Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 16
  1. #1
    Senior Member Rat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Bertram, Texas
    Hammock
    DIY 126 x 60 Tablecloth
    Tarp
    JRB 10 x 11
    Insulation
    New River/Owhyee
    Suspension
    Whoopie
    Posts
    1,389
    Images
    22

    Goodwater Loop; sleeping cold, trail maintenance and rain...

    'Possum and I arrived at Camp Tejas Friday evening. The plan was to camp at Tejas then do some trail maintenance with the local club (Austin Ridge Riders) on Saturday then hike on to Sawyer; eventually leaving by the remote trailhead Sunday.

    Friday Night:
    Temps projected to be in the low 20's in Austin, which usually translates about 5° colder where we are; so mid to high teens. We arrived, set up camp, then headed out for some wood. We found a tree just the right size that was dead and still standing; we pushed it over and brought it to camp for firewood.

    My gear:
    3/4 Z-Lite in a Segmented Pad Extender with 5 inch blue foam wings
    Light weight Wool longjohns
    Midweight wool/poly blend longjohns
    Fluffy wool socks
    Fleece pull over
    Scarf
    Poly watch cap
    15° bag

    'Possum:
    Full length open cell pad with brushed Nylon cover
    Lightweight cotton longjohns
    Wool socks
    scarf
    Heavy weight neck gator worn on head
    wool gloves
    Fleece full zip jacket
    0° bag

    Neither of us had weather barriers other than rain gear, if needed.

    Hammocks and tarps:

    Me:
    HH Exped, top load
    DIY 11' x 10' tarp

    'Possum:
    ENO Single Nest
    HH Asym fly (from Exped)

    Friday night we slept warm except for cold feet syndrome. My mistake was not taking off my walking socks before putting on my sleeping socks, they felt dry, but I am guessing they were not, my feet were blocks of ice, worst I ever had. 'Possum had cold feet because he only brought one pair of socks, which he slept in. It was very uncomfortable, but not life threatening. Everything else was nice and warm. The low was, according to the thermometer, 17° F.

    Saturday, Lee showed up to tell us that the trail maintenance day had been canceled, too cold I guess. So we hung around Tejas talking with Lee, showing off our hammocks and Molly Mac Packs and just generally taking in the nice day.

    We headed East out if Tejas around Noon, taking our time, stopping for the views and to check stuff out. I forgot my hiking poles so I was a little slow on the descents as well (knees ya know).

    We arrived at Sawyer around 3:00 and the wind was whipping up pretty good. We made good site selections for our hammocks and set up our tarps low to the ground to break it off of us. We found another perfect tree, this time it was drift wood, and dragged it to camp. Started the fire about nightfall, which is also when the wind stopped.

    We burnt a whole tree that night while listening to the UT Vs. Nebraska game (Big 12 Championship) on ;Possums Neil Armstrong radio. What a game! After the game we retired, more mindful of our feet. I wrapped mine in my rain jacket (with DRY socks this time) and ;Possum wrapped his rain jacket on the outside of his bag.

    Sunday morning dawned wet, the lowest temp recorded was 30°F, obviously sometime earlier as it was now raining. We made coffee in the hammocks while talking to each other waiting for the rain to break. After a couple of hours I had to get up, so 'Possum got up as well and we broke camp in a slight drizzle; it had completely stopped by the time we hit the trail. The hike out was foggy and cool, but not cold. It was nice. No cold feet Saturday night and we stayed dry.

    Other than the cold feet Friday night we stayed dry and comfortable, just a lesson we had to relearn.

    The model 12 Pregrines performed flawlessly and are a joy to hike with. I think 'Possum bought one of each MOLLE compatible bag he could find, he looked like a wilderness EMT! The UCR suspensions all held fine in the rain and cold.

    Lessons learned:
    1) keep the feet dry for sleeping
    2) We need to get winter tarps, this would have made picking a spot much easier on Saturday and more enjoyable hanging out under the tarp.
    3) I am switching back to ladder locks on my MMP, cord is just too fussy when it's cold (fingers don't work).
    4) Need to build a gravity filter, we drink far too much coffee to treat that much water (plus it takes longer when it's cold).
    5) Life is a journey, not a destination!

    I have pictures, but I left the camera at home, I will get them up tonight.
    "I aim to misbehave." - Capt. Mal Reynolds
    Mind of a Rat Youtube Channel

  2. #2
    Senior Member JerryW's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    West Central Illinois
    Hammock
    DIY Bridge
    Tarp
    DIY Hex/Grizz Beak
    Insulation
    DIY UQ and TQ
    Suspension
    Whoopie Slings
    Posts
    1,143
    Images
    101
    Sounds like a great trip! Never stop learning! I'm looking forward to seeing the pics.




    Jerry
    The "Search" function is your friend!

  3. #3
    Senior Member Captn's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    San Marcos, Texas
    Hammock
    WBBB
    Tarp
    Edge
    Insulation
    Burrow 40 & yeti
    Suspension
    Straps& dutch clip
    Posts
    506
    Images
    58
    Sawyer camp is a awesome destination anyway ..... Hope the lake was up and the river was down for ya .....

    Glad you had a good time.
    Many a good hanging prevents a bad marriage
    William Shakespeare


    "Insert witty and intelligent statement here"

  4. #4
    Senior Member Walking Bear's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Fairbury NE
    Hammock
    DIY Bridge
    Tarp
    DIY 11x10
    Insulation
    DIY UQ & down bag
    Posts
    811
    Sounds like you had a great time. However, being the only guy here from Nebraska, the game was one second to long.

  5. #5
    slowhike's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Winston-Salem, NC
    Hammock
    DIY, gathered end , w/ spreader
    Tarp
    JRB Universal
    Insulation
    DAM/ HG Incubator
    Suspension
    Webbing and rings
    Posts
    11,677
    Images
    319
    Sounds like an enjoyable trip for you & Possum!
    I've had the same thing happen w/ my feet more than once... looks like I'd learn
    The socks I'd been wearing felt dry, but later on, my cold feet suggested they had more moister that I thought.
    Good points you brought up. I like a bigger tarp!
    Looking forward to the pictures.
    I too will something make and joy in it's making

  6. #6
    MacEntyre's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Trouble Ranch on Troublesome Creek, NC
    Hammock
    Molly Mac Gear
    Posts
    7,617
    Images
    6
    Quote Originally Posted by Hogn8r
    I think 'Possum bought one of each MOLLE compatible bag he could find, he looked like a wilderness EMT!
    Did he use any stuff sacks at all?

    I've been wondering how long it would take before someone would go with nothing but pouches... it's one way to configure it!

    - MacEntyre
    - MacEntyre
    "We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." - Ben Franklin
    www.MollyMacGear.com

  7. #7
    Senior Member Rat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Bertram, Texas
    Hammock
    DIY 126 x 60 Tablecloth
    Tarp
    JRB 10 x 11
    Insulation
    New River/Owhyee
    Suspension
    Whoopie
    Posts
    1,389
    Images
    22
    Quote Originally Posted by MacEntyre View Post
    Did he use any stuff sacks at all?

    I've been wondering how long it would take before someone would go with nothing but pouches... it's one way to configure it!

    - MacEntyre
    Yea, he had stuff sacks on the back panel, but totally pouched on the front and belt!

    Pictures coming next!
    "I aim to misbehave." - Capt. Mal Reynolds
    Mind of a Rat Youtube Channel

  8. #8
    Senior Member schrochem's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Austin,Tx
    Posts
    796
    Images
    57
    The lake was high wasn't it. I was out there two weeks ago showing someone crocket. We ended up doing four miles out and back from cedar breaks.
    I wanted to get out there around where the river comes in to see how high it was but the sun goes down too early....
    Anyway, it's a great place to hammock camp. I have never stayed at any of the camp grounds. shhhhh!!! I stealth camp out around mile marker 8.
    It's close to a good water source coming into the the lake and not many people travel through that section. I need to get back out there....
    Years ago I had one of my best hammock experiences out there. It was mid-day and I had already set up the hammock and tarp. The skies opened up and it came down hard with lots of wind. I LOVED being able to just relax in my hammock totally protected and totally comfortable!!!
    Scott

    "Man is a stream whose source is hidden."
    RWE

  9. #9
    Senior Member Rat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Bertram, Texas
    Hammock
    DIY 126 x 60 Tablecloth
    Tarp
    JRB 10 x 11
    Insulation
    New River/Owhyee
    Suspension
    Whoopie
    Posts
    1,389
    Images
    22
    Okay here are the pictures.

    The frost from the first morning; it started to frost long before we hit the hammocks, pretty unusual for us around here!





    The lay out for the first night hang, no wind so the tarps are high.



    Second night at Sawyer camp, like I said we burnt a whole tree, it was uber nice! No pictures of the my hang, it was pretty tucked in to avoid the wind.





    Hangin' out in the rain on Sunday.



    Packing up Sunday.


    The very image of Rugged Individualism, that's 'Possum, my li'l Bro!



    And waiting at the trail head for our pick up, back to back Peregrines!



    The views were very nice with all the fog and mist, I just wasn't able to catch it just right on my Lumix, so, sorry for the scenery omissions.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    "I aim to misbehave." - Capt. Mal Reynolds
    Mind of a Rat Youtube Channel

  10. #10
    Senior Member Rat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Bertram, Texas
    Hammock
    DIY 126 x 60 Tablecloth
    Tarp
    JRB 10 x 11
    Insulation
    New River/Owhyee
    Suspension
    Whoopie
    Posts
    1,389
    Images
    22
    Quote Originally Posted by schrochem View Post
    The lake was high wasn't it. I was out there two weeks ago showing someone crocket. We ended up doing four miles out and back from cedar breaks.
    I wanted to get out there around where the river comes in to see how high it was but the sun goes down too early....
    Anyway, it's a great place to hammock camp. I have never stayed at any of the camp grounds. shhhhh!!! I stealth camp out around mile marker 8.
    It's close to a good water source coming into the the lake and not many people travel through that section. I need to get back out there....
    Years ago I had one of my best hammock experiences out there. It was mid-day and I had already set up the hammock and tarp. The skies opened up and it came down hard with lots of wind. I LOVED being able to just relax in my hammock totally protected and totally comfortable!!!
    Yes, it is high, I would say 3-5 feet, so not too bad. And I am with you on not camping at the sites, but only if other people are there. If I have it alone, which I usually do, I hang at the sites. Otherwise, like you, I have several stealth sites I use. My favorite is on the North shore tho, someday we gotta hook up and put some miles on.
    "I aim to misbehave." - Capt. Mal Reynolds
    Mind of a Rat Youtube Channel

  • + New Posts
  • Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

    Similar Threads

    1. Goodwater Trail 26.5 official miles
      By The Wanna Bs in forum Trip Reports
      Replies: 10
      Last Post: 07-01-2014, 08:41
    2. Tx>Goodwater loop>April 5,6 and 7
      By Brute1100 in forum Southwest
      Replies: 316
      Last Post: 04-07-2013, 16:58
    3. Uwharrie Trail Maintenance Day
      By eflat7 in forum Trip Reports
      Replies: 12
      Last Post: 06-21-2012, 09:28

    Tags for this Thread

    Bookmarks

    Posting Permissions

    • You may not post new threads
    • You may not post replies
    • You may not post attachments
    • You may not edit your posts
    •