To all the hikers that drink alcohol while on the trail......

[Different Socks]

Lately I've noticed among some of the topics that many of you believe it is adamantly necessary to drink alcohol when at a town stop. If others are going you join them, or you make it a point that if there is nothing else to do to go to the nearest bar, lounge or get something at a store. It's been stated by more than several people that they drink for hours and excessively when in town.
That was and still will not be part of any long trail hike for me. When I did the AT in 1992, there was perhaps 2 people out of all those that I met that did regular visits to the town bars and not many joined them. In fact it was looked down on, but since there wasn't too many doing it, the majority just looked the other way.
On the PCT/CDT and other trails, alcohol on the trail was non-existent. Off the trail it was casual, like many 1 beer every 3rd or 4th town stop. I do drink, it's just not on my list of things to do when I get to town.
So, if you plan to do a long trail any time in the next 4-6 years, remind me to steer clear of you because I can think of better ways to spend my money in town.
As for the non-drinkers out there, or those that simply don't drink when you get to town, looking forward to meeting you on the trail!

[MuddyWaters]

Have you ever stopped at a convenience store on the way home from work, say around 5 pm?
A significant portion of the population stops and buys 6pack or half case, every day on their way home. Some small stores exist primarily on beer sales.

When I worked for Marathon Petroleum in the late 80s, Marathon operated Speedway foodstores.
They made more money selling beer and cigarettes, than gasoline. They were not primarily an oil company, they were primarily a beer and cigarette retailer.
That is unfortunately many peoples daily way of life.
No reason to expect the AT to be lacking in such folks.

[Papa D]

When I'm on the trail, I don't drink, except a little pick me up in the morning, and a little glass of wine with lunch, and, of course, a little wine with dinner, and then the obligatory shot or three of liquor at the campsite - aside from that, I don't drink a drop and agree with you. :-) burp.

[Papa D]

When I'm on the trail, I don't drink, except a little pick me up in the morning, and a little glass of wine with lunch, and, of course, a little wine with dinner, and then the obligatory shot or three of liquor at the campsite - aside from that, I don't drink a drop and agree with you. :-) burp.

I'm kidding, of course. When I'm in a town, I might have a couple - aside from that, I'm sober as a judge - - it's a weird post though - - I drink a little but only want to associate with non-drinkers - so what?

[WhiplashEm]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMhgyzUC5S0

[chief]

Different Socks is trolling. Get with it, moderators.

[Different Socks]

Different Socks is trolling. Get with it, moderators.

Nice try, but I am not trolling. I don't even know what that it is.

This is just an issue that is just like over use of cell phones on the trail: It used to scarcely seen or encountered, but now seems to be much more prevalent on the trails, especially the AT.

[hikerboy57]

Nice try, but I am not trolling. I don't even know what that it is.

This is just an issue that is just like over use of cell phones on the trail: It used to scarcely seen or encountered, but now seems to be much more prevalent on the trails, especially the AT.

cellphones and alcohol are a bigger issue off the trail than on the trail. and you deal with it the same way

[Sly]

Different Socks is trolling. Get with it, moderators.

Not my forum, but I tend to agree.

I especially like this part, "when I hiked in '92 blah, blah, blah... " Well it's not 1992 any longer, the dry south sells beer in most towns, the north don't give a damn, and hikers on the western trails also imbibe from time to time.

[Different Socks]

Not my forum, but I tend to agree.

I especially like this part, "when I hiked in '92 blah, blah, blah... " Well it's not 1992 any longer, the dry south sells beer in most towns, the north don't give a damn, and hikers on the western trails also imbibe from time to time.

"when I hiked in 92" was used as a comparison. Do so many of you really don't mind being around heavy drinkers? What if the person was on carrying drugs or pot and was using it at the end of every day and at the shelters. And why is it that some of you answer that the way to deal with people like this is to simply not stay in a shelter?

AGAIN I WILL SAY IT!! In 1992, years before and after, very few of the people that I met(there were several hundred) did not do pot, carry drugs, or drink excessively in trail. In fact the only person that anyone was bothered by was the thru hiker that carried a gun in his pack. At least until Shenandoah where he got caught and put in jail for possession of it.
Yes, there were some drinkers, but luckily for me and others in the loose we group we had, none of us did it excessively. Actually, none of us smoked either.
I said in the OP, if after hiking with you and going into towns with you, one of the things you do is get drunk every time, I will get ahead of you or slow down simply to be out of your presence. On the trail that person may be great to hike with, but if off trail turns into a bad experience more than once, I'd begin to question whether I'd want to continue hiking with them.
What is wrong with that?

[Chaco Taco]

"when I hiked in 92" was used as a comparison. Do so many of you really don't mind being around heavy drinkers? What if the person was on carrying drugs or pot and was using it at the end of every day and at the shelters. And why is it that some of you answer that the way to deal with people like this is to simply not stay in a shelter?

AGAIN I WILL SAY IT!! In 1992, years before and after, very few of the people that I met(there were several hundred) did not do pot, carry drugs, or drink excessively in trail. In fact the only person that anyone was bothered by was the thru hiker that carried a gun in his pack. At least until Shenandoah where he got caught and put in jail for possession of it.
Yes, there were some drinkers, but luckily for me and others in the loose we group we had, none of us did it excessively. Actually, none of us smoked either.
I said in the OP, if after hiking with you and going into towns with you, one of the things you do is get drunk every time, I will get ahead of you or slow down simply to be out of your presence. On the trail that person may be great to hike with, but if off trail turns into a bad experience more than once, I'd begin to question whether I'd want to continue hiking with them.
What is wrong with that?

Well some people are better at hiding it than others. I know that there are some hikers that hiked during that same time that were notorious for getting hammered in town.

[Different Socks]

Well some people are better at hiding it than others. I know that there are some hikers that hiked during that same time that were notorious for getting hammered in town.

Okay, so just asking: Did you try to avoid or hope you didn't run into these hikers that were notorious for getting hammered in town stops?

[Sly]

"when I hiked in 92" was used as a comparison. Do so many of you really don't mind being around heavy drinkers? What if the person was on carrying drugs or pot and was using it at the end of every day and at the shelters. And why is it that some of you answer that the way to deal with people like this is to simply not stay in a shelter?

AGAIN I WILL SAY IT!! In 1992, years before and after, very few of the people that I met(there were several hundred) did not do pot, carry drugs, or drink excessively in trail. In fact the only person that anyone was bothered by was the thru hiker that carried a gun in his pack. At least until Shenandoah where he got caught and put in jail for possession of it.
Yes, there were some drinkers, but luckily for me and others in the loose we group we had, none of us did it excessively. Actually, none of us smoked either.
I said in the OP, if after hiking with you and going into towns with you, one of the things you do is get drunk every time, I will get ahead of you or slow down simply to be out of your presence. On the trail that person may be great to hike with, but if off trail turns into a bad experience more than once, I'd begin to question whether I'd want to continue hiking with them.
What is wrong with that?

OK, thanks for the warning.

Regardless if I get drunk, in town, on trail, or smoke, or not, at least you've made it perfectly clear, regardless of your other habits, YOU'RE the type I don't want to hike with. (you sound too boring and too judgmental).

[Winds]

OK, thanks for the warning.

Regardless if I get drunk, in town, on trail, or smoke, or not, at least you've made it perfectly clear, regardless of your other habits, YOU'RE the type I don't want to hike with. (you sound too boring and too judgmental).

Sly, are you a moderator here?

If so, you are FAR too involved in this topic and more so as a person who is an "authority" here, you are entirely out of line.

[Chaco Taco]

Lately I've noticed among some of the topics that many of you believe it is adamantly necessary to drink alcohol when at a town stop. If others are going you join them, or you make it a point that if there is nothing else to do to go to the nearest bar, lounge or get something at a store. It's been stated by more than several people that they drink for hours and excessively when in town.
That was and still will not be part of any long trail hike for me. When I did the AT in 1992, there was perhaps 2 people out of all those that I met that did regular visits to the town bars and not many joined them. In fact it was looked down on, but since there wasn't too many doing it, the majority just looked the other way.
On the PCT/CDT and other trails, alcohol on the trail was non-existent. Off the trail it was casual, like many 1 beer every 3rd or 4th town stop. I do drink, it's just not on my list of things to do when I get to town.
So, if you plan to do a long trail any time in the next 4-6 years, remind me to steer clear of you because I can think of better ways to spend my money in town.
As for the non-drinkers out there, or those that simply don't drink when you get to town, looking forward to meeting you on the trail!

I call bulls***. Dude do you know how this post makes you sound?

[Different Socks]

I call bulls***. Dude do you know how this post makes you sound?

Yes, I know how this makes me sound!! I am not out there to get high, drunk, or wasted by drugs. But it seems as if the number of people that make up the crowd of people on the trail each years grows.
I hiked a section of the trail in VA a number of years ago. I couldn't believe the crap I heard that hikers were comitting while doing their hike: trashing a golf cart, hikers stealing from other hikers as well as places in town, hikers getting totally stoned or drunk then coming back to the hostel, inn, or motel wrackeed out of their minds and trashing the place they stayed.
These are not the people I would want to hang with--WOULD YOU?

[Mountain Mike]

Yes, I know how this makes me sound!! I am not out there to get high, drunk, or wasted by drugs. But it seems as if the number of people that make up the crowd of people on the trail each years grows.
I hiked a section of the trail in VA a number of years ago. I couldn't believe the crap I heard that hikers were comitting while doing their hike: trashing a golf cart, hikers stealing from other hikers as well as places in town, hikers getting totally stoned or drunk then coming back to the hostel, inn, or motel wrackeed out of their minds and trashing the place they stayed.
These are not the people I would want to hang with--WOULD YOU?

No, but the guy that has a nip or two at end of a long day hiking, yeah I'd hike with them. Seem a few bad apples at hostels & towns give majority of hikers a bad name.

[Train Wreck]

Yes, I know how this makes me sound!! I am not out there to get high, drunk, or wasted by drugs. But it seems as if the number of people that make up the crowd of people on the trail each years grows.
I hiked a section of the trail in VA a number of years ago. I couldn't believe the crap I heard that hikers were comitting while doing their hike: trashing a golf cart, hikers stealing from other hikers as well as places in town, hikers getting totally stoned or drunk then coming back to the hostel, inn, or motel wrackeed out of their minds and trashing the place they stayed.
These are not the people I would want to hang with--WOULD YOU?

No, who in their right mind would? The OP didn't make it exactly clear if it was bad behavior, or just drinking, that bothers you. Although I realize that one is fueled by the other.

[kayak karl]

As for the non-drinkers out there, or those that simply don't drink when you get to town, looking forward to meeting you on the trail!

haven't had a drink in 8 months (health), but don't look for me. i don't think i would look forward to meeting you. i little too judgmental for me.

[Different Socks]

haven't had a drink in 8 months (health), but don't look for me. i don't think i would look forward to meeting you. i little too judgmental for me.

So I am being judgmental b/c I wish to not hike with people that all they want to do is drink when they get to town?