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Rainman
03-02-2006, 19:05
What smells remind you of the trail?

I keep a small bottle of Purell on my desk at work. Whenever there is a birthday celebration or I eat at my desk I use it to wash my hands. It never fails. As soon as I get a whiff of the stuff my mind starts to wander.

It always reminds me of dinner around a campsite or shelter. I log onto Whiteblaze and start to read. It shoots my productivity by keeps the dream alive.

Go ahead and share

RockyTrail
03-02-2006, 19:11
How 'bout :
wood smoke
denatured alcohol smell
silnylon smell (like when you break out a tarp or tent that's been packed up for a while)

Skidsteer
03-02-2006, 19:16
Wood smoke and B.O. And I mean that in a good way!

Footslogger
03-02-2006, 19:29
My gear locker is in the basement adjacent to my work shop. Every once in a while I open the door to the locker and the the odor of my backpack sends me into a flashback.

'Slogger

Dances with Mice
03-02-2006, 19:43
Dr. B's Peppermint soap. When out hiking, I kinda look forward to sniffing out some galax - you can smell it before you see it.

Moxie00
03-02-2006, 20:24
My dogs breath reminds me of how I smelled just before a town break. Wet, sweaty clothes gave a smell we all lived with. I live in the Maine woods and heat with wood so I smell the good trail smell every day. One compliment I remember was at the hotel at Fontana Dam. The dining room hostess said, "You don't smell too bad for a thru hiker" as she showed me to a table. Today, when I pick up a thru hiker hitching, the powerful overwhelming smell brings back wonderful memories.

capn
03-02-2006, 21:33
Yes! The smell of boreal forests you only get in New England or down south in the Smokies and other high ridgelines is one of my favs.

Lemon and Eucalyptus bug dope smells like the High Sierras--instant nostalgia when I get a whiff.

Bayley
03-03-2006, 00:18
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Disney
03-03-2006, 04:31
My thermarest. I always rolled it out just after getting to the shelter. It's a relaxing feeling.

neighbor dave
03-03-2006, 06:20
:-? all the maps i use fer bushwhackin',they smell just like the woods!!:sun

Peaks
03-03-2006, 09:45
How about the smell of a spruce forest?

Tipper
03-03-2006, 09:50
Pine needles on the ground and a hint of dirt in the air after a rain.

Tha Wookie
03-03-2006, 10:07
my armpits

Seeker
03-03-2006, 10:38
woodsmoke
rain
wet socks
silnylon being unpacked
that smell down has
burnt hair (you had to be there)
ramen or liptons cooking

the goat
03-03-2006, 10:42
strong pine smell & that moldy/ musty smell of nylon that was packed up wet.

longshank
03-03-2006, 11:20
B.O. and the smell of stove fuel burning.

Almost There
03-03-2006, 11:31
B.O. and the smell of rain!!!

Pennsylvania Rose
03-03-2006, 12:05
The smell of a cold, frosty morning or a foggy morning.
My boots.

Chainsaw
03-03-2006, 12:06
The smell of deet.

sassy03
03-03-2006, 12:06
Might sound a little gross, but Kodiak's armpits when he hasn't showered take me straight back to the trail- and I LOVE it!!!! He always laughs when I nuzzle in and take a deep breath!

Tim Rich
03-03-2006, 15:46
I've read that smells provide the strongest memories. Wood smoke and pine smells for me as well. The first whiff of mixing flavored oatmeal.

Smelling freshly mowed grass on cool evening brings forth high school football memories.

The smell of those little Christmas tree auto air fresheners still makes me sick to my stomach, bringing forth a 20 years ago evening of too much gin.

soad
03-03-2006, 15:51
This may seem strange, but in the summer in the Smokies I encounter a skunk-like smell (only sweeter). When I'm home, and I smell a skunk on the side of the road it takes me back to the mountains instantly.

Has anyone else ever smelled that down south, or am I crazy? :-?

Hikes in Rain
03-03-2006, 15:54
Sure that's an either/or question? ;) I've smelled it up there many times, though. That, and woodsmoke, and pine, and aboreal forest aromas.

Ender
03-03-2006, 16:04
For me, it honestly could be anything. Pine and Fir trees always make me think of the trail, and wood smoke does a little bit too. That smell of a tent that's been used 100 days in a row when you take it out of your pack to set it up. Same with a sleeping bag.

But there's also random smells that remind me of the trail. Once, freshly laid tar reminded me of this one very specific time I was approaching a road crossing, when I could smell the road before I saw it. Cigarettes sometimes remind me of one of my more smoky hiking friends.

Also, that smell right before a snow storm reminds me of Georgia, and the smell of rain reminds me of the entire rest of the trail.

Groucho
03-03-2006, 16:06
This may seem strange, but in the summer in the Smokies I encounter a skunk-like smell (only sweeter). When I'm home, and I smell a skunk on the side of the road it takes me back to the mountains instantly.

Has anyone else ever smelled that down south, or am I crazy? :-?


That would probably be Galax.

vipahman
03-03-2006, 16:34
Everyday in stinkin' NJ, I'm reminded of the thru' hikers I see on the trail. :D

chino
03-03-2006, 16:36
Honeysuckle.

Seeker
03-03-2006, 17:42
This may seem strange, but in the summer in the Smokies I encounter a skunk-like smell (only sweeter). When I'm home, and I smell a skunk on the side of the road it takes me back to the mountains instantly.

Has anyone else ever smelled that down south, or am I crazy? :-?

the smell of skunk brings back memories of army basic training at fort knox... they lived under the barracks, and you could smell them almost every morning...

Dances with Mice
03-04-2006, 00:12
This may seem strange, but in the summer in the Smokies I encounter a skunk-like smell (only sweeter). When I'm home, and I smell a skunk on the side of the road it takes me back to the mountains instantly.

Has anyone else ever smelled that down south, or am I crazy? That's galax, a pretty, low growing ground cover. You're not crazy but the source of the odor has been driving scientists crazy; nobody really knows how the plant produces the odor. http://www.gabotsoc.org/2003-01.pdf

neighbor dave
03-04-2006, 07:19
:-? i smelled that while hikin' thru there! i thought it smelled just like some really good bud!:sun

Lobo
03-04-2006, 09:11
Galax in southern North Carolinahttp://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/displayimage.php?imageid=3163 (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=3163&original=1&c=searchresults&orderby=dateline&direction=ASC&searchid=2011&cutoffdate=-1)

Lobo
03-04-2006, 09:15
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=3163&original=1&c=searchresults&orderby=dateline&direction=ASC&searchid=2012&cutoffdate=-1

Sandy B
03-04-2006, 09:37
DWM,
Thanks for the galax Link, I have heard people complaining or talking about the smell my whole life, and if ask I say 'it's not that bad' but the truth is I can't ever smell anything, maybe a damp earth smell but nothing bad or foul.
Another strange smell to me is the skunk, if it is just a faint wiff, it kinda smells sweet to me. Even close I would say it's not that bad, when others are covering there faces and running the other way. I thought it was just abnormal but your link says there are others like me who can't smell the Galax plant.
Thanks,
Sandy

soad
03-04-2006, 17:49
That would probably be Galax.

Thanks for all the 'skunk smell' info. A vast mystery of my mountain adventures has been answered.

I did have a hiking buddy say once that the smell was similar to an illegal drug, can't say I have any frame of reference.

Tha Wookie
03-04-2006, 21:49
I love that smell!!

generoll
03-04-2006, 23:52
Galax? is that what we always called 'skunk weed'?

Jerm
03-06-2006, 12:50
lemon-eucalyptus bug spray. had to use a crap ton of it while in the sierras on the jmt last summer. everytime i smell it i long for california. eventhough the mosquitos were so bad. they became known as ass clowns.

lilmountaingirl
03-06-2006, 16:21
Dirt, rain, pine, woodsmoke, and every time I get a whiff of my gear!

NICKTHEGREEK
03-06-2006, 17:07
Jumping into a cab that had been sitting for hours in the July sun waiting for a fare, Abdullah the driver smelled just like a thru-hiker

Skidsteer
03-06-2006, 19:11
Galax? is that what we always called 'skunk weed'?

That's what we always called it.

Tractor
03-06-2006, 19:57
Goldbond powder
Crest Toothpaste
Rotting wood
Damp Limestone/rocks
asphalt (i dunno why...)
cheap bar soap

Dances with Mice
03-06-2006, 19:58
Galax? is that what we always called 'skunk weed'? Yeah, but "Skunkweed, Virginia" doesn't sound as nice.

http://www.galaxgazette.com/

Ridge
03-06-2006, 21:47
That's easy. To smell the inside of my backpack will transport me to anyplace along the AT. The visuals on the outside and inside will also bring back memories of days on the AT.

No Belay
03-08-2006, 15:49
Denatured alcohol, wet nylon, pot smoke, burnt Mac-n-Cheese, M&M scented methane, Liptons Chicken Soup and Summers Eve.

Amazing where a guy will put his nose.

"Lord, help me to be the person that my dog thinks I am."

TN_Hiker
03-08-2006, 16:22
Summers Eve??? Care to explain that one....



Denatured alcohol, wet nylon, pot smoke, burnt Mac-n-Cheese, M&M scented methane, Liptons Chicken Soup and Summers Eve.

Amazing where a guy will put his nose.

"Lord, help me to be the person that my dog thinks I am."

Red Hat
03-09-2006, 10:46
Gatorade! I was feeling a little sick this morning and couldn't eat. But I knew I needed to stay hydrated, so I found an old gatorade in the back of my refrigerator (dated Jan 06, no harmful effects so far). I no sooner opened the bottle than I thought of Gordon and Sue and their trail magic. Nothing like a cold gatorade when you're tired and hot. Or even a little sick at your stomach....

soad
03-09-2006, 15:52
Gatorade!

Yes! Orange gatorade puts me in the mountains instantly!!

Lobo
03-09-2006, 16:07
Could skunk weed be skunk cabbage? During the summer it grows in swampy areas with huge broad green leaves. Damage the leaves and you will smell skunk!

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=6490&catid=searchresults&searchid=2108

KirkMcquest
03-09-2006, 17:57
My hiking cookware, the smell never leaves it, even after washing. Also wild turkey 101, I only drink it outdoors.

Heater
03-09-2006, 18:00
My hiking cookware, the smell never leaves it, even after washing. Also wild turkey 101, I only drink it outdoors.

Shyeeeeeaaaaah... right.

KirkMcquest
03-09-2006, 18:09
Shyeeeeeaaaaah... right.

I never said I don't drink whiskey while not hiking, just not Wild turkey. When out on the town, I like Makers Mark, or Woodford. Can't stand JD, which is not a 'true' bourbon anyway.

CaptChaos
03-10-2006, 11:47
I don't know if I will spell this right but the Cresote smell that you find on telephone poles or wood post. It always reminds me of the way the shelters smell when you first get to them in the GSMNP.

Helped my sister-in-law the other day to move wood from the wood shed to the cellar. While in the wood shed getting a load of wood the wood chips under my shoes made me think of the inside of the shelter at Russell Fields and how it felt to walk inside of it.