You’d be hard-pressed to find a hiker who isn’t familiar with GORP, even if they don’t know it by that name. GORP is simply trail mix, a staple outdoor snack known as much for its high-protein, high-fat nature as it is for its sweet-and-salty goodness. But where did it, and the name GORP, come from? Turns out, that’s a tricky question to answer.
Today, we treat GORP like an acronym, spelling it with capital letters. There are two primary camps: one arguing for “good ol’ raisins and peanuts” and the other “granola, oats, raisins, peanuts.” But a 1913 reference in the Oxford English Dictionary defines the word “gorp” as a verb meaning “to eat greedily,” which sounds pretty appropriate. If gorp begat GORP then, that means “good ol’ raisins and peanuts” is actually a backronym—an invention of well-meaning GORP lovers trying to give meaning to the already existing word. (REI Co-op Uncommon Path)