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Different Socks
11-09-2010, 00:20
I don't like to be around smoke from tobacco products, not to mention that it makes it difficult to breath and stinks up my clothes with an odor I could do w/o.
My question is this: If someone lit up at a shelter on the trail and it bothered you(breathing it, the smell, etc), how would you handle it? Would I have a right to demand that the person doesn't smoke in the shelter and to do it else where?

aaronthebugbuffet
11-09-2010, 00:25
I would leave if it bothered me.
I don't think you should demand they don't smoke but asking them politely to step a way from the shelter would seem to be an appropriate thing to do.

TheChop
11-09-2010, 00:32
Me and a buddy stop at an empty shelter for lunch. Go for water and there's this river guide dude we'd met the previous night chilling out in the shelter all laid back and cool. We eat lunch and talk and at some point guy says, "Mind if I smoke a cigarette? It's harder out in the wind."

Being that we were on the seat/bar area and him on the bunks it was no biggie so we said sure go ahead.

Dude proceeds to pull out a pipe and take a massive hit of marijuana.

Later we caught up to him at Fontana Dam Shelter. Two o'clock in the morning. I hear the ligheter. I hear the big suck in. Then this pot cloud floats over me. He was laying in the same bunk as me about four feet away.

We joked we'd given him a permenant easement to toke up around us. But to answer the question I don't mind a little second hand smoke as long as it's not a group of people puffing up a storm. It's much more annoying hanging around people who smoke in civilization. Constantly going outside to smoke, not as much air circulation, etc.

Erin
11-09-2010, 00:56
It is open. Not enclosed. Ignore it. I would not make an issue of it.

4eyedbuzzard
11-09-2010, 00:57
If he/she didn't ask first if it would bother you (which any polite smoker should), I would think you would be fine in nicely asking them to please finish smoking outside the shelter.

strollingalong
11-09-2010, 01:03
smoking weed in front of others isn't cool unless u know everyones completely fine with it. simple as. it makes some people very uncomfortable. at least blow out the fricking open end. i thoroughly dislike show off "stoners" who just wanna look the naughty hippie rebel.

I think it's fine to ask someone to step outside to smoke a cig or at least sit next to the open side and blow the smoke out. any respectful person would do so, even in a massive storm.

i'm a smoker by the way.

emerald
11-09-2010, 01:14
Shelters are public places where all kinds of people gather, some of whom can be expected to find second-hand smoke objectionable. I would think the proper thing to do would be to smoke elsewhere.

Iceaxe
11-09-2010, 01:31
This thread reminds me of a funny scene on the PCT. I was watching a couple of hikers struggle up a mountain in Washington. Their trekking pole dug in and pushing off with every step. Then just a few yard behing them came a well known Triple Crowner.. L#$T. I will never forget how effortlessly he was hiking up that hill while smoking his pipe (tobacco) and the contrast between his quick stride and the hikers in front of him.
Maybe this thread has more relevance to busier trails or perhaps due to folks sharing the shelters.
As far as MJ smokers.. I would say that at least 20% of the folks I met on the PCT smoked it. Besides the dude with the tobacco pipe I only met a couple of hikers that smoked cigarettes on trail.
It is very easy to get away from the "crowd" on the PCT and you can hike and camp alone anytime you wish.
I guess I don't understand where the conflict arises. I suppose next March when I begin my thru hike of the AT I will find out the answers.
Personally if something bothers me about folks I meet I just hike on. I could care less about MJ smokers. Cigarette smoke kinda bugs me though. Personally I would not be comfortable confronting someone about their cigarette smoke. Maybe that makes me a chicken sh$#. I just think there is so much more to experience out on the trail, that wasting my time trying to regulate everyone elses behavior is meaningless.
Wow, about 350 people thru hike the PCT a year. Maybe 40 people hike the CDT. The AT.. 3500? UH, I might be in for a culture shock!
Well at any rate some of my favorite characters from the other trails were smokers and it was not a problem for me. Go ahead and Puff away cause I snore like a Bear anyway! This shelter thing is gonna be interesting!
I have heard there are quite a few of them. That they have three walls. Also that folks crowd into them like sardines when it rains sometimes. This is gonna be trippy! Yeehaa! :D

emerald
11-09-2010, 01:53
I would not be comfortable confronting someone about their cigarette smoke.

People shouldn't put others in that position.

RGB
11-09-2010, 02:49
You have the same right as you would sitting outside of a coffee shop/restaurant/whatever. None. It's outside so it's up to the smoker to be considerate and smoke away from others. I can't stand smoking inside a shelter anyway, especially if the wind is blowing into it.

BrianLe
11-09-2010, 02:55
"Wow, about 350 people thru hike the PCT a year. Maybe 40 people hike the CDT. The AT.. 3500? UH, I might be in for a culture shock!"

Hey Iceaxe; after the PCT I had the same thoughts about the AT, but I started on the early side (Feb 25th) this year and just basically kept the pace up such that --- in fact --- I found the AT to be less social than starting the PCT "with the herd" (day after the kickoff).

So start on the early side if you want less of that sort of culture shock.
Me, I'm looking forward to being in the 40-some set next year ... :-)

O.B. comment about smoking (the actual thread): While on the one hand I'm not a smoking fan, OTOH it just doesn't seem like a big deal, and not too hard to deal with in the rare case that it became one. At the worst I think that it's generally not that hard to pack up and move on in the rare case that for whatever reason the situation at a shelter is unpleasant.

Jayboflavin04
11-09-2010, 07:57
I am a smoker...tho I dont really smoke in the shelter. I would not have a problem steppin away if politely asked.

DAJA
11-09-2010, 08:45
Focus more on what you enjoy and less on what annoys you... You can't control others, only the way you respond...

And to the MJ comment, give it a rest, study after study has determined alcohol is by far the most damaging drug on the planet to both the user and society, so until that issue gets addressed, lay of the pot!

Trailbender
11-09-2010, 09:32
I don't like to be around smoke from tobacco products, not to mention that it makes it difficult to breath and stinks up my clothes with an odor I could do w/o.
My question is this: If someone lit up at a shelter on the trail and it bothered you(breathing it, the smell, etc), how would you handle it? Would I have a right to demand that the person doesn't smoke in the shelter and to do it else where?

I smoked away from the shelter on my thru. I have been smoking 2 cigarettes a day for several years. I wouldn't light a cig inside a shelter full of people, but I have smoked in empty shelters during the day at lunch.

Serial 07
11-09-2010, 09:51
don't demand, just ask...to get reasonableness one must act reasonable themselves...i think the dalai lama said that...

Different Socks
11-09-2010, 09:54
Why have several of you opted for leaving the shelter if you do not like the smoke? Why allow yourselves to have to be put out jump b/c someone is smoking?

Lone Wolf
11-09-2010, 10:05
most smokers are inconsiderate. they don't care about their health so they sure don't care about anyone else's. i gave up dealing with Aholes in shelters years ago. best to avoid shelters. same for hostels

Serial 07
11-09-2010, 10:05
probably because shelters are a public place...the same thing happens every year with thru hikers vs. thru hikers that snore...shelters are for everyone...typically, smokers understand, but you can't make them leave, so if it's so bad that you can't stand it, than you are probably the one that's gonna leave...

rcli4
11-09-2010, 10:06
I don't like to be around smoke from tobacco products, not to mention that it makes it difficult to breath and stinks up my clothes with an odor I could do w/o.
My question is this: If someone lit up at a shelter on the trail and it bothered you(breathing it, the smell, etc), how would you handle it? Would I have a right to demand that the person doesn't smoke in the shelter and to do it else where?

I don't think it is wise to demand anything out on the trail. Big brother ain't there to protect you. You probably need to leave that mindset at the restaraunt before you hit the trail.

Clyde

sbhikes
11-09-2010, 11:24
It would bother me to be in a shelter with people smoking. I would leave. Actually, if I ever do the AT I plan not to stay in shelters if at all possible. It sounds awful. I hated group hotel rooms on the PCT and shelters sound worse.

Chaco Taco
11-09-2010, 11:25
Everyone has good points but really on the trail, or anywhere out in the open like that, if it bothers you just simply ask in a nice and non-hostile way, "Hey man, I really dont like the smell of cigarettes, would you please do that somewhere else" Most will be totally cool with it. However, Wolf is right that there are some out there who just dont care no matter how nice you ask them. I do know that alot of times, if there are others in the shelter and you ask nicely, they will give the one being a jerk a hard time. And as always you could just tent away from shelters and not have to really worry about it. If its weed smokers, I know the bunch i hiked with would always ask politely "hey does this bother any of you?" If it did, we would just go out into the woods. No harm no foul. These days, I have learned to just not smoke pot. Its not worth it getting caught by some person that is really against it and willing to alert LEO's, which they have the right to do, but its an a$$hole thing to do.

Sassafras Lass
11-09-2010, 11:30
It's as simple as this.

If I liked to dump toxic waste on myself and were addicted to doing so, and I took my little vial of Acme Toxic Waste on the trail and upon arriving at a shelter, started splashing it upon myself, inevitably splashing others around me, don't you think it would be their right to tell me to piss off because they didn't want to be poisoned?

Your poisonous addiction doesn't trump my health. It's not like drinking, where unless you get drive a car or attack me with something then it really doesn't affect me.

If I ask you nicely to please take your cancer stick outside of a common area, you should scoot your butt outta there.

Chaco Taco
11-09-2010, 11:34
Im telling you that if you come across like this though, it will not be well received. There are alot of smokers both cig and weed on the trail. Just be cool about it :):):)
If they are a$$holes about it then unload

It's as simple as this.

If I liked to dump toxic waste on myself and were addicted to doing so, and I took my little vial of Acme Toxic Waste on the trail and upon arriving at a shelter, started splashing it upon myself, inevitably splashing others around me, don't you think it would be their right to tell me to piss off because they didn't want to be poisoned?

Your poisonous addiction doesn't trump my health. It's not like drinking, where unless you get drive a car or attack me with something then it really doesn't affect me.

If I ask you nicely to please take your cancer stick outside of a common area, you should scoot your butt outta there.

Sassafras Lass
11-09-2010, 11:38
Im telling you that if you come across like this though, it will not be well received. There are alot of smokers both cig and weed on the trail. Just be cool about it :):):)
If they are a$$holes about it then unload

:) I have no intention of actually coming across this blunt. I'll smile and ask sweetly but I can't get rid of the dislike deep down. Suppose that comes from growing up in a smoking household, always smelling like *****, never breathing fresh air indoors and just being forced to "deal" with it.

flemdawg1
11-09-2010, 11:42
You have the same right as you would sitting outside of a coffee shop/restaurant/whatever. None. It's outside so it's up to the smoker to be considerate and smoke away from others. I can't stand smoking inside a shelter anyway, especially if the wind is blowing into it.

Most are nice enough to ask if it bothers you before lighting up. many people consider shelters the same as being outside though. Unless I'm sitting with a known group of smokers, I'll always go out and downwind.

Chaco Taco
11-09-2010, 11:43
Im days away from being a nonsmoker for a year and i dont know how my wife dealt with it on our thruhike. After about a month of nonsmoking, the smell was just overwhelming. Im glad I have an awesome wife that puts up with my crap:)

Chaco Taco
11-09-2010, 11:45
Most are nice enough to ask if it bothers you before lighting up. many people consider shelters the same as being outside though. Unless I'm sitting with a known group of smokers, I'll always go out and downwind.

Most being the operative word. I usually always asked or just moved away from the groups. There are the few real jerks esp when it comes to cigarettes. Glad I have quit:D. Worst thing you can do to your body

chiefduffy
11-09-2010, 12:17
"Excuse me, but would you mind putting that campfire out, the smoke really bothers me." Come on people, get a life. If you think a little tobacco smoke wafting your way is going to ruin your health, you may have some mental health issues. Just sayin..
( I no longer smoke tobacco or anything else.)

kanga
11-09-2010, 12:46
as a smoker, i would never light up in a shelter with others in it. unless of course, they're (all) smoking too. i would have lit up far away from others in the first place. then again, i wouldn't have been in that situation because southern shelters suck.
however, if you encounter an incredibly rude, insensitive, and selfish jackass of the type that would light up directly around nonsmokers inside (close quarters), then just simply politely ask them to take it "outside". no need to be a jerk yourself. if the person won't move away after a polite request, kick them in the balls.

Chaco Taco
11-09-2010, 12:50
as a smoker, i would never light up in a shelter with others in it. unless of course, they're (all) smoking too. i would have lit up far away from others in the first place. then again, i wouldn't have been in that situation because southern shelters suck.
however, if you encounter an incredibly rude, insensitive, and selfish jackass of the type that would light up directly around nonsmokers inside (close quarters), then just simply politely ask them to take it "outside". no need to be a jerk yourself. if the person won't move away after a polite request, kick them in the balls.
Shelters up north aint much to rave about either

Slo-go'en
11-09-2010, 12:50
What I find ironic is that some people get all upset and rightess when someone lights up - tobacco or otherwise - yet have no problem with a smoldering camp fire blowing wood smoke into a shelter all night. And that campfire smoke is a lot more harmful to you than the occasional few wiffs of second hand smoke you might get.

Actually, I don't see smokers as much of a problem - there aren't too many left and the vast majority of those who are left are discreet about it - what ever it is they smoke.

Chaco Taco
11-09-2010, 12:52
What I find ironic is that some people get all upset and rightess when someone lights up - tobacco or otherwise - yet have no problem with a smoldering camp fire blowing wood smoke into a shelter all night. And that campfire smoke is a lot more harmful to you than the occasional few wiffs of second hand smoke you might get.

Actually, I don't see smokers as much of a problem - there aren't too many left and the vast majority of those who are left are discreet about it - what ever it is they smoke.
Well said brotha.


Hey we are moving to New Hampshire. Thinking about the Boncliffes in spring, you game???

Sassafras Lass
11-09-2010, 12:53
"Excuse me, but would you mind putting that campfire out, the smoke really bothers me." Come on people, get a life. If you think a little tobacco smoke wafting your way is going to ruin your health, you may have some mental health issues. Just sayin..
( I no longer smoke tobacco or anything else.)

I do have a life, and I prefer to be as free from formaldehyde, arsenic, DDT, benzene, cadmium, cyanide, ehtyl furoate, napthalene, polonium, and every other carcinogenic substance as much as possible.

sly dog
11-09-2010, 14:19
I also am a smoker but I am very discreet about it. I dont even like to smoke on a view in case a non smoker comes to enjoy it also. But flippin out that smokers are inconsiderate and the such is BS! If I do happen to be staying in a shelter or having lunch there I never smoke in it but will smoke in front of it and too bad if ya dont like it. Like many others said, if there is someone smoking in a shelter its your call if you want to stay and confront them or just go elsewhere. Smokers dont smoke to piss you off, they do it because it is part of who they are. God forbid ya have to smell it once and a while. I aint partial to the smell of methane so if ya gotta break wind please dont stay in or near my shelter! But seriously, if someone was doing something in a shelter i did not like i would leave.

Luddite
11-09-2010, 14:35
I smoke cigarettes and I just assume no one wants to be around the smoke, so I usually walk down the trail a little bit or make sure the smoke is going down wind. I find my habit embarrassing, but liek someone mentioned above, don't get all self-righeous. Everyone knows smoking is bad, including smokers.

Luddite
11-09-2010, 14:37
I was skimming through this years Thru-Hiker's Guide and it looks like Tobacco is prohibited in a bunch of the hostels. That sucks! Maybe it will be a good year to quit.

flemdawg1
11-09-2010, 14:42
I was skimming through this years Thru-Hiker's Guide and it looks like Tobacco is prohibited in a bunch of the hostels. That sucks! Maybe it will be a good year to quit.

Only The Blueberry Patch south of VA.

Slo-go'en
11-09-2010, 14:59
I was skimming through this years Thru-Hiker's Guide and it looks like Tobacco is prohibited in a bunch of the hostels. That sucks! Maybe it will be a good year to quit.

After 30 years, I finally quit smoking this last spring. Took a 12 day stay in a hospital bed to do it though :( (Developed an infected liver abcess, which apparently could have killed me had I stayed on the trail a few more days and had it burst into my gutt...)

I started smoking a pipe on the trail for a number of reasons. (less garbage, much less expensive, much less bulk and way fewer people object to pipe smoke - in fact many enjoy the smell).

The only problem was resupplying pipe tobacco, not many places stock it any more. So, it will be good not to have that hassle next time I go for a long hike, but I sure will miss it after dinner and as an excuse to stop and take a bit of a break during the day.

Pony
11-09-2010, 16:35
I was skimming through this years Thru-Hiker's Guide and it looks like Tobacco is prohibited in a bunch of the hostels. That sucks! Maybe it will be a good year to quit.

Mostly they don't want you smoking in the hostel, or on their property. Unless, you are so hopelessly addicted that you have to chain smoke, it shouldn't be an issue. It's not like they'll search your pack and then when they find your tobacco, kick you out. Just take a walk if you want to smoke. There could be exceptions, but I've never had a hostel owner get mad because I took a walk and had a cigarette.

The Cleaner
11-09-2010, 16:48
I don't have a problem with smoking,it's the cigarette butts left laying around....

Don H
11-09-2010, 16:59
Sleep in a tent, then you get to decide whether you're in a smoking or non-smoking area.

Pony
11-09-2010, 16:59
As a smoker, here's how I try to avoid any confrontation. First of all, I never smoke in a shelter, unless I am the only one there, or I know the people I am with are cool with it. If there are people there, I try to get at least fifteen feet away, on the downwind side of the shelter. In general, I try to stand away from people when I smoke, not out of fear of a confrontation, but out of respect. With very few exceptions, as long as you are respectful of others, then others won't care.

Here's the exception. I was rolling up a cigarette, hadn't even lit it mind you, at a shelter when a fellow hiker told me that his wife was deathly allergic to smoke, and I should step a good ways away, down wind. I would have done this anyway. I looked over at his wife and she was sitting about two feet away from a campfire, which made me wonder how she was able to not die trying to take in the warmth of it. I informed him that I understood how repulsive my habit was and I would never think of blowing smoke all over others. I felt a tad insulted that it was assumed that because I smoked, I had no manners, and once he realized this, he was very nice to me even though his wife continued to glare at me while I smoked 75' downwind of the shelter (I later heard she herself used to smoke, and now feels the right to look down upon people for smoking).

Pony
11-09-2010, 17:02
I don't have a problem with smoking,it's the cigarette butts left laying around....

I roll my own on the trail, and when finished discard the unsmoked tobacco out of the cigarette, and then put the left over paper in a ziplock to be packed out. I also hate the butts on the ground and will usually pick up butts around shelters if I see them.

yari
11-09-2010, 19:57
Jesus, I am a smoker and a dog owner. From what I have read on this site it is beginning to feel like I must be the devil incarnate.

Everyone should remember that no matter how "clean" their habits and how considerate they may be, they are still guaranteed to piss off someone at some time. It is always a good idea to stop and think about what about you may be annoying before you attempt to school another on their bad habits.

Luddite
11-09-2010, 20:02
I'm gunna start telling people to cook their knorr and Ramen 75' downwind from me because I am deathly allergic to MSG. The stuff gives me severe headaches and I don't wanna take any chances of breathing in the steam.

Lone Wolf
11-09-2010, 20:13
Jesus, I am a smoker and a dog owner. From what I have read on this site it is beginning to feel like I must be the devil incarnate.


i know for a fact a lot of dog owners and smokers are illiterate. just about every day at The Place hostel during hiker season i have to point out the numerous, obvious signs that state NO SMOKING/NO DOGS on property. coupla weeks ago i reminded 2 SOBOs, 1 smoking the other with dog, on the property, to please obey the rules. they wrote some smart-azz remark in the register the next day

yari
11-09-2010, 20:14
i know for a fact a lot of dog owners and smokers are illiterate. just about every day at The Place hostel during hiker season i have to point out the numerous, obvious signs that state NO SMOKING/NO DOGS on property. coupla weeks ago i reminded 2 SOBOs, 1 smoking the other with dog, on the property, to please obey the rules. they wrote some smart-azz remark in the register the next day

I stand corrected, an illiterate devil incarnate.

Luddite
11-09-2010, 20:18
I stand corrected, an illiterate devil incarnate.

You should just stay home!:mad:

yari
11-09-2010, 20:20
You should just stay home!:mad:

Heh, or just stop reading this site. ;)

Luddite
11-09-2010, 20:21
Heh, or just stop reading this site. ;)

You know I was j/k, right?

yari
11-09-2010, 20:28
You know I was j/k, right?

Oh yes, of course. And so was I. I am incredibly thick skinned, it would take a hell of a lot more than that to offend or upset me.

I also tend to be very tolerant. I know I am hopelessly flawed so I am not surprised to find that others are as well.

Toolshed
11-09-2010, 20:47
Focus more on what you enjoy and less on what annoys you... You can't control others, only the way you respond....... (yada yada yada) .... so until that issue gets addressed, lay of the pot!
Sounds like it annoys you....Perhaps take your own advice?:banana

Lone Wolf
11-09-2010, 21:09
Sounds like it annoys you....Perhaps take your own advice?:banana

hopeless potheads think that way

mweinstone
11-09-2010, 21:16
the place would be closed for sure if not for lwolf being so kind. and it will close. and their will only be one reason. the reason has never changed or been redifinable in any way. it is an unmoveable and correct reason the place must close. because the parrishiners of the church whos gifts pay for it are not in complience with their own doctrin stateing no drugs or drinking or smokeing or pets will be supported useing the churchs resourses. simple. fair. and free minded people decided to give us the place to use. remember that. i dont like badmouthing the trails treasures. dont.

Sassafras Lass
11-10-2010, 11:21
I'm gunna start telling people to cook their knorr and Ramen 75' downwind from me because I am deathly allergic to MSG. The stuff gives me severe headaches and I don't wanna take any chances of breathing in the steam.

I'm guessing this is directed at me because of my post http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=1066793#post1066793 about processed food?

Sorry - didn't know opinions were not welcome here.

Luddite
11-10-2010, 12:48
I'm guessing this is directed at me because of my post http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=1066793#post1066793 about processed food?

Sorry - didn't know opinions were not welcome here.


No, it wasn't directed at anybody. I was just kidding. I try to stay eat natural food while I'm on the trail too.

bronconite
11-12-2010, 10:07
......Would I have a right to demand that the person doesn't smoke in the shelter and to do it else where?

You may have the "right" to demand whatever you want. However, in this scenerio, you don't have the "right" to take action to have your demand met and the smoker has no legal obligation to meet your demands.

I suppose you could call law enforcement, but they don't have the "power" to remove someone from public property for committing a legal act.

I am not a smoker.:D

4eyedbuzzard
11-12-2010, 11:27
Would I have a right to demand that the person doesn't smoke in the shelter and to do it else where?

You may have the "right" to demand whatever you want. However, in this scenerio, you don't have the "right" to take action to have your demand met and the smoker has no legal obligation to meet your demands. I suppose you could call law enforcement, but they don't have the "power" to remove someone from public property for committing a legal act. I am not a smoker.:D

Yeah, you have the right to demand all you want. ;) But you can't physically do anything to enforce your interpretation of the law yourself without committing assault. The problem is that (most) shelters aren't enclosed on all sides, nor are they work places, so the current laws are very gray (aka not applicable and/or unenforceable) as to the legality of smoking in a shelter. Add that some shelters are private structures of clubs, some are locally owned, some are state owned, some are federal - and the laws affecting smoking, and the laws and enforcement agencies are different for all.


It's as simple as this.If I liked to dump toxic waste on myself and were addicted to doing so, and I took my little vial of Acme Toxic Waste on the trail and upon arriving at a shelter, started splashing it upon myself, inevitably splashing others around me, don't you think it would be their right to tell me to piss off because they didn't want to be poisoned? Your poisonous addiction doesn't trump my health. It's not like drinking, where unless you get drive a car or attack me with something then it really doesn't affect me. If I ask you nicely to please take your cancer stick outside of a common area, you should scoot your butt outta there.

Well, it's not quite as simple as you suggest - that your health supercedes the behavior and / or presence of others. Yes, there are health risks associated with second hand smoke. Do I have a right to demand that a sick person who is coughing and sneezing leave a shelter? They are certainly exposing me to increased health risks by sneezing and coughing and filling the air with pathogens. They could choose not to be there. Do I have a right to demand that people using foam pads leave because the foam pads outgas carcinogenic chemical vapors? How about people using stoves in shelters, again with combustion by products?


:) I have no intention of actually coming across this blunt. I'll smile and ask sweetly but I can't get rid of the dislike deep down. Suppose that comes from growing up in a smoking household, always smelling like *****, never breathing fresh air indoors and just being forced to "deal" with it.I wouldn't think you would, nor would most smokers I know light up in a shelter unless they asked first, and they would certainly go downwind if asked.
I do have a life, and I prefer to be as free from formaldehyde, arsenic, DDT, benzene, cadmium, cyanide, ehtyl furoate, napthalene, polonium, and every other carcinogenic substance as much as possible.
That's going to be hard to find in the modern world. The burning of almost all organic materials liberates trace amounts of heavy metals and unburned hydrocarbons. Yes, smoking liberates some too, but these same compounds are found in vehicle exhaust, power plant exhaust, home heating oil exhaust, campfires, etc. and they are far greater contributers to what winds up in your lungs and body than any passing whiff of second hand tobacco smoke. People ingest many trace quantities of heavy metals and other compounds in the food they eat - even if it is grown "organically", and breathe in plenty of pollutants from vehicle and industrial sources - far more than those liberated from cigarette smoke. Yet virtually all people including non-smokers make choices that expose them, and others who may choose otherwise, to these chemicals . I just find the chemical exposure line to be a bit overplayed at times given the current status - we aren't talking about constant prolonged exposure to second hand smoke anymore. I'd rather non-smokers just say they don't like the smell, rather than use the insignificant increase in chemical pollution above what they absorb from all the other pollution sources (which they too are responsible for) out there. I just don't find it intellectually honest.

sumnere
11-12-2010, 15:45
I am a smoker. I just finished my thru hike of the AT. Although not necessary, I always asked before I lit a cigarette near a shelter. If I felt uncomfortable about smoking around people, I put some distance between us. Simple. If you are a non-smoker and dislike smoke, just ask the person POLITELY to move. If they don't, just deal with it. You have to deal with many more serious annoyances at shelters than smokers.

jesse
11-12-2010, 15:56
I am a smoker...tho I dont really smoke in the shelter. I would not have a problem steppin away if politely asked.

This is an example of typical rude behavior of smokers. Don't put people in position of having to ask you not to smoke. Many people have a passive personality and will not confront you. The will just put up with your nasty habit.

BTW what does "don't really smoke" mean?

Luddite
11-12-2010, 16:06
This is an example of typical rude behavior of smokers. Don't put people in position of having to ask you not to smoke. Many people have a passive personality and will not confront you. The will just put up with your nasty habit.

BTW what does "don't really smoke" mean?

This is an example of typical condescending behavior of non smokers. Don't put people in a position of thinking they are inferior human beings because they smoke.

jesse
11-12-2010, 16:06
"Excuse me, but would you mind putting that campfire out, the smoke really bothers me." Come on people, get a life. If you think a little tobacco smoke wafting your way is going to ruin your health, you may have some mental health issues. Just sayin..
( I no longer smoke tobacco or anything else.)

It ain't a health issue, I just don't want to smell that nasty $^@!.

jesse
11-12-2010, 16:07
This is an example of typical condescending behavior of non smokers. Don't put people in a position of thinking they are inferior human beings because they smoke.


They are..........................................

sumnere
11-12-2010, 16:15
I never met any rude hikers (including smokers), until I started reading threads on whiteblaze.

yari
11-12-2010, 18:37
This is an example of typical rude behavior of smokers. Don't put people in position of having to ask you not to smoke.

I find the this line of reasoning absolutely absurd. When you are asked if you mind something, a perfectly polite, tried and true method of making sure that other's needs are taken into consideration, tell the person asking what you think/feel/need. If you can not do something so simple and reasonable because you are too "passive" then the problem is entirely yours (and personally I would recommend that such a person get some professional help). It is NOT rude to ask "Do you mind if...", and it is not confrontational to say "Yes, that does bother me, I would appreciate if you did that somewhere else. Thanks for asking." This is a civilized and very acceptable way of getting along with other people.

mweinstone
11-12-2010, 18:41
the instant someone lights up,.....yell really loud"no! ""dont smoke in here" as if your in a fireworks factory that has just been accedently soaked in gasoline. then be all quiet and go to sleep. no one will smoke ever near you again. dont give any exsplanations. dont talk to anyone after you yell. go to sleep. and the smokers will smoke elswhere.

Luddite
11-12-2010, 19:31
Good day sir...................I said good day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0Rjn6W9jYk

thelowend
11-14-2010, 00:20
I do have a life, and I prefer to be as free from formaldehyde, arsenic, DDT, benzene, cadmium, cyanide, ehtyl furoate, napthalene, polonium, and every other carcinogenic substance as much as possible.

WORD UP!

this message was too short until i typed this

Different Socks
11-14-2010, 03:58
Thank you all for your responses. I apologize for using the word "demand". Many of you are right that I should not do that. As for a camp fire and its smoke: Usually, unless the heat of the fire is needed to keep the hikers warm and the cold at bay, if there is smoke entering the shelter, the fire will be put out.
I'm sorry but the same should be for cigarette smoke. If the smoke is entering the shelter and it bothering the non-smokers, the smoker should put it out or go a good distance away.