ATF and the Appalachian Trail... I want the truth.

[beeman]

I hiked for 340 miles from MD/PA border to central VA last summer in June. In 28 days I saw one group of 4 weekend campers with a bottle of bourbon to drink overnight at one shelter. I saw a group of 4 kids smoking pot on the trail near another shelter. Two long distance hikers had two bottles of flavored wine in a spring cooling to celebrate the halfway point with two other hikers. That was it.

[DeeHiker]

I would be more concerned for my daughter at school and in her normal environment that on the AT. Alcohol and crack cocaine/cocaine is in high schools across America. We have it here in a small town.

[BlackCloud]

I see this differently then the way you've posed it. Every person in America will be offered drugs and booze at some point in their lives. I think it would be a parent's dream to actually be there when it happens. This is your opportunity to actually prepare for, control, and evaluate this unavoidable life situation.

That being said, the AT community seems very low key when it comes to imbibing in illicit substances. Alcohol is all over, but in limited quantities given the realities of transportation. Pot is the only drug i've ever seen out there.

Tell people you work for a law enforcement agency and see how fast it dissapears. And I've never seen someone continue potentially annoying or offensive behavior once asked to stop....

[Midway Sam]

I see this differently then the way you've posed it. Every person in America will be offered drugs and booze at some point in their lives. I think it would be a parent's dream to actually be there when it happens. This is your opportunity to actually prepare for, control, and evaluate this unavoidable life situation.

Excellent advice.

[gsingjane]

Being off-season hikers, we see comparatively little drug or alcohol use, but the last time we were out, a couple did indulge in some smoking after they thought the kids were asleep (they weren't). As my husband pointed out, though, that was preferable to what ELSE they could have been doing when they thought the kids were asleep...

I'm pretty protective of my kids (the ones I hike with now are ages 15, 12 and 8), but honestly I don't mind it when people are discreet with their substance use. I'd be freaked out if somebody was stumbling around obviously stoned or drunk, and we'd probably move on in that instance, but as the others have said, most hikers are much more private and considerate than that.

Unless you have a special reason to want to avoid all possible mention or sight of alcohol or drugs (e.g. someone in the family is in recovery or you think your daughter may be at risk), I wouldn't worry about this on the AT at all.

Jane in CT

[Route Step]

I have to agree with the above. MJ will be more discreet all along the trail and beer will be around the camp fire, generally on the North side of trail towns.

[Icehiker12]

Defiantelly.. very true,, daughter should be fine

[sir White Wolf]

Cut yer hair short and put on that ATF ball cap *Ta da* NP!

With the way I look I was asked a few times, but once I stated I didnt use I was left alone.
Folks are folks on and off the trail.

[Passionphish]

I appreciate everyone's responses. I hope that my daughter and I do get to do this together. I'm sorry that alcohol is so prevelant. I agree with a lot of people that pot is better than alcohol but my daughter deserves a childhood without either to make her own decisions about both. Please keep leaving your opinions. I do want as honest a view of the trail as possible.

[jettjames]

i just finished my thru attempt and i can say that pot was pretty much everywhere. if there was a group at the shelter, there was, most of the time, pot. but almost everytime, the smokers would ask if it would bother anyone. There were minors there sometimes and i never saw anyone smoke in front of them or around them. while it is prevelant, all the smokers i knew or hiked with were overly sensitive to others so as not to offend anyone. I've seen people say ' i'd rather you wouldn't smoke here' and then no one smoked or walked to the privy to smoke. I personally get more offended with tobacco smoke than pot smoke. At least 2d hand pot smoke would help the pain in my knees I saw booze and carried some burbon from time to time, but i never saw anyone getting loaded on the trail. now town is another story. and again, never around minors. most everyone I met was super respectful.

pt

[minnesotasmith]

Among thruhikers, by mid-Virginia, >90% of the pot and the majority of the booze use on the Trail is done with. I figure that thruhikers who have the poor budgeting skills (or just make completing their thruhike a lower priority) to choose to use their New England food money up on recreational chemicals are off the Trail by Pearisburg as a rule.

[7Sisters]

In my section hiking of the trail, I saw a lot of it when I did week plus trips in thru hiker season. That is not saying it was all thru hikers though. Part of the challenge of avoiding pot will be who you hang out with on a regular basis and if you hike by yourself during the day. I found it easier to avoid pot when I spent more time hiking by myself during the day. On rare occasion I would some across an overview with someone smoking pot and never someone drinking alcohol.

A lot of the in camp experiences of pot smoking occur once someone either gets to know you or when you go to sleep. Being completely honest, I have asked people to not smoke pot near me because I am sectioning and don't want the smell on my gear. They have always respected that.

If you don't like pot smoking, you will probably need to at some point speak up. If you plan on spending time in towns, you will definitely not be able to avoid alcohol (especially places like Hot Springs, Damascus, the Doyle - the list goes on).

Hope this helps.

[Mongoose2]

Passionphish

I understand your concern. I started section hiking three years ago with my son, and have also done a few miles with my eight year old daughter. I have never found pot or drink to be a problem. Now, I have occasionally smelled pot being discreetly used around shelters, and we occasionally have seen someone break out a bottle of booze. However, I have never seen open or flagrant pot use or even worse a bunch of drunk hikers around a shelter. Of course, in town is a bit differant. In my experiance most hikers are discreet and respectful, especially where kids are concerned. Actually I've been quite impressed!

Mongoose
A.T. 20-year plan