HIGH TIMES IN THE NORTHWEST
If you’ve spent even the most modest amount of time on Tinder in the great Pacific Northwest, you know that people are REALLY into hiking out here.
If you’ve spent ANY time in the Pacific Northwest, you also know that people are REALLY into consuming cannabis in basically whatever form they can.
In my last blog post Getting the Weed You Need, I talk all about what cannabis to get for all sorts of situations. So by now, you should know how to order that cannabis like a pro but what about for those adventurous days beyond the couch?
Well, you’re gonna’ walk right into KUSH 21 and say, “Hello friendly budtender, I’m planning on going on a hike today.” You might even say, “Hey, the salmon are running, and I think I want to get lit and go catch some fish.” We’ve got you covered there too.
Now a brief word of caution. Don’t smoke a bunch of weed and go rock-climbing and DEFINITELY don’t smoke a ton of weed and then go drive a boat. While smoking cannabis is surely an activity enhancer, make sure that you understand your surroundings and activities, and are in no way responsible for driving anything at all. Being stoned is great, but being safe is better.
SAFETY FIRST, NOW WHAT?
So that being said, your buddy is driving, right? You’ve got a hike lined up that is more of a walk in the woods than scaling a rock-face. Maybe you’re planning on poking around and looking for chanterelles or ramps. So what kinda weed do you get?
As I was saying in my last blog post, just asking a knowledgable budtender is going to be a good first step.
That being said, this is also a good time to start thinking about terpene profiles. Believe it or not, I am not, in fact, a scientist. But, there are some pretty direct links between that magical high and cannabis flavor. In other words, terpenes = flavor.
You can find terpenes in a lot of things. They are naturally occurring chemicals in everything from lemons to lavender. There have been a lot of studies, and a quick search on Leafly is probably going to provide you with all the scientific information that you could ever want, but here we’re talking about being high while safely enjoying the outdoors.
CANNABIS FOR THE OUTDOORS?
So when I’m looking to go outside, I want to smoke what I think of as an ‘outside cannabis’. In my experience, the terps that I’m looking for are pinene and limonene. It’s a combination of terpenes that you’re likely to find pretty often. Over at Kush21 you have a variety of strains to choose from that focus on these specific terpenes as well.
SO WHY THOSE TWO?
Limonene is exactly what it sounds like it’s going to be: lemony. You can’t necessarily identify a limonene based terp by smelling it like citrus (though that’s often a good start). Luckily you’ve got those budtenders to help you so you don’t need to walk around sniffing nugs.
With limonene based terp profiles, you’re going to end up with a very euphoric kind of high. Generally, if I’m smoking THC-based weed during the day, it’s something with limonene in it. According to Leafly, limonene has an additional tendency to release dopamine and serotonin to the parts of your brain that are associated with anxiety, depression, and ocd. So essentially Limonene means relaxed, happy, and not anxious.
COMBINE YOUR TERPENES
But here’s where combining terpenes is great. If you’re trying to go for a hike, you obviously want to be alert, aware, and high energy. That’s where the pinene comes in. Pinene adds a nice complexity to the limonene flavor profile with the flavor of the citrus cut by the greenness and the herbaceousness of the pine derived flavor. Not to mention that smoking weed that tastes like pine trees, conifers, and the herbs of the PNW is a great way to get a hike started.
Pinene also makes you sharp and alert. Think about the way you would feel if you took a big whiff of a pine cone. That sharp, invigorating scent is what you’re going to get out of pinene strains. I mean that in the context of flavor, but also in the context of the high. The pinene and limonene work great together. Your eyes are open, taking in all the sights sounds and smells, but that limonene is going to have you feeling great about everything while you’re doing it.
So grab some pre-rolls at Kush21, hop in the car and get away from it all. Check out The Seattle Cannabis Lifestyle Blog for more ideas on fun things to do outside when you’re getting baked. Errr, I mean more things that weed will make better!
