if you see people smoking pot you can just say hello and keep hiking. trust me, they won't be getting up to chase you.
Don't mind passing it on occasion. But I certainly don't want to be dealing with it at camp. As long as people are respectful and I'm not really exposed to it, I won't care. I'm much less concerned with drinking, especially in moderation. I'm sure I'll have some alcohol from time to time. But I can't remember the last time I got stupid with it. Only ever at my place or a buddy's.
Its not stupid drunk you that you need to worry about. Its all the othe stupid drunks that want to get rowdy. Ever see someone get rowdy smoking pot? Me neither.Originally Posted by lilgodwin
You'll be aware of it being around, but like others have said people will be discreet because they don't want to share.
I was surprised by three related things when I hiked the AT:
1) the high percentage of tobacco smokers, yikes! must have been close to 50% in the southern states. I'm not passing judgement, just an observation.
2) the LACK of weed smokers that were evident. I guess I'm used to open pot smoking in CO, and folks back there are much more discreet, given the silly laws against it.
3) Cigarettes as trail magic! My wife and I were blown away (and kind-of tickled) when we stopped at a very busy trail magic station in NC (or TN?) where the guy was giving away machine-rolled cigarettes and moonshine. We did partake in the 'shine, of course....
50%? really???
that seems unbelievably high as I live in ATL and hiked in all seasons through most of the southern states and never saw as many as 1 in 10 using tobacco. are you sure you're not exaggerating a little?..
I'm not purposely exaggerating, and I didn't say "50%", I said close to 50%, and that sure is what it seemed like. Have you hiked in the bubble on the southern AT? It had to be 35-40%, if not actually close to 50%. Or, I'm completely deluded! But, again, I'm not purposely exaggerating.
Ooo, homemade shine I presume/hope.
I see it (and smell it) all the time when I'm out there. Doesn't bother me one bit. Most folks are pleasant, if not fun to talk to when they're blitzed. I never indulge and most hikers don't even offer. On the other hand, drunk hikers can be some obnoxious a-holes.
It's all good in the woods.
I'd rather be around weed all day everyday then be around druck people. Personal preference. But if you ask nicely if its bothering you most weed smokers will be happy to move a ways or put it up. If your cool they will most times be cool back. Some people really do use it as medicine.
A lot of opinions here conflict entirely with what I saw.
- Most of the stoners did offer to share, and asked if it bothered anyone before they lit up or vaped. Generally quite courteous.
- Some of the stoners were rowdy. As in not aware that they were speaking loudly, or what the time was. For that matter some sober people were rowdy and loud, but the drunk people were by far the loudest group as a whole.
- Some of the stoners were capable of moving at high speeds. There was one pair of guys who slept til noon, and then flew past me each day for a week. I'm fairly certain they were hiking high. I know one who shredded his feet with blisters initially because he was hiking high, and just didn't notice or care that his feet were a mess.
- I'd guess about 50% of the people on the trail were getting high. It wasn't always evident, as some only got high at night, and others spent the entire hike pretty much brainless.
Overall, people smoking barely impacted my overall experience and enjoyment of the trail. Unless you actively seek confrontation, no one is going to bother you.
You see a lot of it at the beginning of the hike. They tend to be some of the first people to drop off the trail. There are exceptions, but in general, they don't last long. If you start the trail in Georgia in March expect to see it pretty much every night if you stay at a shelter.
I'd say this is pretty accurate. I'm not a pot smoker and don't specifically look for it, and I've only noticed it being done maybe a handful of times. I've also run into some of the cigarette smokers, and that's usually not been a big issue either. I'm a bit surprised (as are others on here) when thru rolls in after doing 20 miles and then smokes a cigarette.
I wouldn't worry too much about the smokers on the trail, it's the "non-hiker hikers" that are the problem. These are the people that are out for their one big adventure of a lifetime, and they don't have any trail etiquette. For example, on my last hike I camped at Liberty Spring Campsite (in the Whites), which has 10 platforms and a fee, and some tool and his woman who were setup on the platform next to me were talking loudly until about 2 AM in the morning. I rarely see this kind of behavior from thrus, section hikers and other experienced hikers.
AT: 2007-2019 (45 sections)
JMT: 2013
As I recall people were still pretty respectful in the beginning say Georgia up until about Hot Springs they smoked more discretely. As the hike goes on the people that like to smoke find one another and form groups, then the discretion goes out the window. One thing I will say that in general when fellow hikers know that you don't smoke (either or) they are usually pretty respectful of your space, which I really appreciated.
fair enough, but to be clear, I am talking about tobacco use, not the wacky tabacky...
and no I've not hiked the bubble as I try to avoid the crowds in the woods (kind of not what I'm out there for) so you could be 100% accurate at the the time you saw it.
but I'd have to say that I have never seen tobacco use in anything other than a great minority. your mentioning it that you saw it on among NOBOs in the bubble leads me to believe it may have more to do with that than people from the South who hike...
Yes, I was talking about tobacco, not weed, which I saw (and smelled) surprisingly little of. Also: tobacco use seemed to drop off significantly further north.
BTW: even though I saw tons of smoking (cigs), it was never bothersome to me at all.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
