Whenever a new person joins the Festivities, they generally ask the same questions. Or, if they don’t, we take it upon ourselves to ask on their behalf.
Here we attempt to document the lore and history of Humpday.
How long have you been doing this?
The Wednesday night hikes started around 1991, merging S’s “humpday” with D’s “BNO.”What does “BNO” mean?
“Big Night Out,” ancient parlance from D’s university days (or before).Why do you do this?
Our goal was to do a 1000-foot ascent every Wednesday, to stay in shape for our 3000-foot weekend adventures. Nowadays we do a few hundred feet, to stay in shape for getting out of bed in the morning.What are “Phases?”
The Festivities have three Phases:
- Phase 1 Hike
- Phase 2 Eat
- Phase 3 Coffee.
For more information, see The Procedure.What about “Phase Zero?”
Back in the olden days, we used Fortran. Fortran arrays start with 1, and therefore, so do our phases.Do you hike during the winter?
We celebrate Phase 1 mainly during daylight savings time. The rest of the year, we do have a Phase 1, but its duration is set to zero; this is for consistency, ensuring that Phase 2 stays Phase 2, rather than being renamed Phase 1 for half the year.What is the 15-minute rule?
During Phase 2, we wait at most 15 minutes for a table.Who are S and D and all those other initials?
We use initials to sound like world-weary Russian novelists.
See also The Participants.
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FAQ • Participants • Procedure • Personalities • Invocation