trustworthiness of ourselves, it is meant to mislead. Character does not necessarily describe or correlate with, characteristics. Because characteristics, like Chef, are misnomers. Indicative but incomplete.
