Mooning the Cog is a tradition in which hikers bare their buttocks to the Cog Railway on

Mount Washington Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at and the most topographically prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River. The mountain is notorious for its erratic weather. On the afternoon of April 12, 1934, ...

, the highest peak in New Hampshire. It is most commonly done by

thru-hiker Thru-hiking, or through-hiking, is the act of hiking an established end-to-end trail or long-distance trail with continuous footsteps. In the United States, the term is most commonly associated with the Appalachian Trail (AT), the Pacific Crest ...

s, as they pass by on the Appalachian Trail. It is a twenty- to thirty-year-old tradition, in which, as the train passes the trail, many hikers choose to drop their drawers and moon the passengers. There are several theories as to the reasons for this tradition. One holds that it is an act of protest against the smoke, steam, and noise pollution generated by the railroad, which is known as the "Smog Railway" to some hikers. According to others, it is a reference to the train's original name, "The Railway to the Moon".

Arrests

The practice, though longstanding, is considered offensive by some of the Cog Railway's passengers. An off-duty

New Hampshire State Trooper The New Hampshire State Police is a state police agency within the Department of Safety of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Police employees of the State Police are ex officio constables and have the primary role of patrolling the state highway ...

and a Forest Ranger began riding the train and arresting hikers who mooned it. During the autumn of 2007, eight hikers were arrested and were to be charged in a federal court, due to the act having taken place in a

National Forest A state forest or national forest is a forest that is administered or protected by some agency of a sovereign or federated state, or territory. Background The precise application of the terms vary by jurisdiction. For example: * In Australia ...

. Seacoastoline, 15 Nov. 2007: "Mooning the Cog"
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Sources

{{reflist Appalachian Trail Mount Washington (New Hampshire) Civil disobedience Gestures Nudity in the United States Protest tactics Buttocks