[caturopath]

> At minimum it's a desire to stay pseudonymous

At minimum, he was using a nickname.

You might think it's likely that he was keeping private his non-trail identity, but that is not the minimum explanation.

(FWIW, knowing about through-hiker culture, I don't think it's even the likely explanation, but that's just my opinion.)

[kls]

I find it somewhat poetic that he was heading for the Keys. As this is exactly the person you meet down here, many people are known only by their given nickname and many times like this gentleman seems to be, have been successful and just want to get away from the world. You can sit in a bar next to a fishing bum and a billionaire and not know who is who. He is exactly the type of person the Key's attracts and it is ashame he did not reach his goal. Point being I understand the utilization of a given nickname, it is almost a second birth name of a new life, a new life that they themselves are seeking. Thus the name can sometimes become more important than their birth name.