View Full Version : Smoking and Hiking
keepinitsimple
11-15-2011, 14:00
I picked up a pack of smokes after over a decade of being clean. Why? Long short story- another time. I smoked for 3 weeks and then did a short loop hike near Bake Oven Knob on Sunday. It was brutal. Smoking robbed me of strength, stamina, and desire. I was blown away at the health effects of smoking. Needless to say I put them down Sunday night. I don't want anything to interfere with my hiking. I don't get out too often and I want each trek to count. Cancer did not scare me away from the smokes, loosing my relationship with the mountain did. Just thought I would share.
I quit last wed morning. Its been tough, but i'm still hanging in there. Good Luck to you!!!
BobTheBuilder
11-15-2011, 14:15
I quit last wed morning. Its been tough, but i'm still hanging in there. Good Luck to you!!!
It might not seem like it, but after a week the worst is behind you. I quit 7 years, 3 months, and 3 days ago. It does get easier.
coach lou
11-15-2011, 14:26
200 packs of bubble gum helped me, I quit on the millenium. For the first 2 years I wanted to "enjoy" one.... but I kept thinking to myself... I can't carry that green bottle [oxygen] in my pack or Fishin' vest. I try not to be one of "those" none smokers, but now I gag just smelling some one who just finished one. I just can't figure out what I did with all that money?
ekeverette
11-15-2011, 14:35
thanks for sharing... i'm down to two a day... 1 in the morning with my coffee, and 1 before i go to bed. wish i could quit... it's harder than anything (for me).... i wish you luck...., hell, i wish me luck... love/hate relationship!
bamboo bob
11-15-2011, 17:03
I quit 30 years ago. It amazes me that there are so many smokers on the AT. Young mainly but older folks too. It was a shock the first time. Not just stoners, regular cigarettes.
Nutbrown
11-15-2011, 17:49
I quit about 10 years ago. One of the last things I quit was clove cigs. Had a love affare with them. Just recenly I was in Asheville on a nice vacation when I decided to have one for the fun of it. The fun lasted about 20 minutes. Then I was sick to my stomach and wanted to vom. Never again.
rocketsocks
11-15-2011, 18:26
I quit In 2003 july 4th,while on vacation and ended up in the hospital.Best thing I ever did for myself and for my family.Never go'in back,we all know where that leeds.Thanks for sharing.stay strong!
Quiting smoking is one of the hardest things in the world to do. I quit for the first time when I was 34 and about ten more times after that. Been good for about 20 years now. Still cuss them when I start getting short of breath going up a mountain. Then I think about some of my friends that didn't quit. They don't have to worry about getting short of breath anymore. Just sayin.
keepinitsimple
11-15-2011, 19:04
Wow, thought I was talking to myself on this thing. Thanks for all of the well wishing. I am a bit embarassed to have re-lapsed on tabacco after over 10 years. The truth is I have been sober for over a decade, and in a moment of weakness I went for something, and smoking seemed like the least to cause legal/social problems. But man oh man what a quick addiction. Keep on hiking yall, any clean / sober hikers out there?
rocketsocks
11-15-2011, 19:51
;)Sober since Aug 18th,2003 life is so much better,harder but better.Don't miss it at all.I now do the things I always wanted to do,but did'nt know how with out alcohol.No more thanks be to God,gotta have aceptance. P.S. still can't spell though "that I can live with";)
I have a huge aversion to ciggarettes - they are sickening for me to even be around -- now "smoking" -- that's something entirely different.
I picked up a pack of smokes after over a decade of being clean. Why? Long short story- another time. I smoked for 3 weeks and then did a short loop hike near Bake Oven Knob on Sunday. It was brutal. Smoking robbed me of strength, stamina, and desire. I was blown away at the health effects of smoking. Needless to say I put them down Sunday night. I don't want anything to interfere with my hiking. I don't get out too often and I want each trek to count. Cancer did not scare me away from the smokes, loosing my relationship with the mountain did. Just thought I would share.In addition to the negative effects of reduced physical capacity, smokers in general are also more prone to catching colds, which also seem to run longer and take longer to get over than their non-smoking counter parts. And to gauge the damaging effects of cigarettes, I have read that a person could actually gain 100 pounds over their current weight and still not do the damage to their body that a one pack a day habit will do.
coach lou
11-15-2011, 21:05
Oh DapperD you reminded me of one drawback to ME stopping smoking, in these 11 years I have gained 15 pounds!!!
Oh DapperD you reminded me of one drawback to ME stopping smoking, in these 11 years I have gained 15 pounds!!!They say smoking does help one to keep some weight off, but at what expense:-?. You probably not only enjoy food so much more now, but also feel overall a lot healthier.
ekeverette
11-15-2011, 21:35
i kinda guessed you were in the program when your sign is keepitsimple.... yep, 1 day at a time for me.... don't ever want that pain again..... good luck to ya!
vamelungeon
11-15-2011, 21:43
I smoked from age 12 to age 47. I've been off the things for 4 years now, and it's getting easier. I used to dream about smoking and there are times when I REALLY want to smoke but it happens less and less often. I quit for the same reasons, not having the wind to get up a hill or stairs. I quit using Chantix after trying cold turkey many times before. I used nicotine gum along with the Chantix for a while. Different people quit using different methods but that's what worked for me.
coach lou
11-15-2011, 21:51
I'll get "blista's on my finga's" listing all the positives to quitting.......I just wish I new where that money went!
I quit well over a decade ago. A few years back, I tried "just one", and literally fell to my knees in pleasure! I didn't keep at it, but I sure thought about it for weeks afterwards.
It's a serious addiction-- I still crave it. I won't start again, though, because I don't know if I could quit again! So glad I quit, though.
Freedom Walker
11-15-2011, 22:48
I'll get "blista's on my finga's" listing all the positives to quitting.......I just wish I new where that money went!
I work in a retail store and when someone buys a carton of cigarettes and spends between 45 and $50, all I can think of is what they could buy with all that money spent on cigarettes. Why I could even go UL with the money saved. But I don't smoke so I'll have to find the money elsewhere. Those of you trying to quit, hang in there. Think of the hiking gear you can buy with the savings.
keepinitsimple
11-16-2011, 10:37
OMG, the money for tobacco. 1st thing my wife says is "What did you buy for $6.08 at the store". It shows up on the debit card- man that woman is quick- I often refer to her as my "best mule"- sick, but she gets it. In the 3 weeks I smoked I think I spent over $100. Could have bought some new gear for sure.
Truth is, my relationship with God starts with the natural world, I only found that after getting sober. Smoking totally F'd-up that expereince. Funny thing - I don't go to church, at all, but I don't knock them- ironically, I find myself in more church basements than you can imagin. I like to say I am in God's night program. Anyhow, I can't spell either.
coach lou
11-16-2011, 10:42
$9.00 per pack in Connecticut.... of course we are taxed to death in this Blue state!
I quit smoking cigarettes about 15-20 years ago. They were definitely a drag on the energy. But I now have been smoking nice cigars for the past year. I know they are still not good for you but since you don't inhale they don't bother the lung capacity like cigarettes. But they are pricey buggers for sure.
Nothing better than a long walk in the woods followed by nice Alex Bradley or a Gran Habano and an IPA out on the deck.
Buffalo Skipper
11-16-2011, 11:19
;)Sober since Aug 18th,2003 life is so much better,harder but better.Don't miss it at all.I now do the things I always wanted to do,but did'nt know how with out alcohol.No more thanks be to God,gotta have aceptance. P.S. still can't spell though "that I can live with";)
Hey rocketsocks, I quit just two weeks after you, September 3, 2003. I smoked for 19 years before that. I can say that I wish I had never smoked, as I think I still have a reduced lung capacity, most noticable when walking uphill. I will be tried this weekend at Cheaha on the Pinhoti. Glad I never looked back.
keepingitsimple (and anyone else quitting), Hang in there. The temporary suffering associated with quitting is replaced with the amazing satisifaction of having beat those little things. In spite of feeling a little winded uphill, I feel stronger and healthier than I ever did when I smoked, even though I never realized it when I did.
Jeffrey Scott Wise
11-16-2011, 11:28
on the same wagon myself, down to 2 a day, but nothing will get in my way of my date with Mt. Katy fall of 2013.
i quit two weeks ago - had a brief relapse this weekend with one pack - and am now back on the patch, chewing toothpicks, and doing ok. i will not smoke and hike, and $300/month will be better spent on pizza and hotel rooms while hiking. i wish you the best of luck keepinitsimple. stopping smoking is the hardest thing i've EVER tried to do, and i've tried many times over the past 35+ years.
TV
Doc Mike
11-16-2011, 13:16
Hey Y'all your hurting my buisness by encouraging the quitting. As a physician everytime I see someone smoking I know sooner or later they will need my services, and alot more often. Best of luck to those that are trying, I'm gonna continue my 3-4 cigars per year. For all those still smoking thanks for supporting the economy....lol
coach lou
11-16-2011, 13:20
DOC, you should design a pack with a pocket for the green bottle.
Longest I've been off them is 15 years. Definitly is a better hike without the habit. Good luck staying off them. The times I've started back it takes about a month for the bad effects to kick in. Last time I was able to kick it was 2 days on a 14mg patch, one on a 7mg patch, and then one bad afternoon and it was pretty much over.
grimtongue
11-16-2011, 13:30
Friend of Bill here too. June 18 2003. on top of that this past Oct. marked two years tobacco free. Thank heavens for H.P. And Chantix.
Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk
birdygal
11-16-2011, 18:11
I smoked 2 packs a day for 37 yrs I have been free of tobacco thanks to Chantix for 4 yrs and 5 months now, Every time I quit in those 37 yrs I would put so much weight on I would go back to smoking just to take the weight back off, I finally realized you have to face quitting and the stress of it I should quit before my lungs are incapable of inhaling , I watched both of my parents bedridden and on Oxygen 10 yrs before smoking finally killed them, My brother only smoked 10 yrs longer than me he died 4 months ago from Lung Cancer, I picked up my first Hiking stick and started hiking 2 months after I quit and have not stopped
Sierra Echo
11-16-2011, 20:35
I smoked for 15 years and quit my 2 pack day habit almost 6 years ago. And I did it cold turkey. I was an evil, evil little girl for a while! :mad: Bwah ahahhahahahhaaa, but now I'm happy again! :D
Slo-go'en
11-16-2011, 22:03
Two weeks in a hospital bed with an infected liver abcess a year ago last May got me to kick the habit. Hardly noticed I couldn't smoke for the first week, by the second I didn't care. Didn't see much point of starting again when they let me go home.
Definately noticed the difference a year later when I did my 500 miles this spring. Could definately go up hills at a steadier rate and with less huffing and puffing. Don't stop to rest as much either. No need to stop once an hour to have a smoke. But I do miss stopping once an hour to have a smoke...
SmokyMtn Hiker
11-16-2011, 22:12
I quit almost 13 years ago when the price hit about $2.50 a pack and now I think they are twice that or more. I now can't hardly stand the smell of one or the smell of someone, for example a guy I work with, walks up to you and wants to have a conversation after a smoke break and he smells like a walking ash tray. Good luck to those trying to quit and those that have and trying to stay off them.
SassyWindsor
11-16-2011, 22:45
Smokers are just one of the reasons non-smokers should steer clear of shelters. It's amazing how tossing a butt to the ground or off-trail seems to be considered practicing LNT, at least to some.
stranger
11-17-2011, 01:37
I picked up a pack of smokes after over a decade of being clean. Why? Long short story- another time. I smoked for 3 weeks and then did a short loop hike near Bake Oven Knob on Sunday. It was brutal. Smoking robbed me of strength, stamina, and desire. I was blown away at the health effects of smoking. Needless to say I put them down Sunday night. I don't want anything to interfere with my hiking. I don't get out too often and I want each trek to count. Cancer did not scare me away from the smokes, loosing my relationship with the mountain did. Just thought I would share.
Yeah...I smoked for 20 years, it didn't have a huge impact on my hiking but I'm very glad to have quit a couple years ago now. I don't hold the view that quitting smoking is all that difficult, I think if smoking is the only thing you've had to kick, perhaps it can be tough...but in reality, getting off the smokes is relatively easy compared to other things. This does not mean it's easy, but easy compared to other things. I still miss it, and for some reason it appears to be common amongst hikers...but I'm done with it.
Glad ta hear all you kicking the habit. I'm still trying and yes, those uphills suck the wind out of us smokers. I work in surgery so I'm not allowed to smoke at work because I can't go outside in scrubs. I figure if I can quit smoking while at work I should be able to after hours. Also it helps that a lot of bars I go to are now non smoking establishments so I even smoke less when out for a few beers. I know I'll miss smoking but it's gotta go. Anyone have luck with those electronic cigarettes? Not as a replacement but as a way of coping when the urge really hits.
innermountain
11-17-2011, 13:31
That's amazing it had such a big effect on you! I smoked a bit for 3 years in college and have never missed it. I now run a hiking/backpacking company and have seen guests who smoke struggle. They can be strong of muscle but weak of lungs, and it just doesn't work. Stay strong!
I smoked during my thru in 2006. After that I quit and have not had one since. Its amazing how I still have urges once in a while to have a smoke, but they quickly come and go. I agree with those who have said smelling someone who has just had a cigarette smell like an ashtray. Its nasty! And sometimes I dont mind the smell while someone is smoking and other times I want to vommit. Im so glad I quit and I wish the best of luck to those who are trying to quit. You can do it if you really want to.
I quit using Chantix. It gave me HORRIBLE nightmares, but really helped with the cravings during the first month or so. I know I was a bear to be around then, lol.
johnnybgood
11-17-2011, 17:50
This isn't related to hiking ( a little latitude mods. ) , but don't look now , health care corporations are beginning a new trend of not hiring prospective candidates if they smoke because of the health related maladies that smoking causes.
I'm also guessing that the image factor plays a role here too.
Bon Secours is the first major health care provider to implement this new policy in the State of Virginia .
This is now being closely watched by Hospital Corporation of America which is also a major player in the health care business.
As for me I don't smoke but if offered a fine cigar as a good will gesture while on the trail or in town , I'd have no problem smoking that bad boy . :)
Lion King
11-17-2011, 18:08
Im lucky or genetically able to deal at some level.
I smoked 1-2 packs a day for 2-3 years and just stopped.
No patch, no gum, just stopped.
Now, if I choose to have one with a beer, or at trail days with all the cig smokers I know, I'll have 1-3 and not beat myself up over it because I have zero longing to go buy a pack the next day.
In fact, some cigarettes I cant even get through a whole one, my mouth tastes horrible, my fingers and clothes stink and then I tell myself, "My girlfriend and family always knew I was smoking" when I thought they didnt know.
A smoker isnt aware of just how bad they smell.
when I hike now, I can smell a smoker coming the other direction 5 minutes before Ive seen them. and I did gain about 20 LBs that will not go away, no matter how much I hike.
But the lungs are strong and clear. So if you want to quit, get someone to drop you at a trailhead with 2 cigarettes, smoke one and save the other one for camp and say goodbye to it. then go hiking for a week into the Smokies where you cant get out and you will have a few days to not smoke and you can beat it if you get over that 3 day hump. really.
stranger
11-17-2011, 23:06
Smoking was in my head, almost entirely. Once I realized I had to quit, because it was only going to damage me and potentially kill me...it got real, real simple. I think it's hard to quit for people who don't understand this fact yet, the ones who think it's possible to smoke long term without consequence. But once you know it and feel it, then you quit...or you get sick, maybe die.
I was a smoker on the trail (hopefully I was considered one of the considerate ones). I'll be one year quit in January, and I really loved to smoke. I used the nicotine lozenges, here in Florida if you sign up for the Quitline they'll send you the first six weeks' worth for free.
It's hard for me to even picture myself smoking, now. I think no matter what method you use-nicotine patches or pills or cold turkey-the deciding factor is that you just have to make up your mind when you put out that last butt that you're not ever going to smoke again, period. A few people I know tried to quit around the same time as I did and started up again, and I think the phrase I heard most when they started was 'I'll try to quit'.
I did find that I got really horrible cravings around 4 months, though. I've heard from others that they had the same thing happen (though the time varies). It only lasted for a few days, though.
I did gain some weight, but I figure it's a fair trade.