Day 8-C, 28 APR, What's in a Name?

Another hallmark of AT thru-hiking is the establishment of a proper "trail name."  Many hikers walk together for weeks on the trail and never even exchange their given names.  Oftentimes, hikers receive (or proclaim) their trail names within the first 24 hours.  For a long time, I thought a trail name could only be given by other hikers walking with them.  However to an ever-increasing degree, I have noticed more and more thru-hikers who have given themselves a trail name.  Other examples of trail names that I remember are "Flipper", "Arrowhead", "La Tortuga", and "Tumbleweed."
One of the disadvantages of section hiking, and especially southbound section hiking, is that I am often not on the trail long enough and/or with enough people for more than 12 hours to receive a trail name.  However, being with Cobweb and Magnolio for a number of days brought up the conversation of trail names and sent my mind decidedly to establish my own.  With the agreement of my new hiking friends, I settled on the name "Humble Pi."  There are several reasons why such a name fits me well.  1) I am prone to forget some of the most basic elements of hiking gear.  There was the time I forgot to pack any extra clothes. (Fortunately, it was just a weekend trip adn the weather was warm.)  I have also forgotten maps of the terrain. (Again, fortunately the AT is well-marked with white blazes.) Most recently on this trip, I actually forgot my eating utensil.  2) I get lost often and lose sight of the seemingly ubiquitous white blazes.  This happens especially when the trail moves to more urban areas, and it is especially embarrassing to walk around in circles looking for a white blaze on a street sign or telephone pole.  3) I make terrible predictions about the remaining distance to the shelter, as well as the weather for upcoming days.  For this particular trip, I made the bold and incorrect prediction that the front would merely blow over. (That was extremely wrong.)
Long distance hiking is a continual invitation to meet my own weakness, my own inability to solve problems, and my neediness and fragility.  All of these realizations speak to the concept of humility, which usually comes about through the process of humiliation.  The AT is replete with instances of humiliation, and I have learned to welcome it as a natural part of the process.  Eating a daily slice of humble pie is not necessarily something I look forward to, but I have accepted it as normal.