I like tradition as much as the next person. Still, I needed to take a more practical approach to my name.
I didn't want a name pinned on me that I didn't like. The real reason, though, was I intended to build this website and create other social media around it. Using a trail name would make the site's name and social media handles more personal.
So I decided to skip tradition and pick my own.
Some of the inspiration for my trail name comes from my professional work as a web developer. Freelance work I've done has come under the name Starting Gravity. That name was taken from a term used in beer-making. Specific gravity is measured before fermentation begins. After fermentation is complete, a second measurement is taken. With the two readings, it is possible to calculate the alcohol content of the beer.
I am a home brewer, so the name Gravity seemed like an easy choice for me. Still, I had some reluctance at first to use it.
My reluctance toward it changed on a frosty December morning in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As I was walking along a trail, I failed to see a large sheet of ice. I slipped on it and fell flat on my face.
After picking myself up and continuing a short distance, I met another hiker walking in the same direction. We chatted awhile about hiking. I told him I hoped to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail and was thinking of adopting "Gravity" as my trail name. I said I wasn't sure if it was good fit.
I explained that my fall just before we met wasn't the first occurrence for me. Falling down on the trail was something I did with some regularity. I couldn't explain why, other than I just seemed to be gravity-challenged.
Less than five minutes later in our walk, we came to a stream crossing. As I attempted to rock hop across, I slipped and made a spectacular back-flip into the water. I was unhurt, but getting soaked in near-freezing temperatures was not the best way to start a backpacking trip.
Nevertheless, the other hiker agreed there were clear indications here that Gravity was a trail name well-suited for me.