Well, finally made it out there. This is actually the first time I've been in the hammock - living in an apartment isn't conducive to hammock sleeping. I'm sure the lamp wouldn't support me.
I went to Sykes Hot Springs, which is 10 miles in, with my Osprey loaded to about 25-27 lbs (I have an iffy scale). I took the CCF pad and my Ray Way Alpine upgrade - wasn't anticipating really low low temps. The trail was narrow and in some spots trees had fallen across it; thank goodness for trekking poles. I used the poles so many times, also at streams and in the river crossing, to save me from bouncing down the cliff. The trail was in most places just wide enough to stand on - other hikers coming out (50 or so of them) were finding it hard to maneuver around me.
I was astonished by the setups on other people - I swear there are some people packing their house back there! I ran across a couple resting in the middle of the trail (nowhere else to sit, as the entire trail is a shelf on a series of very steep hills) drinking cheap chardonnay. One hiker had a daypack on the front of him and another on the back. Others simply draped cheap 6 lb sleeping bags over their shoulders or tucked huge sacks of stuff under each arm. People had those four person dome tents straight from walmart strapped on their packs along with a pad and a big ol sleeping bag. REI could make a killing renting decent gear if they had only provided me with flyers before I went out there.These folks looked pretty miserable. Some of the guys had packs that must have been 2/3 their weight - huge, wide, tall packs with loads of external pockets. I felt quite lightweight with my Aura 50 and a single CCF strapped on. The RW quilt stuffs down to whatever room is in the pack and I actually had not too much stuff.
Anyway. It was a comedy of errors in most respects - my little stove tipped over and lit the duff on fire, I used almost all my fuel as a result of recovering and finishing dinner, which wasn't freezer bag - I regretted that as I then spent a while scraping my pot with a stick. I didn't get to go to the hot springs as planned, as they were down river and I needed my Tevas and left them on the living room floor. (I'd also got a really late start due to road construction detours and had to hoof it faster to get there, resulting in weary body and blisters.) Plus the water was freeeeeeezing cold. I had to ford the river twice, going in and going out, and my poor feet turned whiter than snow. By the time night fell the temp dropped to the low 40s. I sat with a neighbor at his campfire with my shoes drying, and then hung my food (coons are the problem over there) and crawled into the hammock.
As always the first time anywhere, I didn't sleep for a long time. Seam sealer on the bottom of the CCF kept it stable, and it seemed to work ok. Maybe a little cold in spots. Around 3 am I had to pee and checked the temp - good god, it was almost freezing out there! 34F and cold, cold, cold when you drop the drawers to pee. I climbed back in. When I woke up around 6-6:30 or so it was still hovering around 34-36F but the quilt kept me toasty on top. I piled out of the hammock and made coffee/breakfast, then packed up and started the hike out, which I knew would take longer.
Next time I am taking a water filter. Boiling is a waste of fuel. Also, I had a tick embedded in my thigh, almost in the crease, which I did not feel; I discovered it when I got home and went to the ER as it was late and there were already red patches around it. I couldn't get the sucker out - he wasn't like other ticks I've had. They had to use a scalpel on it. DEET resistant ticks? I had coated the hammock straps, my pant legs, the hem of my shirt, socks... Oh, and my camera battery died and I could not find the extra battery. I took this picture of my setup in progress and a wild turkey wandered into camp, and so the last two photos were of a turkey's back and then it beeped and died (the camera not the turkey). And if you look at the picture and notice all the green? That's poison oak. I guess I'm not allergic.
I had compliments on my stuff - Mrs Preachaman can be proud. The tarp impressed one of the backpackers.
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Originally Posted by hammock engineer
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