{{Short description|Mount Washington tradition}} '''Mooning the Cog''' is a tradition in which hikers bare their buttocks to the trains of the Cog Railway on Mount Washington, the highest peak in New Hampshire.
==Description== thumb|right|250px|A hiker on the West Side Trail watches the Mount Washington Cog Railway pass by, October 2016.
Mooning of the Mount Washington Cog Railway trains is most commonly done by thru-hikers, as they pass by on the Appalachian Trail.<ref name=nyt>{{cite news| title = Riding the Rail to the Top, and Not Amused| work = New York Times| date = 2007-11-23| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/23/us/23cog.html| accessdate = 2008-04-28 | first=Katie | last=Zezima}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| title = Officials Charge Hikers Who Moon Cog Railway| work = WLBZ2| date = 2007-11-15| url = http://archive.wlbz2.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=74791| accessdate = 2015-09-13|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127005923/http://archive.wlbz2.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=74791 |archivedate=27 January 2016}}</ref>
It is a tradition, believed to date to at least 1987,<!--source says 20 to 30 years old, as of 2007--> in which, as the train passes the trail, some 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.<ref>{{cite news| title = Mooning the Cog| work = The Wired Kayaker| date = 2007-11-15| url = http://www.wiredkayaker.com/2007/11/mooning-cog.html| accessdate = 2008-04-28 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080324031813/http://www.wiredkayaker.com/2007/11/mooning-cog.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2008-03-24}}</ref> According to others, it is a reference to the train's original name, "The Railway to the Moon".<ref name=nyt />
The practice, though longstanding, is considered offensive by some of the Cog Railway's passengers. An off-duty New Hampshire State Trooper 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, as the act took place in a National Forest.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20071115/NEWS/711150399 |website=Seacoastoline.com |date=November 15, 2007 |title=Mooning the Cog}}</ref>
==Sources== {{reflist}}
Category:Appalachian Trail Category:Mount Washington (New Hampshire) Category:Civil disobedience in the United States Category:Gestures Category:Nudity in the United States Category:Protest tactics Category:Buttocks