Who Wants to Win a Hammock?

[sunsetkayaker]

I planned a family camping trip with a kayak trip down the Peace River in the morning. We had a family site at the Peace River Camp Ground. I think there was only one other family in the family area which had 4 or 5 family sites, but we were right next to each other. We arrived, set up, and had dinner. The only other planned activity was early to bed for an early rise. The other family didn't have the same idea. They were getting drunk and playing games. Quiet time started about 11 so about midnight we started trying to get the management to do something. Eventually a golf cart came by to tell the other family that the nearby campers wanted them to be quiet. Long story short, about 2 am one of the guys was joking about throwing his girlfriend into the fire, although, it turned out not to be a joke when he stumbled and threw her in and fell in himself. A nurse in our group did what he could, but eventually the ambulance came and patched up the guy and took the girl to the hospital. In the morning, when we wanted our money back for zero sleep that night, they informed us that we were permanently banned from the campground forever since they could not meet our needs. No big loss considering.

[Christo456]

This was a couple weeks ago hiking pictured rocks in the UP with my kids. It was our last night out, on Father's Day, on the day of the summer solstice. Just wandered into camp to say hi. Kind of a magical ending to a magical week.

[2ply]

Christo.....your video is set to private.

[Christo456]

Thanks for the heads up. I changed it.

[Thom]

I still can't see it.

[emikel]

Great idea. When I was a Boy Scout any moons ago, I had the honor of being selected to join th Order of the Arrow. For my initiation, the Ordeal, we were dropped off in the woods with nothing more than our BSA pocket knives, some twine, and some water. Oh, did I mention we weren't allowed to talk! We spent most of the remaining daylight creating our shelters and making a fire. Well, after the sun went down, every mosquito in the world must have gotten an invitation to a buffet meal because they descended on us like you wouldn't believe. By the morning, not only had I gotten no sleep, I had so many mosquito bites that I looked like a raspberry. That's why I hate mosquito an religiously treat my clothes with pymethrin and my skin with bug repellent, used to be DEET but now I use a picaridin-based repellent. Mosquitos still love me though. The can even find me in my house with all the doors and windows closed. I must have the sweetest blood.

[Christo456]

I still can't see it.

It didn't save. It should be good now.

[Cham102]

Here is a story from Sunday, July 5, 2015(6 days ago)

I have been a backpacker for 35 years, and have been hiking in the Mid-Atlantic area for 30 years. I enjoy South Mountain because it is the closest area to my home where I can climb a mountain and camp at the top. This is a popular place where the Appalachian Trail rides along the crest of the moutain. I've never seen a bear at South Mountain. Nobody has ever seen a bear at South Mountain. I don't ever worry about bears at South Mountain.

I have a favorite camp spot, which allows me to set up my hammock under a grove of pine trees which is adjacent to a small field. On the July 4th holiday weekend I set up my hammock, my tarp and set to relaxing quietly listening to my audio books. My holiday was going well when on the last night of my trip I hung my food bag merely out of habit, not out of concern. Since I was short on line I hung my bag low to keep it away from raccoons, foxes and squirrels. As I leaned back in my hammock drifting in my thoughts, I suddenly heard a loud crack. Before I even turned around I knew there was only one animal that could have caused such a loud noise while stepping on a stick. I looked over at the low-hung food bag and there she was in all her glory, 350 pounds of fuzzy brown fur with her nose sniffing delicately at my kielbasa in broccoli cheddar rice while two sweet cubs danced at her feet. I was shocked and amazed to see these forest creatures where they have never been before. My choice was to grab my camera and take a picture of this darling mountain family or protect my food. It wasn't the food that I was so concerned about but the stuff sack that it was in, as the sack partnered with my best sleeping bag.

I made the split decision to chase off the bear family and not make a friend out of it. So sadly, I do not have a picture to authenticate the story. After the bear disappeared with her two accomplices into the forest I realized I had a bit of a challenge. If I did not rehang the bag a little more seriously, mama was going to come back. I was out of hanging-food-line. The hammock had to be compromised. So went the hammock ridgeline, so went the tarp ridgeline which was holding up the bug net. I scavenged everything I could make work and sent the food bag up 20 feet into the sky and returned to the hammock to sleep. Mama bear did not return, or if she did I didn't hear here.

I returned to the city the next day to tell the tale. My city friends were amazed that I didn't leave camp right away, they thought I was nuts to stick around with a hungry bear family so close by. I was just glad that I had used my hammock instead of a tent, for had I been encapsulated in a tent I wouldn't have noticed the bear before it was too late.

[Sleepyeyes]

I was hitchhiking in upper New York. I could not get a ride because it was raining. It was pitch black. I was walking along by feeling where the side of the road was. Normally I would pitch a tent in the ditch and camp but the ditches were full of water. As I stumbled along in the dark, a car passed by and I saw a road sign with pointing to a state park. I followed the road and came to the park entrance. I ask for a campsite but they were full. As I turned to walk away the ranger pointed to a road and said I could camp back there. I found a high spot and set up my tent. The next morning I woke up and discovered I was on an esplanade in the middle of parking lot. I was so surprised! I thought I was in the middle of nowhere.

[WrenchBender]

I'm in.

Many years ago when my children were young and home we were camping in Old Forge N.Y. In a pop up camper.

About 3am I was awoke by the missus about something scratching at the screen door of the camper. The door had a colored sliding panel that I slowly started lowering so I could see what was outside without scaring it into spraying, skunk fear lol. What I found was a full size horse starting at me eye to eye. We both froze for a few seconds then he/she turned and walked away.

Turns out this horse is an escape artist and often visits the camp grounds foraging for food alongside the raccoon population.