hike the Appalachian Trail

verb

To engage in an extramarital affair.

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Meanings

verbhike the Appalachian Trail (third-person singular simple present hikes the Appalachian Trail, present participle hiking the Appalachian Trail, simple past and past participle hiked the Appalachian Trail)

present singular third person hikes the Appalachian Trail · participle present hiking the Appalachian Trail · participle past hiked the Appalachian Trail · past hiked the Appalachian Trail

  1. UScolloquialidiomaticTo engage in an extramarital affair.

Origin

Referring to the excuse given by the spokesperson of the former Governor of South Carolina Mark Sanford during his disappearance from June 18 to June 24, 2009. Upon returning from his absence, Governor Sanford gave a press conference and confessed to having travelled to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to visit a woman with whom he had been having an extramarital affair.

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Cite this entry
APA

hike the Appalachian Trail. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hike%20the%20Appalachian%20Trail

MLA

“hike the Appalachian Trail.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hike%20the%20Appalachian%20Trail. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hike the Appalachian Trail,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hike%20the%20Appalachian%20Trail.

Source: hike the Appalachian Trail on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.