The Great Outdoors and Ganja – A High-level Guide to Road Trippin’

Some of the best memories when hiking or traveling outdoors can always included cannabis, whether it be flower, edibles, or concentrates. The view of the Grand Tetons while enjoying a joint is one of the most euphoric and amazing experiences one could have the pleasure of having. Cannabis can really allow you to slow down and be present with yourself, others, and your experiences in nature. Who doesn’t want to smoke nature, IN nature? For anyone looking to enhance their hiking experience with cannabis, there are plenty of tips and tricks for you in this article.

How can Cannabis Boost the Outdoor Experience?

The myth that people who smoke weed are lazy and unmotivated is coming to an end, as we start to realize the variety of benefits that cannabis can provide and how it can enhance our feelings and experiences. When it comes to enjoying cannabis in the great outdoors certain strains high in Alpha-Pinene can help improve mental alertness and enhanced focus, which are great for longer hikes and days full of long travel. This terpene is responsible for giving cannabis its pine-like scent and is one of the most commonly found terpenes in cannabis, but can also be found in dill, parsley, orange peels, and rosemary. Alpha-Pinene can potentially provide medicinal benefits as well and has been shown that this terpene can improve airflow to the lungs and have anti-inflammatory properties to help reduce swelling in the body. This makes pinene one of the best terpenes to consume while hiking. Pinene has also shown the ability to help improve memory impairment that can sometimes be associated with THC. 

Cannabis Strains for Hiking 

• Blue Dream provides a more uplifting high that will slowly bring on a relaxing body buzz. Blue Dream is a great strain for anybody looking for some mental stimulation and an increased mood. 
• Aroma: Berry, Herbal, Sweet
• White Fire OG is a strain for those looking to be creative and focused, it is not a strain that will have you feeling tired throughout the daytime and will help surge you forward during your travels. 
• Aroma: Diesel, Pepper, Pine

• Jack Herer is a strain well known for its ability to provide a clear-headed high and boost creativity, making it a great strain to smoke while hitting the trails!
  • Aroma: Lemon, Pine, Herbal

• Pineapple Express is a great strain for those looking for a euphoric and energetic high with a slight body buzz, leaving you feeling calm and uplifted. 
• Aroma: Citrus, Pine, Tropical 

What to Pack:

Making sure you have all the necessary items for your hiking trip will ensure that you have the best experience possible. Hiking can be physically demanding on the body so bringing extra water is always a wonderful idea, whether it be for a piece you’ve brought or so you stay extra hydrated (we all know how bad cottonmouth feels). Using a water bladder can be extra helpful, it’s easy to store in a backpack and it holds a larger amount of water. You can bring additional water bottles along if you have a backpack option with water bottle holders for some extra hydration. Along with water, bringing extra snacks is always a good idea. Protein bars, sandwiches, granola, or trail mix are good options as snacks to bring along, as we also all know how the munchies can start to creep in. Some great options for hiking are go-go squeeze applesauce pouches and PB&J Uncrustables.

Best Travel Cannabis Piece Options 

• Joints are small and easy to share with others you’re traveling with, and they are also portable. Many consumers love going to the dispensary and getting their 5 packs of pre-rolls if they are available, they’re already rolled up and usually come in a portable tin or pack ready to go!
• Portable Vaporizers are a great option if you don’t want to have to worry about rolling up. Whether it be for flower or concentrates, a portable vaporizer ensures that you don’t need a lighter or torch. Most portable vaporizers have an internal oven that will heat up your flower or concentrates and will have different pre-set temperature settings that you can pick from as well. 
• Disposable Cartridges/Cartridges are one of the most discreet ways to travel with cannabis and are portable as well. With a regular cartridge, all you need is a battery to go with it, charge it up, and travel on! The batteries that you purchase will be reusable, you just need to buy a new cartridge when you’ve run out of oil. Disposable cartridges are pre-loaded with oil and a precharged battery. This is a good option if you’re looking for a one-time use out of your cartridge as you can just throw it away when you’ve run out of oil.  

• Pipes are an easy travel piece as well; you can bring along your favorite bowl piece as they’re easy to put away and easy to clean out. With the wind it can be difficult to light but if you find a nice place to stop and rest, bringing out the bowl is a great option. If you didn’t want to bring an entire bowl piece a chillum or one-hitter is another great option and is smaller. 
• Water Pipes are great because the water filtration can make your hit smoother and cooler. There are a variety of travel bongs, bubblers, and rigs on the market. Silicone pieces are always a good option because they are lightweight and there’s less risk of damaging them while traveling. 
• Edibles are another discreet method of consumption that is easy to travel with. Be conscious of what kind of edible you may want to purchase, if there’s a chance they will be sitting in a warmer climate there’s a possibility for gummies or chocolate to melt. Next time you visit a dispensary try looking for edibles made with Pectin. Gummies made with pectin are less likely to melt in higher temperatures. Pectin is a fibrous component made from fruits and vegetables and is vegan. 

After Travel

It’s important to recover and wind down after traveling and being outdoors, making sure you rest and take care of yourself is important. After longer days of hiking – yoga, stretching and meditation are great ways to relax and help your body wind down at the end of the night. There are a variety of cannabis strains and products that are great for relaxing the body and help you drift off to sleep. Topicals such as balms, oils, transdermal patches, or salves are absorbed through the skin and can provide pain relief and help with inflammation. Many topicals have combinations of CBD and THC and offer fast-acting results. Edibles with THC and CBD are another good option as CBD can help relax the body and help keep you asleep at night. Try taking a 2:1 (20mg CBD: 10mg THC) ratio gummy an hour before bed and it helps one relax and get a good night’s rest after a long day. 

Cannabis Strains and Products for Recovery 

• Mendo Breath will bring on a heavy body high, great for relaxation and sleep. Mendo Breath’s effects will start to slowly wash over your body leaving you heavily couch-locked while keeping you mentally alert. Doing yoga after/while smoking this strain would be a great way to help you relax and wind down for the end of the day. 
• Aroma: Sweet, Caramel, Earthy 
• Motorbreath is a great strain for those wanting to chill out and relax but still be able to be productive, as it provides a relaxing body buzz that slowly creeps up on you but keeps you mentally stimulated and uplifted. 
• Aroma: Diesel, Pine, Citrus
• Girl Scout Cookies will bring on a body high that will have you feeling relaxed and creative, a good strain to wind down at the end of the day but also good if you’re looking to continue with other activities. 
• Aroma: Woody, Sweet, Lemon 
• Grape Ape is a strain known for providing sedative effects and brings on a heavy couch-lock feeling. After a long day of travel, Grape Ape is a strain that is sure to relax the body and the mind. 

• Aroma: Grape, Berry, Sweet

Leave no Trace and Be Respectful of Others: 

It’s important to remember to be mindful of other people and especially kids on the trails. You never know when people might be approaching, and many people want to enjoy the trails as well but don’t want to be around cannabis. Find a nice spot to stop and sit away from others where one can enjoy a session and not smoke directly on the trail itself. If you do choose to stray from the trail, make sure you know your way back and are familiar with your surroundings. When traveling with cannabis it’s also important to remember to not leave anything behind that could be potentially harmful to the environment. Get into a habit of hanging on to your roaches or bringing along a tin or something to hold your trash. It’s easy to think that it might be ok to toss a roach onto the ground because it’s a natural plant and most papers are going to be hemp, however, it’s important to leave trails and places the way you found them. When it’s dry out, tossing a roach is a good way to potentially start a fire. 

Knowing the Laws

When traveling with cannabis it is important to understand the laws on a federal and state level. In Michigan, you can buy and carry up to 2.5 ounces of flower and up to 15 grams of concentrates towards that. It is illegal to consume cannabis on federal and state land so be sure to be safe and conscious when you are traveling with cannabis. Knowing the laws in the areas you are traveling is important information to know even if you still choose to consume cannabis. 

There are so many different cannabis products available that can help uplift and enhance your experience or help you relax after a long day, stop by any Quality Roots location for some of the best cannabis products available. 

Your Guide to Concentrates was brought to you by our resident Contributing Collaborator, Rachel, be sure to pick her expert knowledge any time you’re in Battle Creek.

A Patient Care Specialist at the Quality Roots Battle Creek location, Rachel, is also a dedicated expert contributor. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors and researching all things cannabis.