I also think this was a great post. You are making memories. Keep it up!!!
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I also think this was a great post. You are making memories. Keep it up!!!
Great story. My son is nine now and is so use to it will be half asleep go pee and like muscle memory wipe his feet off before he swings his feet into his hammock. You are making memories. Enjoy it
It's great that you are getting him excited about being outside while he is still young. I have a 7 year old nephew that I have no doubt I could put in a hammock tonight and he would sleep by himself with no problems. I have another nephew who is 14, from a different side of the family, and he wouldn't even stay in our backyard with me out there. Had he been doing it since he was your son's age, I'm sure he would love being out there now. I haven't given up, I'm still going to try to get him to go hanging with me. He even has his own ENO, but he is scared to sleep overnight outside in it. :-(
This story happened exactly the same at my house. Christmas for me was getting stuff ready for backpacking again. My 5 year old daughter was excited and wanted to help me test me gear (only difference is that I thought I was going to tent camp rather than hammock camp.
At any rate, it was 27 degrees that night, and I bundled her up in as many warm clothes as possible, with a 40 degree back covered in another 40 degree bag. I couldn't sleep (realized that my hip didn't like the ground anymore) and constantly checking to make sure she was warm enough.
She went to sleep within 10 minutes of getting in the tent. Woke up the next morning and she was hooked. Since then, we've both hiked about 10 miles on various trails and camped once more (with another vain attempt at ground camping).
I since then bought an ENO DN for me and made her a DIY hammock. Looking forward to 'bunking' them under a tarp at a site sometime and continuing our journey.
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...ictureid=18588
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...ictureid=18589
[QUOTE=RickNC;959185]
She went to sleep within 10 minutes of getting in the tent. Woke up the next morning and she was hooked. Since then, we've both hiked about 10 miles on various trails and camped once more (with another vain attempt at ground camping).
I since then bought an ENO DN for me and made her a DIY hammock. Looking forward to 'bunking' them under a tarp at a site sometime and continuing our journey.
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...ictureid=18588
That's just awesome!
Thanks for the comments guys. Yeah, he's definitely a budding outdoorsman.
Had a beautiful day in New York here today, so I took him out for a short hike to one of my favorite places:
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https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-r...9_Panorama.jpg
My son and I started this many years ago, back yard, then woods (behind the house) now his favorite vacation is when he goes with a group canoeing/camping for a week. Tried to get him into winter camping, he loved sleeping but HATED getting out of his bag in the morning. Guess we'll have to wait a few years. It's great to have that special time with your child, get them to appreciate the outdoors. Great story, takes me back.
If you are looking at hanging with them lower your hammock a bit and hang them right above your ridge line. That is the way my family does it. Four hammocks and two tarps. Four year old above mom and seven year old above me. If the fall they land on us. Still not fun but better than the ground.
Yes, the best story I've read in a while and you surely are building memories. Good for you, Dad! I have three daughters and have backpacked with them all. Now they are 25, 29, and 33 and still go occasionally.
Reminds me of a time a young girl (and her single homeless mom) lived with us for a school year. She was about my youngest daughter's age (12 or so, I think). It was going to be very cold one night (maybe 20 degrees here in Nashville) and I bet them each $5 they wouldn't sleep in the back yard tree house all night.
They jumped on that and hauled many blankets and quilts and pillows out to the tree house and did it! In fact, they were so warm, they said they had to take some blankets off.
This same daughter has done two TN section hikes of the AT with me and another with the whole family. Here's a photo of her at Kincora at the finish of our first AT section hike. After those hikes, another year she took my Hennessey and hiked alone the AT section of Georgia, from Amicalola to Neels Gap.
So, yes, you are making good memories neither you nor your child will forget. That's what Dad's do.
Rain Man
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