A Few Pronunciation Notes From The Justin Bieber Hikes the Appalachian Trail Team

If there's one thing I hate it's when I'm reading a word on the internet that I can't pronounce. I mean, how do you pronounce "intimate"? Is it "intimate" or "intimate."? Well, we here at ThunderCo (tm) would like to offer some pronunciation guidelines for this year's blog and associated materials to help ease you into this foreign world of foreigners hiking domestic trails (Bieberfact: Bieber's original native name was "Beaver" which was changed after increasing pressure from Urshur and Stephen Harper) (Who's Harper?).

The "Appalachian" Trail has many pronunciations for which the "AT" is a common shorthand. Down South it's the "appleatchun" and up North the "appleashean." The change seems to occur at the Mason-Dixon line; a location made famous by two land surveyors, the Civil War, and my past nocturnal urinations. You can guess which side I aimed at. 

You are never a "through hiker." Instead, you're a "thru hiker" (as annoying as that is).

In the South you stay in "shelters" and in the North it's "lean to's". 

"Glissade" is pronounced "Why are you worrying about a 'glissade' on the Appalachian Trail?" (seriously, how do you say that word?)

Jason's name is easy. "jay son". 

"Johnny" can be pronounced "jhon knee" or "jon ee". It can be spelled either way if you're Matthewski.

Sara and Mara's names rhyme and are pronounced as they're spelled.