It's foliage season in the Whites of NH, so Rich & Mike decided to hang our hammocks at the Franconia Brook Tentsite in the Pemigewasset Wilderness. The site's an easy three mile hike along an old railway corridor, so we set out after lunch last Thursday and hit the trailhead around 3:15PM. An hour later and we had the place almost entirely to ourselves.
The damp weather didn't prevent a small fire in the fire ring, so we lit some charcoal and sipped Chianti while waiting for things to heat up enough for cooking. This not being an ultralight sort of trek, Mike had brought along a few steaks for direct-charcoal grilling.
Meanwhile, I kicked up my ancient Whisperlite and pulled together some pasta with cheese and wild hedgehog mushrooms. A bit of fresh bread I'd brought back from Montreal, and not a bad meal, all in all.
After the requisite chatting around the fire, it's hang the bearbag and hang the hammocks. Mike's been using a Hennessey for the past few years, and I brought along my brand new never-slept-in WB Blackbird.
It was misting, so I put up the tarp--a Warbonnet cat-cut hex tarp--first. Next came the hammock, a dual 1.1 WBBB. This was only the second time I'd hung the Blackbird and it went up fast and easy. Slipped my Prolite 4 Thermarest between the layers (easier said than done) and dropped in my 20 degree synth bag.
Here's Mike with his trusty Hennessey.
One of the best outdoor sleeps I've ever had. The hammock is roomy and comfortable, and the shelf is well worth having. Though the temperature dropped a bit below 40 degrees and it poured rain, I woke up warm, dry, and comfy.
Woke up, drank some good Mexican drinking chocolate, and headed up the trail to not see the suspension bridge the Park Service had just removed. Sure enough, the bridge wasn't really placed for use.
Good thing we weren't making the crossing--it will be totally impassable during the Spring.
Hiked back, broke camp, and headed back to reality. Never can get too many of these outings.
Bookmarks