View Full Version : Thru Hiking Sober?
TylerJ76
11-30-2016, 08:50
I am just curious if anyone else was/in my boat.
January 1st of 2017 will be my 2 year sober anniversary.
I am not planning on my Thru until 2020.
That being said, everything I have read, seen on YouTube depicts this drug and alcohol scene that just isn't a part of who I am anymore.
I have a pretty good control on my sobriety, I am just curious if anyone else has been in my shoes?
Are my concerns legit? Or am I worrying about nothing?
It's part of the scene, sometimes in an obvious way and sometimes not so obvious. You'll need to exercise the same self-control that you use to get by in the real world.
Pot use is legal in at least one AT state at this point. Yay.
I still love a beer or two, but the party scene is the last thing I want, too. It's there, but pretty easy to avoid.
MuddyWaters
11-30-2016, 09:19
You get to choose who you hang out with.
Its that simple.
Starchild
11-30-2016, 09:21
People have done it, and I have met some on my thru, it does have a party element, and it does happen, but that's not an accurate portrayal of what one's AT hike has to be, there are plenty of others who are far less into that aspect. Private rooms and dry hostels may help.
It's part of the scene, sometimes in an obvious way and sometimes not so obvious. You'll need to exercise the same self-control that you use to get by in the real world.
Pot use is legal in at least one AT state at this point. Yay.I believe now 2, MA just voted it in.
Greenlight
11-30-2016, 09:32
Am I correct to assume that the number of partiers decreases significantly after the Smokies?
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SWODaddy
11-30-2016, 09:36
I am just curious if anyone else was/in my boat.
January 1st of 2017 will be my 2 year sober anniversary.
I am not planning on my Thru until 2020.
That being said, everything I have read, seen on YouTube depicts this drug and alcohol scene that just isn't a part of who I am anymore.
I have a pretty good control on my sobriety, I am just curious if anyone else has been in my shoes?
Are my concerns legit? Or am I worrying about nothing?
Let me guess, these videos talked about lots of "safety meetings." When I first started researching a thru hike I stumbled across the same videos and was pretty horrified. Thankfully, that element isn't really present unless you seek it out. Also, stay away from shelters (particularly the ones near roads).
Am I correct to assume that the number of partiers decreases significantly after the Smokies?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yes, along with the number of hikers.
Another Kevin
11-30-2016, 09:57
Don't hike with Terry Coyle. His videos, to the extent they reflect reality at all, reflect only a small slice of it.
You pretty quickly get a feel for who's there to hike and who's there to party. It's pretty easy to avoid the second group, particularly if you avoid the crowded shelters near the highway. That's no easier, and no harder, than not walking into the gin mill that you pass on your way home from work.
The only joints I roll on a trail are my ankles.
It is a huge concern and if I am reading the post correctly several years away. We live day by day. It is a day by day choice not a contest. More and more of us know that life on life s terms is a rewarding method of life. Plus I am someone who respects the unique private conversation with a sponsor. IMHO this is a decision you two make together. Good luck, planning and projection are very different concepts.
Consider a Flip Flop hike starting northbound in or around Harpers Ferry in mid April. You will find it to be much less of a party.
orthofingers
11-30-2016, 10:52
"The only joints I roll on a trail are my ankles."
Ha! Good one.
People figure out pretty quickly you cannot get wasted every night and walk 10-20 mi/day That said, with now 31+ yrs of sobriety, it is your spiritual program that provides the margin of safety in sobriety. People drink, some get drunk, you will pass them easily going up the next mountain.
cneill13
11-30-2016, 12:37
I have hiked from Springer to the NOC during two years beginning the first week of April, the heart of the northbound thru-hiker season.
The difference between the Georgia crowd and the North Carolina crowd is extreme even though the Georgia trail is only about 75 miles.
Most of the hard core partiers (ie- the nightly drinkers and smokers) drop out by the time they reach N.C. Heck, I saw nearly 1/4 of my crowd drop out at Neal's Gap, mile 32.
But we sure did have some fun on those early nights.
When you get into N.C., people tend to get serious about hiking. In bed at dusk, up at daylight.
I had no fun in the North Carolina section. That is why I have been sticking to Georgia.
In case you haven't figured it out, I am exactly the type of person you want to avoid.
Carl
Slo-go'en
11-30-2016, 12:47
I keep looking for this legendary "party crowd" and have yet to find them. I always seem to find myself with a bunch of old farts, but then I guess I'm one of them now.
Once dry from Georgia to Virginia, these days you can get beer in all the towns down south along the trail, but only beer. Don't hang with the 20 somethings and leave the restaurant after dinner and you'll be fine.
Turk6177
11-30-2016, 12:48
One step at a time, one day at a time.
...The only joints I roll on a trail are my ankles.
I think I'll borrow this one on occasion.
Hikingjim
11-30-2016, 12:59
Legit concerns, but proper planning and a bit of avoidance and I'm sure you'll be good
Others have mentioned alternate starting points as being helpful. flip/flop, sobo etc. These type of routes have other benefits as well
I met one guy last year who started hiking NOBO in hot springs, NC in early March. His plan was to take his time getting to Maine, and then go back to Georgia and pick up that last southern stretch in September. A bit of logistics involved in that, but as of mid-may he said it was outstandingly quiet on the trail for the first couple months, which was the goal.
Tipi Walter
11-30-2016, 12:59
You get to choose who you hang out with.
Its that simple.
This is only true on the AT if you never camp near the rat-box shelters and spend minimal time at the shelters.
But we sure did have some fun on those early nights.
I had no fun in the North Carolina section. That is why I have been sticking to Georgia.
In case you haven't figured it out, I am exactly the type of person you want to avoid.
Carl
You definition of Fun is different than my definition of fun. Of course I dumped demon booze and pot way back in February 1973 and see the use thereof as a temporary inertial-station on the ladder of life. No movement forwards, probably going backwards etc etc.
So when I'm backpacking the AT and come across dope smokers or drunks (esp at shelters) I reflect on my personal life-and-death struggle with drugs (alcohol is a drug) and know eventually these boys will have to quit when they hit bottom. Just not there yet.
I have an especial low regard for so-called "nature lovers" who worship in the church of the outdoors and yet bring booze (or pot) on backpacking trips and into camps and then suckle for hours on the Demon Teat. I question their intent. It's all about intent.
dudeijuststarted
11-30-2016, 14:02
i thru hiked sober. started NOBO and it took about 200 miles to realize the nobo scene was not for me. i turned it into a flip flop and enjoyed every minute of it from there on out.
sadlowskiadam
11-30-2016, 14:05
I recommend starting later in April to avoid the hiker bubble. Most young, partying hikers will be gone by this period. Once the bubble has passed, you can be more selective as to who you hike with and what you are exposed to. If you start in March or early April, it will be much more difficult to avoid the hiker bubble and the party scene. Just my opinion.
rocketsocks
11-30-2016, 14:17
Only you know where you're at in your sobriety...I I'm told parting abounds in the bubble...it wouldn't be my choice of style. Good luck, wish you well.
Some of us want to see the world unfiltered by the haze of drugs and alcohal. You will be one of many on the trail who have chosen the path. But I like others will avoid the bubble to not be annoyed by the haze of weed that follows them. Plus I like the trail less crowded.
Puddlefish
11-30-2016, 14:27
I started mid April. There were two notable party groups. One loud and obnoxious, and the other friendly and considerate. By Virgina, they were both off the trail. I mostly avoided the loud group, but chatted with the considerate group during the day and met some friendly people among them.
On the trail. About one in twenty hikers offered to share weed with me, they pretty much seemed happy when I declined. Expensive and all. Zero pressure in declining, could be just as social with them without partaking. Zero peer pressure. I was offered two beers total in the entire 600 miles I completed. Beer is heavy, you want to drink it, you have to carry it yourself, or otherwise arrange for someone in your group to carry it. Few were generous with their beer.
Off the trail. Mostly the same as real life. Some hostels are known for parties, some are known to be quiet. Probably not worth worrying which are which at this point. Things may change at specific hostels in the next few years, or they may not.
AfterParty
11-30-2016, 14:38
I take a few puffs but don't plan on doing it around anyone or advertising that I do. I used cannibus as a medication legal or not it allows me to live my life with PTSD. I have been on many many medications over the last 8 years with poor results and multiple side effects. But like you I want to not be in a huge party group I probably won't attempt to go to trail days, if it happens I might check it out and move on. I have a goal to complete the AT and do some fishing. I have no idea which way I'm going yet or if I will flip flop but these options are seeming better at times. But I agree its all in the people you are around and where you camp at.
Might want to define your thru-hike as having vast opportunity to find healthier more empowering overall ways to change your state - how you feel - without ingesting drugs. Hiking, thru-hiking, even with the ups and downs, is a great vehicle for living life more fully. That could be how you define your thru-hike ... as an exploration to find as many ways as you can to joyously appreciate and live life more fully rather than zoning out.
Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean. John Muir
Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. John Muir
Yes, I've been in the same boat.
Might want to define your thru-hike as having vast opportunity to find ways to change your state - how you feel - without ingesting drugs.
To the Original Poster: There's a misconception that the AT is characterized by a bunch of pot heads, drug users, and drinkers hiking. R I D I C U L O U S. I N C O R R E C T. We can plug into, define, and construct whatever thru-hiking environment we want. Regardless of the external circumstances it is the internal that ultimately determines our reality.
Whether one hikes in the bubble or doesn't, whether one starts late or not, whether one flip flops or not it it doesn't ultimately determine exposure to drugs or not. If one wants to find drugs they will. If one wants to avoid that they will.
I don't recall it being much of a problem to avoid that crap.
It's already been mentioned but, it sounds like you came across some of the "Hiker Trash" videos on You Tube. I too have enjoyed watching other people's thru hikes on you tube for years and was very excited until I came across these videos. That type of crowd is exactly what I want to avoid. As soon as I started ignoring these videos and concentrated on watching videos from people who I better relate to, I was happy again and not discouraged by what I may be encountering during my future thru hike. Good luck to you.
It is a big part of the culture from my experience on the trail, especially during thru-hiking season. I don't partake. If you wish to avoid "those" people, I would strongly suggest getting used to avoiding all shelters and popular campsites.
Get used to find places to stealth camp.
Avoid places people congregate (shelters, hostels, etc).
Personally, there is nothing more annoying then the moving party atmosphere that I sometimes see on AT. I don't drink or smoke. The trail is plenty fun without those two things in my life.
I don't recall it being much of a problem to avoid that crap.
As as section hiker and LASHer I agree. A bit harder during the typical springtime rush out of Springer.
First of all, early congrats on your 2 years anniversary...anything you can overcome for 2 years, you can continue to overcome as long as you stay dedicated to doing so. Avoiding the party crowd is doable, with a little effort. But, in the end, staying sober is a choice you make regardless of your surroundings. Stay strong and enjoy the trail.
What's a LASHer?
jus guessing...long arse section hiker?
Another Kevin
11-30-2016, 17:35
What's a LASHer?
jus guessing...long arse section hiker?
Some say 'lazy' rather than 'long', but that's the gist.
MuddyWaters
11-30-2016, 21:42
This is only true on the AT if you never camp near the rat-box shelters and spend minimal time at the shelters.
You can stay at shelters (tenting) and never even talk to another soul if thats what you like. Aint hard at all.
MtDoraDave
11-30-2016, 22:16
No Thru Hiker experiences, except those I've hiked / camped with for several days at a time in my section hikes - but on the trail, sometimes someone breaks out a pint bottle and shares it. Clearly, they aren't partying. I mean, only a pint for multiple people to share? Ha! Sometimes Trail Angels will bring some moonshine.
When it came my way, I simply said "no thanks". They didn't try to convince me that I needed to, they didn't ask me why, they just offered it to the next person. Same thing with pot - though most people I've seen smoking it have been less open about sharing - but nobody cares when I say no thanks.
I've also met people who didn't drink. I imagine it wouldn't be too difficult to put in a long day now and then, or a short day now and then, and find some people in a group or bubble who you enjoy hiking / camping with - or to get away from some you don't.
I haven't had a drink in over 6 years. I have some friends who drink without the negative consequences some of us know... it doesn't bother me that they do or can. I know I can't. I don't miss it or envy them. I have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body.
As someone else said, stop worrying about something 3 or 4 years away.
You can stay at shelters (tenting) and never even talk to another soul if thats what you like. Aint hard at all.
Or hike off season and have the shelters to yourself. Gets lonely.
evyck da fleet
11-30-2016, 23:31
Overblown. Don't camp at sites or shelters within a mile of a road and you'll be good. Maybe in the first week or two you'll find a group but you're probably only hiking half a day at that point so who cares if you sleep from midnight until 8. If you look for something, good or bad, you'll find it.
the drunks and party crowd will often go into town, and find it very difficult to leave town and get back on the trail. Spending days at hostels, or just camping on the edge of towns, and partying wherever there is a party in town, or in the woods near town. Their version of a thru hike is an extended drunken hobo journey.
I've met groups of NoBo hikers in Virginia as late as August, that said they started in March or April from GA. Often telling tales of spending a week or more in trail towns like Damascus or wherever there's a gas station or store near a road xing, that sells booze or beer.
when the realization hits them the calendar is slipping away, the yellow blazing becomes a larger part of the hobo journey....soon the yellow blazing miles outpace the hiking miles. Catching up to the next party town, or source for pot or money.
it's a big trail, over 2000 miles, and easy to avoid that scene
What you will find by 2020 is a very likely quickly changed landscape where recreational cannabis is more widely available in states the AT passes. I'm sure with Mass and ME now legalizing recreational cannabis dispensaries will locate near the AT to serve the AT user market as part of their market and that's only the two states in the east that I know of that has legalized recreational use. With these two states legalizing rec use legal stigmatization concerning cannabis use is sure to lessen. It's very likely within the next three yrs additional east coast states will legalize rec use.
On the more generally liberal west coast, on the PCT that passes through three states that all have legalized rec use you will not find many thru-hikers that drink heavily but there sure is significant current weed use. The weed culture sentiments are much much more relaxed on the west coast and on the west coast trails than the east coast and it's trails.
What I've seen on the AT in the last dozen or so yrs alcohol use is largely confined to in town visits and near THs at busier road crossings and maybe some of the larger established camping areas. And weed users, because rec use is still largely illegal, tend to have much greater reluctance to publicly use around others hiking. That may change as legalization continues in the east.
Although some don't think of drug use this way I recognize the largest drug or drug category used on the AT is not weed, alcohol, caffeine, or tobacco but pain relievers and anti-inflammatories such as Motrin(Ibuprofen), other NSAIDS, and prescription drugs overall, including massive amounts of pain prescription meds. Notice how drugs are conveniently called meds when they come from the pharmaceutical industry? :-?
SO MANY will point fingers at others doing drugs when the drugs being used are more socially unacceptable while ignoring their own less stigmaticed drug use.
Hopefully, this info can help those hike soberly.
Continuing, I attended a 7 p.m. closed "meeting" held at an auditorium with over 1200 in attendance to hear this well know highly touted "Anonymous" speaker/believer during the throughs of my alcohol related yrs when smoking cigarettes in public was the norm. In the beginning of the meeting it was announced non smokers could see and hear the speaker from behind a separated large glass panel in a separated room actually nearer to the podium. Less than 20 people got up. I sat in the main room with, I kid you not, 18 out of every 20 smoking cigarettes many chain smokers. Seriously, I couldn't see across the room through the smoke. Additionally, 12 large urns of coffee each holding 200 cups each of coffee were offered. One urn was Decaf. The urn with the Decaf was never emptied. At the end of the meeting having a conversation with the host in charge of coffee she told me the 11 "full flavored" urns were emptied and refilled 3 times. Remind you, the meeting lasted almost 2 hrs. It was after 9 p.m when we were dismissed.
I said to several people, including my always with an answer sponsor, and the nearby highly touted speaker "doesn't anyone see anything wrong with this picture?" NO ANSWER.
rocketsocks
12-01-2016, 12:27
Continuing, I attended a 7 p.m. closed "meeting" held at an auditorium with over 1200 in attendance to hear this well know highly touted "Anonymous" speaker/believer during the throughs of my alcohol related yrs when smoking cigarettes in public was the norm. In the beginning of the meeting it was announced non smokers could see and hear the speaker from behind a separated large glass panel in a separated room actually nearer to the podium. Less than 20 people got up. I sat in the main room with, I kid you not, 18 out of every 20 smoking cigarettes many chain smokers. Seriously, I couldn't see across the room through the smoke. Additionally, 12 large urns of coffee each holding 200 cups each of coffee were offered. One urn was Decaf. The urn with the Decaf was never emptied. At the end of the meeting having a conversation with the host in charge of coffee she told me the 11 "full flavored" urns were emptied and refilled 3 times. Remind you, the meeting lasted almost 2 hrs. It was after 9 p.m when we were dismissed.
I said to several people, including my always with an answer sponsor, and the nearby highly touted speaker "doesn't anyone see anything wrong with this picture?" NO ANSWER.if your referring to cigarettes and coffee as a drug delivery system, then yup, but humans need a vice, and other than the decision to use em in the first place...I never robbed a bank, started a fight, or dropped my pants in the middle of a busy intersection at rush hour from cigarettes or coffee, except that one time, but it was Irish coffee. :D
MuddyWaters
12-01-2016, 12:37
Or hike off season and have the shelters to yourself. Gets lonely.
One persons lonelyness, is anothers bliss. :sun
I honestly dont understand why so many are reluctant to hike by self and need to have others around. With them. 24-7.
Another Kevin
12-01-2016, 14:18
I said to several people, including my always with an answer sponsor, and the nearby highly touted speaker "doesn't anyone see anything wrong with this picture?" NO ANSWER.
Surely, coffee and tobacco are addictive. Coffee mildly so, the withdrawal lasts a few days. Tobacco is one of the most addictive substances on the planet.
Tobacco surely endangers the health of its users. The jury is out on coffee. It surely has dangerous effects in certain vulnerable populations. On the other hand, current statistical evidence is too weak to make a significant broad-population correlation with all-causes mortality or morbidity. If it's risky, the magnitude of the risk is small.
Whatever they do to the users, neither can hold a candle to alcohol in terms of the harm they do to others. Neither substance significantly impairs judgment or driving ability, so neither is responsible for cars mowing down bystanders. Neither substance lowers inhibitions to the extent that a user will go on a rampage. If the anonymous speaker chose to target the greater harm while ignoring the lesser, I shan't complain too much about hypocrisy.
Then again, I tend to have a 'live and let live' attitude. What the crowd in the room was putting in their bodies is no concern of mine - except to the extent that they are polluting the air around them. You already said that a non-smoking area was available - and not 'ghettoized' the way some venues do it, so my breathing secondhand smoke wouldn't be a worry. Alcohol is something of a special case, since there is ample statistical evidence that alcoholism is a public health hazard to nondrinkers.
In practice, even some years ago, when I'd be hiking with a young daughter, I was never into a nasty 'put that away - can't you see I have a little kid with me?' when we'd come upon the occasional safety meeting. I'd more be inclined to say, "the incense from your tea ceremony seems to be disturbing my daughter."
Badger Ski
12-01-2016, 14:30
Start early. Beat the party to the trail. You'll need to gear up appropriately since the weather extremes are quite different in January/February than April/May. To that point, March is the snowiest month in the GSMNP.
Sarcasm the elf
12-01-2016, 14:59
You can stay at shelters (tenting) and never even talk to another soul if thats what you like. Aint hard at all.
Agreed. If you have even a modest tolerance for being around others there will be little issue. I'm around "party" hikers often enough and I barely notice since they tend to be low key.
Up on Southern New England where I do most of my backpacking, we are required to stay in established campsite or shelter areas. I routinely share sites with others. The only time I recall having a even a slight problem was at a campsite that was directly next to a road and effectively had vehicle access. There were a bunch of Jersey Shore rejects partying there who had hauled in all the comforts they wanted. Even then I walked about 300 yards past them, setup out of the way and had a good night.
"Tobacco surely endangers the health of its users.... On the other hand, current statistical evidence is too weak to make a significant broad-population correlation with all-causes mortality or morbidity. If it's risky, the magnitude of the risk is small."
If you're applying the last two statements to tobacco use you are incorrect. You may not be aware second hand cigarette smoke kills 42,000 people in the U.S. annually according to the CDC. How many deaths need to occur resulting from tobacco use direct for the user and to the bystander do you deem needed before the death toll becomes significant?
"Whatever they do to the users, neither can hold a candle to alcohol in terms of the harm they do to others. Neither substance significantly impairs judgment or driving ability, so neither is responsible for cars mowing down bystanders. Neither substance lowers inhibitions to the extent that a user will go on a rampage. If the anonymous speaker chose to target the greater harm while ignoring the lesser, I shan't complain too much about hypocrisy."
Impacts posed by alcohol, coffee, and tobacco users regarding driving is a narrowed analysis of the broader impact that each user category levies on society.
At what point does the mortality rate to bystanders dying from second hand cigarette smoke need to be to get you to understand how irresponsible and imposing it is to non smokers by those who smoke cigarettes? The federal Gov't thankfully has deemed differently then your "live and let live" definition as evident in legislating public smoking.
Then again, I tend to have a 'live and let live' attitude. What the crowd in the room was putting in their bodies is no concern of mine - except to the extent that they are polluting the air around them. You already said that a non-smoking area was available - and not 'ghettoized' the way some venues do it, so my breathing secondhand smoke wouldn't be a worry. Alcohol is something of a special case, since there is ample statistical evidence that alcoholism is a public health hazard to nondrinkers.
Maybe, you're willingness to breathe second hand smoke is acceptable for you but not to everyone. The federal gov't even recognizes this by enacting public smoking laws, THANKFULLY. The hazards to non smokers from tobacco DRUG users is recognized as a potential public health hazard as evidenced by the federal gov't enacting public smoking laws. Again, at what point will there be sufficient ample statistical evidence for you that second hand smoke poses a public health hazard to non smokers? Under what circumstances do you personally think need to exist before recognizing the far reaching negative impacts of tobacco drug use to not only the user but to society?
If the public should rightly be protected from dying or being injured from the actions of an alcohol intoxicated driver behind the wheel, as it seems you're justifiably implying, than the public should likewise be protected from death or injury from second hand smoke. It is pro tobacco biased and hypocritical to assume otherwise.
As said earlier, "SO MANY will point fingers at others doing drugs when the drugs being used are more socially unacceptable, (deemed more dangerous), while ignoring their own (or other) less stigmatized drug use.
Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States, including nearly 42,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure. This is about one in five deaths annually, or 1,300 deaths every day. On average, smokers die 10 years earlier than nonsmokers.Dec 11, 2015
CDC - Fact Sheet - Fast Facts - Smoking & Tobacco Use (http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/)
www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/
Greenlight
12-01-2016, 19:15
What you will find by 2020 is a very likely quickly changed landscape where recreational cannabis is more widely available in states the AT passes. I'm sure with Mass and ME now legalizing recreational cannabis dispensaries will locate near the AT to serve the AT user market as part of their market and that's only the two states in the east that I know of that has legalized recreational use. With these two states legalizing rec use legal stigmatization concerning cannabis use is sure to lessen. It's very likely within the next three yrs additional east coast states will legalize rec use.
On the more generally liberal west coast, on the PCT that passes through three states that all have legalized rec use you will not find many thru-hikers that drink heavily but there sure is significant current weed use. The weed culture sentiments are much much more relaxed on the west coast and on the west coast trails than the east coast and it's trails.
What I've seen on the AT in the last dozen or so yrs alcohol use is largely confined to in town visits and near THs at busier road crossings and maybe some of the larger established camping areas. And weed users, because rec use is still largely illegal, tend to have much greater reluctance to publicly use around others hiking. That may change as legalization continues in the east.
Although some don't think of drug use this way I recognize the largest drug or drug category used on the AT is not weed, alcohol, caffeine, or tobacco but pain relievers and anti-inflammatories such as Motrin(Ibuprofen), other NSAIDS, and prescription drugs overall, including massive amounts of pain prescription meds. Notice how drugs are conveniently called meds when they come from the pharmaceutical industry? :-?
SO MANY will point fingers at others doing drugs when the drugs being used are more socially unacceptable while ignoring their own less stigmaticed drug use.
Hopefully, this info can help those hike soberly.
I've worked with recreational pot smokers who keep their use to off business hours and they've been some of the nicest people I've met. There's a generalization for you. You can't OD on pot. You can on alcohol or even Vitamin I. I've never had so much as a roke from a joint or a bong hit, though I did get a contact high at the Page and Plant "Walking in to Clarksdale" tour back in the early 90s. Would I seek it out on the trail? Nope. Would I take a hit if someone offered? Maybe. Would I actively seek out the party crowd on my thru? oh hell no. I'm about the hike.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
For what it's worth, and especially to the OP:
Best to avoid shelters and campsites near roads. On general principles. It's a matter of personal safety, as well. It's something you figure out after a few bad scenes. Shelters near a road are more likely to be used by hard-partying teenagers, etc.
On the other hand, if the shelter's a mile or more from the nearest trailhead, or 1000+ feet uphill, most kids and troublemakers won't bother. That kind of effort is the filter that makes the more distant shelter more safe as well.
Another Kevin
12-01-2016, 23:54
"Tobacco surely endangers the health of its users.... On the other hand, current statistical evidence is too weak to make a significant broad-population correlation with all-causes mortality or morbidity. If it's risky, the magnitude of the risk is small."
I meant that the magnitude of the risk of coffee is small. You said yourself that adequate provision was made for nonsmokers at the event in question, however few in number the nonsmokers were.
Gotcha Kevin. Thx for the clarification. ;)
Coffee here. Coffee dime bags. Top shelf. The primo stuff guaranteed to stimulate for 2 hrs and give you rock hard abs and the sex life you always wanted. Regain that youthful vigor. Studies have shown that coffee promotes hair growth. Regain that full head of hair you had back in HS. Used by olympic athletes world wide. The all natural supplement - coffee. :D
I recognize the largest drug or drug category used on the AT ……….. including massive amounts of pain prescription meds.
yeah, it is not just on the AT -- after decades in construction I am amazed at the recent prevalence of prescribed opioid pain relievers mostly for back issues, which become worse because natures notification of a problem (pain) is turned down
job sites are refusing access regardless of weather it is a valid prescribed med
Traveler
12-02-2016, 07:17
Bottom line is probably this, if you have issues now with sobriety issues in social settings, you probably will find it similar along the way. If you don't, then its likely a non-issue.
rocketsocks
12-02-2016, 12:02
Bottom line is probably this, if you have issues now with sobriety issues in social settings, you probably will find it similar along the way. If you don't, then its likely a non-issue.
........this^
rocketsocks
12-02-2016, 12:04
yeah, it is not just on the AT -- after decades in construction I am amazed at the recent prevalence of prescribed opioid pain relievers mostly for back issues, which become worse because natures notification of a problem (pain) is turned down
job sites are refusing access regardless of weather it is a valid prescribed medYup, gotta pass a piss test...just gotta study up for awhile before you get the job.
To paint a clearer picture how widespread and dangerous prescription opioid pain killers and OTC drugs such as NSAIDS are, that is often not given the due concern from the media, law enforcement, including the DEA in charge of fighting the so called "war on drugs", and the western medical community as a whole, consider these statistics:
1) heroin, the justifiably dangerous, highly socially stigmatized, and addictive drug that it is, accounts for about 1/2 or 55 % of overdose deaths compared to the total pharmaceutical opioid analgesics overdose deaths. Other words, pharmaceutical opioid analgesic overdose deaths outnumber heroin overdose deaths by almost a 2 to 1 ratio.
2) in 2000, according to statistics, 17,000 deaths from ALL illicit drugs COMBINED. Compare this to more than 18,000 deaths each yr contributed to pharmaceutical opioid analgesics ALONE.
3) (NSAIDS) "Each year, use of NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) accounts for an estimated 7,600 deaths and 76,000 hospitalizations in the United States." (NSAIDs include aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, ketoprofen, and tiaprofenic acid.) - See more at: http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Causes_of_Death#sthash.yS81WOUh.dpuf
4) overdose deaths from cannabis - "0"
5) (Leading Causes of Death 2000) "The leading causes of death in 2000 were tobacco (435,000 deaths; 18.1% of total US deaths), poor diet and physical inactivity (400,000 deaths; 16.6%), and alcohol consumption (85,000 deaths; 3.5%). Other actual causes of death were microbial agents (75,000), toxic agents (55,000), motor vehicle crashes (43,000), incidents involving firearms (29,000), sexual behaviors (20,000), and illicit use of drugs (17,000)."- See more at: http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Causes_of_Death#sthash.yS81WOUh.dpuf
Anyone else also notice a bias in favor of state sanctioned drug dealing? Anyone else notice some misplaced priorities regarding "wars on drugs" or living soberly?
Is it a wonder why passionate pro health fanatics without a horse in the race like myself rant on about the seriousness of prescription drug pain relievers, OTC NSAIDS, and dietary and sedentary life style choices?
So, when we say we intend on hiking soberly, intend to avoid "drugs", maybe that involves a little more honest soul searching and redefining of what that means?
http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Causes_of_Death#sthash.yS81WOUh.dpbs
^^^ Awesome rant but totally irrelevant to the OP's concerns.
Congrats on being the 1 in 1000 long distance hikers who's never yielded to the devil ibufrofen.
^^^ Awesome rant but totally irrelevant to the OP's concerns.
Congrats on being the 1 in 1000 long distance hikers who's never yielded to the devil ibufrofen.
What makes you assume that? ;) I have my trials and tribulations too. I'm not somehow levitating above everything. I have to cope with "stuff" too.
Don't you see how totally relevant it is to the goal of "staying sober" and "avoiding drug and alcohol use" that one also stays away from drugs like pain killers and anti inflammatories too which are commonly thought of as non addictive, not as dangerous, or "safe?" People can fool themselves that their avoiding drugs because the initial drug of choice is avoided while just opting for a different drug. Happens a lot. It can lead back to using the initial drug of choice too. Happens commonly as heroin addicts are put on state sponsored methadone with the goal to eventually stop methadone use. But, what can happen is long term dependence on and use of BOTH methadone and heroin. Sober is sober not sober from just some narrowed set of drugs. That's where the honest soul searching and redefining of sobriety and "avoiding drugs" comes in.
It happens also when folks say they don't do drugs yet will gladly down ethyl alcohol which is just a different drug discounting it not as a drug perhaps because alcohol drug use is generally more socially acceptance. . Common.
Ever meet someone who is staunchly anti drug use but is addicted to tobacco?
Ever have an older person, perhaps while being a little bit self righteous, opine on how drugs are destroying America yet daily habitually down prescription pain killers or OTC anti inflammatories like NSAIDS?
Know any LE that despises illicit street drug use yet are regulars down at Clancy's Bar getting shart faced?
These are all people either in my family, close friends, some deceased who I've been there when they passed, or myself.
Anyone else notice some misplaced priorities regarding "wars on drugs" or living soberly?
ive noticed this for the last 32 years.............
and that number, interesting enough, has a correspondence to an important milestone in my life...........
Ever meet someone who is staunchly anti drug use but is addicted to tobacco?
every day...............and twice on sunday.............
or, the person holding an adult mix drink also putting down the use of a safer alternative.........
Hiker8261
12-02-2016, 21:42
I have left Springer 3 times, First time was on my thru hike, May 5 departure (Sept 28 @ K) only first couple nights shelters were full. Very passive crowd for the entire trip. Second trip was cut short after March departure, partying and noise through the Smokies (required in the shelters) was one reason I left at Hot Springs. Last trip was also a May departure for a 500 mile trip. Again, nice and quiet.
If you are serious about wanting a more trip with more quiet and solo hiking, go later.
pilgrimskywheel
12-03-2016, 11:37
I've spent ten years working with incarcerated addicts in treatment centers, jails, and prisons. Rule 1: Identify, avoid, and get out of High Risk Situations. A HRS is any situation which threatens ones sobriety - a place full of "triggers", which stimulate the urges and cravings to use which are a part of the addicted mind. If you wouldn't go to Mardi Gras, or on a booze cruise, you don't want to be in the thru-hikers bubble. It is the definition of a HRS, compounded by the infectious reverie of your new-found and close knit peer group and their "magical" compulsive tendency to share and share alike. I lived, worked, and hiked the AT for 21 months straight in 2 calendar years '12'-'13' and anybody who downplays the party scene is probably selling something. That there are fewer hikers and fewer parties after the Smokies is untrue. That's where the scene BEGINS, and runs full blast to Trail Days - if things slow down a little it's there. But, not really. Think about Flip Flopping with a supportive person who is also, like you, well into sobriety - maybe your sponsor. You can find meetings along the way too using an AA book or the hotline directory. Good luck and remember: "It works if you work it - keep coming!"
The OP might be wondering what the social scene is like as a thru hiker. My quick take: it's all over the map, and whatever you make of it. It's mostly a young crowd. Some of 'em might be feeling their oats, so to speak. It's intensely crowded those first few weeks, but it thins out steadily starting at day one. Groups form, dissolve, and re-form. If you seek a quiet, non-drinking non-smoking group or partner, you can probably make it happen. It is an intensely social scene, you often see the same people night after night for days or weeks at a time. If you need to get away from it all, you can usually do so in your own tent or hammock, a few dozen or a few hundred yards away, or all by your lonesome at a site of your own.
I was part of that northbound crush many years ago, and it didn't work out for me. I walked most of the AT alone, though my motivation for doing so was not quite the same as yours. Alcohol and pot are present in the woods, that's a fact. You may see an occasional bottle, flask, pipe or doob being passed around the fire or out behind the shelter. That doesn't end in Georgia.
Try to hit a meeting in town when you can. I'd also encourage you to plant some seeds that might attract other sober people like maybe use a subtle trail name or dropping a little recovery language subtly when you can. I sometimes use the name ODAAT. I've had a couple people know what that means. Nobody in the program yet, but I had one guy say hey my brother is in AA and he says that all the time. Right on.
I'm 15 years sober. I have not thru hiked but done 600 miles of sections in last two years. I have not hike with the bubble, and wouldn't. I'm not sure I've seen ANY weed or alcohol in those 600 miles other than a day hiking couple having a glass of wine and cheese at a shelter one afternoon. They offered me a glass, which I declined, but you bet I ate some cheese.
The trigger is more likely to be loneliness. Make a sober friend out there. More often than not, the people I've met out there seem generally sober and intent on enjoying the trail with a clear head.
You can send me a PM through this forum anytime. I'll support ya!
There is no one right approach to sobriety although that is often the implied ideology and often outrightly demanded and expected imposition. Different people work out their sobriety differently. Maybe, we shouldn't suggest the way to enjoy sobriety is the way we individually have approached or know it. The OP did say he was in "good control of his sobriety." Let him work it out as he see fit being a thru-hiker on the AT.
Another Kevin
12-05-2016, 18:33
There is no one right approach to sobriety although that is often the implied ideology and often outrightly demanded and expected imposition. Different people work out their sobriety differently. Maybe, we shouldn't suggest the way to enjoy sobriety is the way we individually have approached or know it. The OP did say he was in "good control of his sobriety." Let him work it out as he see fit being a thru-hiker on the AT.
Uhm, yeah. It's neither easier, nor harder, on the trail than it is in society at large. My read is that the original poster wanted reassurance that the whole trail isn't like a Terry Coyle video. It isn't. If you want that stuff, you can find it, but it's by no means the whole trail.
ScareBear
12-05-2016, 19:35
Every alcoholic has triggers. OP needs to know what his/her triggers are and avoid them. If a trigger is being in a group of strangers who are drinking, then he/she needs to avoid groups of strangers who are drinking, etc...
Only OP knows what his/her triggers are. And if OP encounters a trigger on the trail, he/she needs to be able to cope or reach out to his/her support group.
If an alcoholic wants a drink, the alcoholic will get a drink. The AT is no impediment to that, at all.
SueJhiker
12-05-2016, 20:31
Interesting post. This is one of the reasons to thru hike the AT... to get away from the alcohol which I use to numb my mind from my hum drum 9-5 job and everyday struggles of the material world. I want to get high on nature and nothing more. I know there are a lot more remote long distance trails I can take without the party atmosphere, but because I will be trekking alone, I want to stay on a well traveled (and beautiful) trail. I am considering and planning for a thru hike in 2020 also.
I don't have any issue with partiers, as long as they're relatively respectful.
I'll share my specific experience, FWIW. Last year was my first section hike, from Springer to Unicoi, in early April, with the bubble. I passed a few groups, some of which were discretely having a safety meeting, and some who were doing it right out in the open. I just passed by, mentioned how beautiful everything was, talked about how lucky we all were to be out, they all agreed, and I moved on. No biggie.
Other than that, my only other experience was at Low Gap. We stayed around the shelter that night. There was a large group of college aged kids and they were having a fine time. But they largely kept the volume down, and they were respectful, didn't bother anyone.
So, overall, for those 54 miles or so, it seemed like no big deal at all to me. Low Gap was the only place where I stayed near a shelter, so that surely factors in.
Congrats on your sobriety.
::nogray
RollTide
02-13-2017, 18:52
You could get hiking partner and get him to adopt the trail name, "Bill W". Then you can go nameless and if anyone asks just respond, "I'm a friend of Bill W."
That would be epic
I stayed at Church of the mountain hostel in Delaware Water gap. They have a AA meeting their.
Thom
theoilman
02-13-2017, 20:07
2 years ago when I did a section in VA, crossing a good number of NOBOs - during a short (1/2 hr) shower, 15 to 20 took refuge in a shelter. Several were passing around drugs, but they honored with no questions or pestering my no, no thank you.
It is easy to say no, and be accepted for it.
Sarcasm the elf
02-13-2017, 20:40
You could get hiking partner and get him to adopt the trail name, "Bill W". Then you can go nameless and if anyone asks just respond, "I'm a friend of Bill W."
That would be epic
Well I am a huge fan of Calvin And Hobbes...
rocketsocks
02-13-2017, 20:48
My pack is protected by Smith and Wilson
Land_Shark
03-13-2017, 10:06
The answer for avoidence is speed. Go a little slower or faster to find your personality group. And then do not be a ASS about others on the trail. Makes for uneasy times when not expected.
Jan 1st of ‘18 is my sober anniversary and I’ll be starting the trail April 1st NoBo. I’m in a program of recovery and discussed this with my sponsor. I would love to do this with some other sober folk to keep each other in check and continue to work our programs. I haven’t checked yet but I imagine there are recovery based meetings in many of the towns along the way. I’m definitely taking the side trip to NYC and will attend meetings there.
As others have described the trail appears to be a microcosm of society at large, people like to party on the trail just as they do off it. My suggestion is to find other folks looking to stay sober to do he trail with... if u start in 2018 instead of 2020 u can go with me :)
In 2014 I wore my "coin" around my neck as a constant reminder to myself and a somewhat subtle way of letting others know I was/am a friend of Bill's. I ended up being an "on trail" sponsor to a young gentleman in his first year of sobriety. He finished the trail while staying true to himself. There are places to pick up an occasional meeting along the way and there are more friends of Bill out there than you may realize. I will be back on the AT in 2018 (some time in April) and am looking forward to much of what I encountered in 2014; many wonderful people with good hearts; only the occasional party people which I seemed to be able to avoid. Wanna have an on trail meeting? Just look for the short, old guy with the coin around his neck.
An interesting thread, which makes me realize that the very nature of shelters and LNT minimizing "appropriate" campsites causes congregations. Those tend to increase partying(unless you call a solo safety meeting a party) and consequently escalations in the volume of conversation and staying up later. I was REALLY impressed at several shelters in my week on trail when there would be 3-5 people there and everyone spoke as if in a library. Especially with shelters right on the trail I don't see where people suddenly think its cool to be loud with others around just because they are not hiking or worse because they are partying.
Then there is the party "atmosphere" effect, I think most of us agree, we consume more whatever when partying compared to alone(and the exceptions to that are generally those who really need to clean up their act).
In the same vein, most people wouldnt offer a drink or toke to someone sitting at a nearby picnic table in a state park(most with a no alcohol policy) yet on the trail suddenly we are all "buddies" and there are no rules.
We are all here for different reasons and should consider that everyone we met might have the concerns the OP does...why not make the effort to insure the experience is the best it can be for everyone? This is why you'll find me camping at shelters as far away from them as I can be and making sure my activities have the minimum impact on everyone and everything.
Greenlight
10-30-2017, 18:53
Realizing that "the party" exists mostly in Georgia from the end of March until the beginning of May, you might consider a flip-flop or whatnot. Avoiding that scene will take the "near occasion of sin" out of the equation.
Greenlight
10-30-2017, 18:54
Oh, and if you go to Trail Days, generally stay away from Tent City. The rest of it is relatively PG - family friendly.
booze and drugs exist on all of the trail, but its very very common in the bubble.
do what you need to do to protect your quit...
I am just curious if anyone else was/in my boat.
January 1st of 2017 will be my 2 year sober anniversary.
I am not planning on my Thru until 2020.
That being said, everything I have read, seen on YouTube depicts this drug and alcohol scene that just isn't a part of who I am anymore.
I have a pretty good control on my sobriety, I am just curious if anyone else has been in my shoes?
Are my concerns legit? Or am I worrying about nothing?
Hey, we’re likely well beyond the initial post but this is a topic of such consequence that it continues as a thread.
My experience is that, if you tell someone straight up that you have been there and done that, and that it was not good for you, they will not only respect you but engage you in a conversation about the pitfall. Ok, the 20 year olds are full of Shiite and are apt to babble, but would you seriously follow their guidance to the privy much less in life? HYOH is a lot more important in life than on the trail...
rocketsocks
11-02-2017, 18:03
Having been sober for a bunch a years now I’ve come to really find drunks annoying as hell, I’m not talking about tipsy people, they’re funny and fun, I mean the in your face slurring loud drunkards...I just excuse myself, and then take my leave of them!
Sailor (The other one)
11-07-2017, 21:16
"Are my concerns legit?"
Completely. Take protecting your sobriety on the trail as seriously as you do off the trail.
There will be opportunities to relapse on the trail and in towns. And no high mountain, broad river, bad weather or long walk - or anything else including jobs and families - have kept us from using when we decide to.
Pay attention to the advice given here by those who know and avoid the parties, just like you would off trail.
And remember not to HALT - get too hungry, angry, lonely or tired. I don't know if you get lonely. On the trail it is guaranteed you will get hungry and tired, which can lead to frustrated, to angry, to resentful, and resentment is what we tend to relapse over most often. If you are working a program then you need to work it on the trail, also. Here are some suggestions.
Meetings in trail towns. You can get meetings lists with phone numbers for every state the trail goes through from the AA World Services Office in New York. You can also get them online. Just as you are likely to plan resupply points, etc, and carry the relevant trail guide pages, you can do the same with meetings in the towns you stop in. As you probably know, just call the local AA number and someone will come and get you.
Hike with another recovering person. The best. Remember the joke, "All you need for a meeting is two drunks and one resentment."
If you do not have a sponsor, get one. If you have not done all twelve steps with a sponsor, do it. The steps are recovery.
Keep in contact with your sponsor and other recovering people at home while you are on trail. Phone calls, texting, email are all ways to do that.
There are online meetings.
If you have created some recovery habits like daily prayer, journaling, reading recovery literature, continue that on the trail as well.
If I make it I will celebrate my 36th sober anniversary on Thanksgiving day. I worked as an addiction counselor for 12 years. I relapsed when I first started - I was tired, lonely and frustrated and someone innocently offered me a drink and I took "just" one sip. By the end of the week I was doing a bottle a day and the relapsed lasted one really horrible month. Since then I have been spared another relapse.
In both my work and my own recovery program I have seen many people relapse, and ,many of those seemingly out of no where, despite best intentions and feeling confident. I mean people with decades of sobriety. The suffering of others, and my relapse, helped me understand that calling this a disease that is cunning, baffeling and powerful is not a joke, a silly catch phrase or propaganda. It is deeply serious.
The big tip is not to wait until you crave or are tempted. The big tip is to finish the 12 steps, formulate what works for you as a program - just like hike your own hike - and then practice your program daily, so when relapse threatens, you are prepared.
Sobriety is like liberty. The price is constant vigilance.
"Legit?"
Hell yeah.
.
squeezebox
11-07-2017, 22:39
Just get it into your head that you just don't drink any more. The rest is details. Albeit important details!!
Forgive this post if it's a bit long but I have a story to tell. Back in 2009 I took my first walk on the Appalachian Trail. At the time I was a heavy/daily drinker. (Beer my weapon of choice). I was completely out of shape and roughly 60lbs over weight. I don't remember why I decided to hike the trail but for whatever reason, I did.
The hike was relatively short. I caught a shuttle out of Damascus up to Elk Garden about 30 miles to the north and hiked back. Initially, the plan was to take three days getting back. I figured 10 miles a day wasn't too much to ask of a fat out of shape guy. I wound up doing the walk in two days but not for the reasons you might think. I was so completely miserable that I literally death marched the entire thing just so I could get out of the woods as soon as possible. Knees ached, legs ached, everything ached. The trip was a disaster in every conceivable way other than I managed to hobble back to my car unassisted by anyone. I did however walk the last several miles back on the Creeper Trail because my legs and knees couldn't take the downhills anymore. I cannot relate in words how miserable I felt.
So I drive back home and despite being sore, dehydrated, and beaten to a pulp, something strange happened. I started looking back on those two miserable days in a different light. Fondly remembering things that at the time I couldn't enjoy or didn't realize I was enjoying. So I get back home and obviously have mixed emotions about the entire episode. And then came the moment of clarity. I could enjoy this a lot if I weren't so out of shape. I looked at the reasons for my terrible shape and it all came back to my lack of motivation and the heavy drinking I did daily. I actually stopped drinking soon after. For good. Haven't had a drop since. 9 years and counting. Lost about 70 pounds in the process too.
Since that fateful (life changing) experience I've been all over the country hiking. I've climbed several 14ers in Colorado. Hiked the Wind Rivers in Wyoming. Even hiked the JMT back in 2012. Not to mention almost all of the AT between the approach Trail and Damascus. I've lived more in the last 9 years than I ever did the previous 39. All because I quit drinking.
So to get back on track of this topic, I'm not worried in the slightest about having a relapse on the trail this year. I wouldn't give up sobriety for anything. It's my thing now. I'm sober. Love it. If I get in a group of rowdy party people I'll be fine. I probably won't stay around them long but there's no temptation so no worries. I hope everyone who enjoys their sobriety will continue to do so on trail and for those who like to party a bit, I'm sure they'll have a great time as well. Sorry for the long post. :)
Consider an alternative trail, such as Great Eastern Trail http://www.gethiking.net
Less weed, more weeds. :D
On an AT hike we each have the ability to create and embrace the environment we desire to a very large extent.
Camp away from others. Eat away from others. Choose those you embrace and environment according to the character you wish to be surrounded.
TIP: Be careful of tee totalers that don't drink(?) yet look down on those that do(or smoke weed) but pop OTC and pharmaceutical drugs as if they were not really drugs. Vitamin I(ibuprofen) and other non steroidal anti inflammatories(NSAID's, a category of pain relievers) use may be one of the most rampantly abused drugs on the AT.
Don't hike with Terry Coyle. His videos, to the extent they reflect reality at all, reflect only a small slice of it.
You pretty quickly get a feel for who's there to hike and who's there to party. It's pretty easy to avoid the second group, particularly if you avoid the crowded shelters near the highway. That's no easier, and no harder, than not walking into the gin mill that you pass on your way home from work.
The only joints I roll on a trail are my ankles.
Talking about Terry Coyle which goes by "7" on the trail, has anyone heard from him recently?
The last video I seen of his he done found himself a woman. Been probably a couple years ago now, I used to enjoy his videos.
clay pot
07-04-2019, 09:06
I will have 30 years sober on 7/28. Been in the bubble several times. Daily concern is always there. I hike solo. I hammock and just observe what is going on and hike out of the shelter area if I smell or feel, or see any of "it". I am a certified addiction counselor. I am not recruiting for my life style. Frankly, there is more going on within 1 mile of me right now, in my location, than within 1 mile of anything out there, on trail, or in a trail town. My rule is that if somelthing is saying to me "you really don't need to be here right now", I go. I never stare at "it"; I move. Once upon a time, I was with a group of 6 overnight. In a very bad place in NC. I didn't know them. They knew each other and hiked together a section once a year. At breakfast, I guy pulled out a 5th (honestly, a 5th, bottle and all, of Wild Turkey) and poured a shot in everyone's cup. Not mine. I just said I had all I could stand of that today. Which was true. I can stand none. And I let them leave first, trailing them. Bad storm hit. Got cold. I changed stuff. Couldn't see. Down to the road. Sun was out. They were beat up. Ambulance on the way. One broken arm. Bent trek poles. Story of one almost going off the ridge. They all evaced. To take care of each other. I hiked on alone. There is a bubble, there is a pack. I drift with them, very emotionally and self contained wiith plan and gear. So I can get my butt out of there. I give myself the right to live. And honestly, who carries a 5th of ETOH on the AT?
Emerson Bigills
07-04-2019, 21:09
I left about a week in front of the bubble. Stayed ahead of it the entire time, except for the "runners" who flew by me. Finished in 140 days. I think I had 4 beers the entire trip. Was invited to join in a smoke at about 3 campfires and declined. No harm, no foul.
I was in my late fifties, but was hiking with guys in their early and late twenties and another guy in his late thirties. None of my guys were big drinkers or partiers and we did not see any debauchery in the trail towns. I honestly feel that those leaving early might be little more serious about the hiking part. I know it happens out there, but I did not experience it. Good luck.
If you don't struggle with sobriety the occasional trail "party" can be a great time. One of my best trail memories was a few miles north of Srtatton ME. A group of 5-6 of us ran into each other at the camp site and we all had whisky or wine. While we didn't hike together we got to know each other over the past few months. We sat around the fire sipping on our booze, sharing stories, sunging songs and laughing. There was a group of college freshmen on an orientation trip and after a while they came to talk to us about our hikes. We had a nice long Q and A session, and while they did not partake they all seemed to have a good time and everybody in both groups was very respectful of each other. This wasn't a nightly thing for any of us and we paid for it the next day. While in essence this was no different than the partying that goes on in the southern part, it had a much different feel. A group of hikers reminiscing about our experiences over the last several months and celebrating the rapidly approaching completion of our hikes rather than just getting hammered for the sake of getting hammered. Either way, if you are worried about your sobriety I would just avoid any group drinking and smoking.
Traffic Jam
07-08-2019, 19:22
If you don't struggle with sobriety the occasional trail "party" can be a great time. One of my best trail memories was a few miles north of Srtatton ME. A group of 5-6 of us ran into each other at the camp site and we all had whisky or wine. While we didn't hike together we got to know each other over the past few months. We sat around the fire sipping on our booze, sharing stories, sunging songs and laughing. There was a group of college freshmen on an orientation trip and after a while they came to talk to us about our hikes. We had a nice long Q and A session, and while they did not partake they all seemed to have a good time and everybody in both groups was very respectful of each other. This wasn't a nightly thing for any of us and we paid for it the next day. While in essence this was no different than the partying that goes on in the southern part, it had a much different feel. A group of hikers reminiscing about our experiences over the last several months and celebrating the rapidly approaching completion of our hikes rather than just getting hammered for the sake of getting hammered. Either way, if you are worried about your sobriety I would just avoid any group drinking and smoking.
Dude! With all due respect, this thread is to support sobriety, not talk about how much fun it is to drink with your hiking buddies!
Traffic Jam
07-08-2019, 19:27
I will have 30 years sober on 7/28.
Congratulations!
Traffic Jam
07-08-2019, 19:29
The last video I seen of his he done found himself a woman. Been probably a couple years ago now, I used to enjoy his videos.
I never enjoyed his videos. Saw one where a young lady worried her mom would see what she was doing. If you’re worried about that, you ain’t on the right path.
Traveler
07-09-2019, 09:00
I am just curious if anyone else was/in my boat.
January 1st of 2017 will be my 2 year sober anniversary.
I am not planning on my Thru until 2020.
That being said, everything I have read, seen on YouTube depicts this drug and alcohol scene that just isn't a part of who I am anymore.
I have a pretty good control on my sobriety, I am just curious if anyone else has been in my shoes?
Are my concerns legit? Or am I worrying about nothing?
Approaching 3 years since this thread started, which has not slowed down responses, I presume you are still sorted out, sober, and not as fragile as you were in the fall of 2016 after a few dozen months of sobriety.
Not everything I have seen, read, or experienced depicts booze and drugs on the trail, but it can appear that way I'm sure. There are a lot of journals, videos and other mediums used to capture the AT experience but keep in mind it's the filter of the author that you are seeing it through. If the author is 23 and wants to party constantly, that's what you will read about or view. If the author is a photographer intent on introspection and a Coffee Table book, that's what you will read about or view.
I won't say you are worried about nothing, much as I would never say don't worry about Norovirus. Being prepared for both tends to be the best defense against either. Defend against Norovirus by practicing good hygiene is the most practical way to avoid it., The same applies to sobriety, be ready with a friendly hands up to pass on trail booze (the backwash from a group pulling on the same bottle is disturbing enough), when the current crew of trail pals wander into a tavern on a town trip be ready with the "I have laundry to do and letters to write" excuse. Be prepared to move away from things that appear to be getting out of hand.
Like me, you will probably find there are people who never cross the sobriety line, there will be some people who may share a pull or two from a flask or joint as they settle into camp. I would not consider these people to be a sobriety threat when all you need do is wave off the offer with an appreciative smile. You will probably also run across some folks who act as if they are on their first trip away from home who drink for hours, are loud and obnoxious, and will probably not survive the trek unless that changes.
My guess is you will be prepared and fare well on the trek. You could also be of great help to someone in that last category that you run across after chasing off anyone who can tolerate their behavior and they have reached bottom. While you won't find any ironclad assurances of your sobriety, you will find helping someone find that first step off the bottom will be a positive way to help ensure it.
Good luck next year!
Dude! With all due respect, this thread is to support sobriety, not talk about how much fun it is to drink with your hiking buddies!
Sorry, I didn't mean for it to come off that way. I've been offered beers at road crossing, and found them in trail magic coolers. We found a 1 liter bottle of whisky in the middle of the trail in boiling springs. I can't count the number of times section hikers offered me alcohol. One time in vermont i talked to a french canadian family at a park and as i was cooking my dinner, they sent their 5 ur old daughter over to me to give me a beer, never even knew where they were camped. I guess the point that i was trying to make is that unless you avoid people, you're gonna run into drugs and alcohol. I chose a poor analogy.
greensleep
07-10-2019, 08:18
Approaching 3 years since this thread started, which has not slowed down responses, I presume you are still sorted out, sober, and not as fragile as you were in the fall of 2016 after a few dozen months of sobriety.
Not everything I have seen, read, or experienced depicts booze and drugs on the trail, but it can appear that way I'm sure. There are a lot of journals, videos and other mediums used to capture the AT experience but keep in mind it's the filter of the author that you are seeing it through. If the author is 23 and wants to party constantly, that's what you will read about or view. If the author is a photographer intent on introspection and a Coffee Table book, that's what you will read about or view.
I won't say you are worried about nothing, much as I would never say don't worry about Norovirus. Being prepared for both tends to be the best defense against either. Defend against Norovirus by practicing good hygiene is the most practical way to avoid it., The same applies to sobriety, be ready with a friendly hands up to pass on trail booze (the backwash from a group pulling on the same bottle is disturbing enough), when the current crew of trail pals wander into a tavern on a town trip be ready with the "I have laundry to do and letters to write" excuse. Be prepared to move away from things that appear to be getting out of hand.
Like me, you will probably find there are people who never cross the sobriety line, there will be some people who may share a pull or two from a flask or joint as they settle into camp. I would not consider these people to be a sobriety threat when all you need do is wave off the offer with an appreciative smile. You will probably also run across some folks who act as if they are on their first trip away from home who drink for hours, are loud and obnoxious, and will probably not survive the trek unless that changes.
My guess is you will be prepared and fare well on the trek. You could also be of great help to someone in that last category that you run across after chasing off anyone who can tolerate their behavior and they have reached bottom. While you won't find any ironclad assurances of your sobriety, you will find helping someone find that first step off the bottom will be a positive way to help ensure it.
Good luck next year!
so well written!
danielpflood
10-22-2019, 15:48
I will be starting my thru-hike March 2020. I am 4 months sober now and have every intention of hiking sober. I attribute my failure to complete the trail back in 2013 at least in some part to my addiction. Hope to run in to you!
-Flood
Happy2Hike
11-17-2019, 00:09
Adding to an old thread. I will be thru hiking with a planned start date of Feb 23 depending on how the weather is shaking out around that time. Would love to know of other Friends of Bill that have a plan to thru-hike this year. I have a solid call list, and intend to attend meetings in towns along the way. Anyone who is interested in knowing others on the trail, feel free to PM me or post here!
See you on the trail!
-Happy
BrokenEars
11-17-2019, 09:59
It is not easy for me to say no to alcohol being offered by beautiful women. Just saying..
Ironbutt62
11-17-2019, 12:09
Adding to an old thread. I will be thru hiking with a planned start date of Feb 23 depending on how the weather is shaking out around that time. Would love to know of other Friends of Bill that have a plan to thru-hike this year. I have a solid call list, and intend to attend meetings in towns along the way. Anyone who is interested in knowing others on the trail, feel free to PM me or post here!
See you on the trail!
-Happy
I'm starting in the early April bubble. Hope to see you out there. Detox 7/15/83
dudeijuststarted
11-17-2019, 12:15
I thru hiked sober. Started NOBO in March. By the time I reached the Smokies I decided to switch to an alternative thru. I can't say it was due to substance use on the trail, but as I did my flipping and flopping, I did notice some hostels being very party-oriented and I tended to either avoid them or avoid the party crowd if I stayed. I think more so my sobriety gave me more time for introspection and I didn't feel the need for the social aspect of the trail. Next time I go through I'll probably partake in moderation and take in the "scene."
You'll never know what the herd looks like until you end up in it, but depending on when you leave it can be shockingly crowded. Leaving in February can reduce your exposure to party bubbles, the kids tend to leave in March/April. There will be plenty of people with no interest in getting messed up, however. I'd say have a plan B in case the NOBO scene is not for you.
Yes, you have the right to disable yourself with chemicals. Not the smartest route IMO.
There are reasons why the Government wants the electorate to be chemically pacified at best and mentally disabled at worst.
Yay! dude.
Happy2Hike
11-19-2019, 18:37
Hey there! I think that starting in February, while a bit early will get me out in front of the bubble. If it turns out that I have to start too much later, I may consider a flip-flop or SOBO. I have no problem with what others do on the trail, it just holds no interest for me. My definition of a good time has evolved over time, and I really enjoy being present for life. I spent far too long letting it pass me by.
Very excited for this trip! Started training hikes this past week.