What's in a Name?

I'm a member of the Outdoor Blogger Network and they asked the question of how we came up with the name of our blogs. Reading some of the other members responses inspired me to take a shot at it. So if you're easily bored by poor writing skills please stop here.


When I decided to start my blog I spent a couple of days trying to come up with a catchy name. I kicked around a couple but really don't like any of them. Then Massanutten Game Trails hit me between the eyes. How did I come up with this you're dying to know? For a very long time I have been fascinated with big game hunting in Africa and Asia. I killed many lions and tigers as a young boy with my faithful dog Caesar and a Red Rider BB gun . And no, I never shot my eye out :). My fascination was particularly with man-eating lions, tigers, and leopards. I always wondered if I had the hunting skill and courage to hunt down a man-eater. Or would I just become it's next meal. Since I probably will never find out I did the next best thing. I started collecting and reading old hunting books by men who had successfully hunted them. Jim Corbett and Peter Capstick are two of my favorite writers. My collection today numbers around 75 books. Two of these books is a two volume set written by Teddy Roosevelt titled African Game Trails. The books are about a safari he took in 1909. So I thought if Game Trails was good enough for the 26th President of the United States it was good enough for me.

Now where does Massanutten come from you're asking. Massanutten is the name of the mountain range that runs through the Shenandoah Valley where I call home. The word massanutten comes from the Cherokee Indian word meaning bread basket. The Valley was and is a very bountiful area full of game and other food. During the Civil War it was called the bread basket of the Confederacy.

So there you have it. I borrowed a little from Teddy. Threw in the mountain range I live at the base of and there you have it....Massanutten Game Trails.