| Term |
Meaning |
|
|
| Alpine Zone |
Above treeline regions. Usually home to lots of rock and fragile vegetation. |
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| Benchmark |
A small metallic marker usually embedded into rock used for government measurements. Often located at highpoints. Denoted on some topographical maps as 'BM' and the elevation. |
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| Blaze |
A trail marking, usually on a tree, often in a rectangular shape. |
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| Cairn |
A pile of rocks marking a trail, often found in alpine zones (pronounced sort of like how a redneck would say 'caring'). |
 |
| Canister |
A device used to keep food away from curious bears. Campers often either hang their food from a tree or use a lockbox of sorts. |
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| Class 1 |
A hike that is generally on a marked trail that generally doesn't require the use of hands. |
|
| Class 2 |
A hike that might be steep/rugged enough to require the use of hands. |
|
| Class 3 |
A hike that will be steep/rugged enough to require the use of hands (and might be enhanced with the use of ropes). |
|
| Class 4 |
A climb that will likely require ropes - falls will likely be fatal. |
|
| Class 5 |
Free climbing - advanced climbing equipment required if you're not Chuck Norris. |
|
| Highpoint |
The highest elevation in a county/state/etc. |
 |
| Highpointer |
A person whose sole mission in life is to stand on county/state highpoints, whether reached by driving or hiking. This person may avoid going to the top of a peak if the highpoint in the county/state is below it (see Mt. Frissell). |
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| Peakbagger |
A person whose sole mission in life is to stand on top of peaks, whether reached by driving or hiking. Not necessarily the same as a highpointer, but often of a similar breed. |
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| Yosemite Decimal System |
A rating system in the United States used to rate the difficulty hikes/walks/climbs (Classes 1-5 generally). |
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