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It was nowhere near the worst I've experienced on the trail, but having just returned from a hike in which I was almost wafted away by the perfume of an obvious "city hiker"(no water bottle, flat shoes, oblivious to the surroundings) as she passed by, it got me to thinking what other HAZ'ers would think. After a quick search and not finding a previous thread or poll I figured I'd throw down the gauntlet...
Let the jousting begin.

FYI, option #2 is my choice... while a basic deodorant is fine, ok, probably a good thing if it is noticeable just in passing, it's too much. But then I get headaches from smoke, perfumes, etc. in confined areas anyway.

Ok, have at it... :STP:
And please, don't hold back your horror stories... like someone reeking so bad of perfume you were afraid of an explosion if they got too close to the campfire.

Hmm, I'm not judgmental, I love all of gods creations and the creations within. Okay, Nick does lather up a little heavy on Fiori di Capri at times Guess I'd fall between don't care and hate it, though I'm not to either extreme.

I'll take the perfume any day over the person who chooses not to bathe and/or use deodorant. I once had to stop and let a guy get a half mile or so in front of me so I could breathe without gagging...

Well, there are some hardcore types who wear those five finger things, but anyway I too hate fragrance on the trail,. Thing is, perfume and intentional scents are hardly ever smelled by me. What I really hate are the smells of people's laundry detergents, usually mixed with a little sweat and possibly deodorant. I use unscented hypoallergenic soaps and laundry detergent, so I really smell it when someone passes me on the trail who like to smell like a corporations idea of what "fresh" is. It always stinks to me. Last May when I packed for 5 days in the Gila and didn't see anyone for 3 days the first smell that I smelled of a human was their detergent scents. That is one putrid stench. Why does "fresh rain" or whatever smell so rancid?

paulhubbard wrote:I'll take the perfume any day over the person who chooses not to bathe and/or use deodorant. I once had to stop and let a guy get a half mile or so in front of me so I could breathe without gagging...

I hear you... On yesterday's hike the first man we came across (as noted in my triplog) may possibly have fit the seedier end of the spectrum. Probably the subject for another poll?

Now looking back at it, I may have come off a bit aggressive on #2. In reality my belief is whether people are wearing appropriate anythingclothing, footgear, packs, scented products, whatever) or not, I AM glad they are at least out in nature, whether they take it all in or not. If more people would get out and see nature for what it is, I do believe the general stress level for all would come down.

The problem for people who wear colognes is that they become desensitized to it and end up wearing a LOT, since they don't smell it like everyone else does. (Ever drive past the outskirts of a dairy farm gagging and wonder how anyone could stand to work/live there?)
Ironically, these 'aromas' claim to mimic natural scents (flowers, fruits, trees, musk... rain?)!

I remember "Earth Born, Natural Balance Shampoo" the peach scent in particular. I heard that scent in particular was discontinued due to it's super attraction to bees.
I know, I used to used it back in the days when I had something to shampoo.
Even the small amount I used (the hair was already thinning) it smelled like I was carrying around a crate of peaches... and the bees came after me in droves. And that was just in my backyard!

snakemarks wrote:Ever drive past the outskirts of a dairy farm gagging and wonder how anyone could stand to work/live there?

Hah! When I was about 10 years old, I used to hang around with a friend whose parents owned a dairy farm. Even to this day I actually enjoy the smell of cow manure if I drive by a farm. I often wondered why they don't make a perfume to smell like that? My wife thinks I'm about 2 steps short of total insanity.

I figured out a way to connect a Glade Plugin to a solar cell and I try to spray it whenever I pass someone. My favorite is using the pine scent in the desert. It really keeps people on their toes. I think this has probably saved many lives. You're welcome!

Tough_Boots wrote:I figured out a way to connect a Glade Plugin to a solar cell and I try to spray it whenever I pass someone. My favorite is using the pine scent in the desert. It really keeps people on their toes. I think this has probably saved many lives. You're welcome!

I hate all perfumes and colognes. Hate them. I would rather smell BO.

However, unlike Jim, I cannot smell the laundry detergents on people's clothing. My sense of smell is not very good. But I have always hated perfume. Hate it.

joe bartels wrote:Hmm, I'm not judgmental, I love all of gods creations and the creations within.

How refreshing ;)

@Tough_Boots
Dude... awesome

...hmmm... given that I've only run into about 12 other hikers over the last 3 years... not much of an issue. But, I'll continue to bathe at least once a week just to make sure I don't offend anyone's delicate nose. I think the raw Buffalo garlic rubs pretty much overshadow any naturally offensive odors anyway. Works great on multi-day hikes... slice in half and rub directly, then third day out dice up the halfs and fry them with eggs.

imike wrote:...hmmm... given that I've only run into about 12 other hikers over the last 3 years... not much of an issue. But, I'll continue to bathe at least once a week just to make sure I don't offend anyone's delicate nose. I think the raw Buffalo garlic rubs pretty much overshadow any naturally offensive odors anyway. Works great on multi-day hikes... slice in half and rub directly, then third day out dice up the halfs and fry them with eggs.

dude, maybe you need to move back to Tucson for a while...

I want to smell true nature, not humans and not artificial. A whiff of sage, the smell of the desert just before a monsoon, the smell of cliff-rose. I want to smell that musky Javelina smell or the smell of Elk. I hate it when some people put that Deer Urine or Elk Urine scent on. You can tell a lot about medical conditions by the smell, that ammonia smell is a dead give away. Don't mask reality with that artificial Department Store stuff.

Ok, looking at the survey, I wanna know who the one person is who voted that they LIKE perfume and cologne, so I can give them a ration of...indignance. (I actually think the person who marked that box was just funnin' us, so that we will wonder who it is. I don't know anyone who I consider to be an actual hiker who wears cologne while hiking.)

Deodorant is another matter. I do wear it. Most people (unless they are Jim who can smell laundry detergent) won't notice anything. Some people are actually allergic to all that stuff, though. I know there are hikers in SAHC who, when they lead a hike, they request that people not wear any deodorant, lotion, cologne, etc.

I have heard that the wearing of perfume is actually illegal in some cities, but could find only Halifax, Nova Scotia, as the place where it is illegal. In Detroit public employees are banned from wearing it. In theatres it definitely should be illegal. I would have to leave or find another seat if it were too strong. It is just nauseating. According to the internet, some cities do have signs on public buildings banning it.

I dislike strong smells, be it body odor or perfume/cologne. As long as I can't smell you from 5 feet, who cares? In the office is another manner - cramped in a conference room shoulder to shoulder the rule would be to keep it to a subdued type of scent.

I'm not offended by anyone who wants to smell better than deoderant, and I think some of y'all are getting bent out of shape. Heck, everyone smells to some extent. 3 seconds after you pass them, it's gone. Unless you hike on crowded trails, having 30 seconds throughout the day of smelling someone on the trails is the price of living in a world with 7 billion people.

nonot wrote:Unless you hike on crowded trails, having 30 seconds throughout the day of smelling someone on the trails is the price of living in a world with 7 billion people.

Well said...

It's kind of cool to read the responses, and I'm glad my gf prodded me to post it in the first place. After all, if we all felt the same, what would be the fun in messing with others. :STP:

BTW, I believe one of the "I don't care's" was actually me by mistake when I edited it to take some of the harshness out... the "and don't come back"

I didn't ask Gabriele how I smelled after out GPS Joe search today. Going from sweating profusely while searching down & up, only to freeze in 25-30 mph winds, then sweat on the next climb... I had four layers soaking wet at one point. I can't tell how bad I smell now because after 6 hours I'm used to it. Time to hit the shower... after I post the GPS search route.