Poll: Tobacco & nicotine, and canoe stories about use

[Stevador]

Well - I started with cheap cigars back on college (late 60s) cause they were just that- cheap! But over the years the one thing that I learned was that better cigars -and I mean that not all “better “cigars are good but the majority are! And after all life is short as they say…But these days I generally don’t get in my canoe without having one cued up and at the ready! I will say that I have gotten good at fishing also with one in my mouth though having a third hand at times would be helpful. And yes I know I should not smoke them but it’s not that often that I do and every doc I see says the same thing but WTF- at 72 I should have some fun- sorry heart doctor…

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

how about a rule that in a post on "Let's Get Together" MUST include what is and what is not wanted in a paddling companion.

Many paddling get-togethers are day trips, so smoking, drinking or drugging are probably not intolerable issues. However, I agree they can be very big issues on extended overnight trips. I think it's a very good idea for a trip leader/organizer to clearly specify and screen acceptable behaviors for participants, especially for trips that will attract participants who are strangers or otherwise unknown.

I've been on both sides of the smoking/drinking divide in my life (I've never drugged), and I've definitely been uncomfortable on both sides when the group included both heavy partakers and abstainers.

 

[ppine]

Tobacco is best used on canoe trips as a traditional offering.

 

[Keeled Over]

When I first found out I was diabetic my reaction was, just don't let me go blind. Now, smoking is a wonderful thing. Around a campfire, when warming hands after releasing a steelhead, etc. I loved cigarettes.

Then at an eye Dr. appointment I was told I have one spoke of a cataract. Dr. states this is unusual for a person my age who doesn't smoke, but fair game for a smoker. I asked it the spoke would go away if I stopped smoking (no) but I could avoid getting more if I stopped. So, with a big fishing trip 2 months away, where I knew I would smoke, ever time I took a drag on a cig I reminded myself I was one step closer to going blind. Kept doing this till the trip and when I retuned I went in the back yard, smoked three cigs and strapped a patch on. Have not had one since 11/1/06.

 

[yknpdlr]

Why anyone as a youth (or otherwise) would ever begin to smoke has always escaped me. Wha a horrible thing to to to your body and your life. i could never stand to be around anyone who was smoking. No one who I consider a friend and I associate with is a smoker. I remeber when in the military, at times when I had to be in a briefing room there were ash trays on the back of every seat, and they were being used all around me. That went on the list of one reason of why I left the military when I did.

The same is true of unnecessary or illegal drug use. Certainly when in college the dorms reeked of the stuff, but I was never tempted and never "experimented" in any way, not even once in my life. And I am proud of that fact.

 

[MyKneesHurt]

I smoked until I couldn't smoke, dipped until I couldn't dip, and still miss Copenhagen when I get agitated. But I'm years clear of anything more addictive than cinnamon toothpicks.
I remember doing a 300-or-so mile stretch of the AT and having to get off every few days, pay for a shuttle, get into town and buy tobacco. I'm glad I don't have to do that any more.
But the topic reminded me of one of my favorite writers, Algernon Blackwood, who wrote sort of "eco-horror" tales of the woods and forests. (Can you imagine a better name for a writer of the macabre?) His stories, especially "The Willows" and "The Wendigo", feature canoes and smoking and are a pleasure to read or listen to.

 

[stripperguy]

I took two puffs on a cigarette when I was 14 years old.
After promptly gagging, I was told that “you have to get used to it”! I figured anything you HAVE to get used to is not worth doing.
I’ve never tolerated cigarette smoke, especially as a child at smoke infested family gatherings.
I watched both my beloved mother in law and my dear father in law, commit a long slow suicide by smoking. Both of their deaths were attributable directly to the long term effects of smoking.
On any canoe trip, if others want to smoke, fine…but please do so downwind from me.
In todays day and age, I can’t fathom why anyone would start that suicidal trip.

 

[MyKneesHurt]

I was told that “you have to get used to it”! I figured anything you HAVE to get used to is not worth doing.

I've had a life-long aversion to suits, office jobs, and cocktail parties for exactly this reason!

 

[Bailan]

The informational aspect if this poll topic is another about site demographics: how we currently use tobacco or nicotine, if at all. The discussion aspect can be stories about tobacco usage while canoeing now; or, more likely since many of us may have given up tobacco, it can be stories from the past.

I haven't used tobacco or nicotine products for 40 years, having given up smoking at age 36 after beginning at age 18. So, I really had quit before any serious canoe tripping. However, I do have one story that went on for years.

My initial 18 years of serious paddle-mania was mostly whitewater canoeing. A long-time whitewater tripping friend and frequent tandem partner, Tom, was a smoker. He used to smoke while running rapids and then throw his butts in the bottom of the canoe. I asked him why he did this instead of just chucking them in the river like everyone else. He said something to the effect that his practice was more conducive to preventing water pollution and ecological harm. Okay, environmentally correct, Tom.

Of course, running hard whitewater in open canoes inevitably results in a canoe filling with water several times a day. This necessitates frequent and quick bailing between rapids with a scoop, or pulling over to the bank to dump the whole boat out. Consequently, Tom's boat was always completely butt free at the end of every trip. When asked about the efficacy of his butt practice, he said, "I try but the river doesn't always comply."

This went on for years until Tom gave up smoking. Not a story of model ecology, but I'm more interested in true experiences with tobacco than politically correct silence.

I quit smoking about 15 years ago, but I definitely have my share of canoe stories with tobacco. On weekend paddles, a few friends still smoked, and like your friend, they had their own little rituals to keep the boat clean. I remember one guy would stash his cigarette butts in a small tin rather than toss them overboard, which actually worked pretty well once we hit rough water and the canoe filled with river water.
The funny part is that despite all our efforts, the smell always lingered in the boat for hours afterward. Looking back, I think those trips made me more aware of how annoying smoking can be in close spaces—and probably helped push me toward quitting completely.For anyone thinking about alternatives or safer ways to enjoy nicotine without affecting outdoor trips, the Wotofo Nexpod kit offers a compact, travel-friendly option that avoids the mess of traditional cigarettes. It’s easy to carry on paddles and low maintenance.

 

[yknpdlr]

I don't paddle with any known cigarette smokers, but with the rare exception of during heavy bug season, one or two companions may light up stinky cigars. I stay well clear of them, preferring to endure and smell like smashed bugs rather than tobacco smoke.

I have read that French-Canadian Voyageurs, during those days of old, would paddle while smoking their pipe between portages. A full pipe would last until it was next time to take a break to reload their bellies on pemmican for energy on the next "pip" as the next pipe smoking river paddling distance segment was called.