While we've been in the Big Bend area once, its a long way from Dallas.... especially when you have to be back to work sometime in the near future! We've been thinking about making it to the upcoming one out in East Texas in March. It'll be fun being around other folks who don't think you're crazy for being in a hammock vs a tent!Originally Posted by Scottybdiving
Welcome to the forum! It's good to have another couple of Texans onboard.While we've been in the Big Bend area once, its a long way from Dallas.... especially when you have to be back to work sometime in the near future! We've been thinking about making it to the upcoming one out in East Texas in March. It'll be fun being around other folks who don't think you're crazy for being in a hammock vs a tent!
It's beginning to look like we will have a good turnout for our East Texas Hang in March. It will be good meet everyone.
I know what you mean about the looks. I have even had someone come up with a very worried look and ask, "But where is your tent? Are you actually going to sleep in that?".
If sleeping in a hammock is crazy, I don't want to be sane.
Kattelyn's hubby here -- figured I might as well introduce myself too.
I grew up in San Antonio, finding whatever local wilderness I could, being in the city and all. I used to camp all the time in the woods by Ladybird Johnson Park, mostly with nothing more than a blanket and a cheap mess kit and firelighter. I'd sleep on the limestone floor in one of the caves (really just big dents in the limestone). Once in a while, I used one of the old $5 net hammocks from Kmart (Walmarts weren't yet everywhere) to lounge around during the day, when I wasn't hiking, climbing, swimming, or whatever.
Years later, I tried the sleeping pads to go camping -- wasn't impressed, and upgraded to an air mattress. These worked fine, except when you'd discover that at some point, a sticker or thorn or something put a hole in one -- naturally, you didn't find out until about 20 minutes after you went to bed, and woke up to feel the ground against your back again. Even aside from that, I wasn't a teenager anymore, and I always woke up sore.
Then, sometime later, we were camping out at Meridian, and I saw someone else with one of those bright backyard Brazilian hammocks hanging at their camp (of course, for the night, they were still in a tent). I remembered my old green net hammock that was the size of a softball, and thought that would be nice to have again.
Google "hammock," and you get all those giant, bulky backyard hammocks, so I tried typing "camp hammock," figuring I'd see some smaller ones. Third or so link down was Sgt. Rock's page -- Hammock Camping 101, and I spent the next several hours learning all about the Hennessy Hammock.
As Kattelyn said earlier, we then bought a couple with the tax money, and so far, the only tweak we've added is the supershelter.
Someone asked for pictures -- as it happens, I'm an amateur photographer....I'm planning to put together enough nice photos to print my own calendar for 2011. So far, here are a couple of favorites.
Throkda;
Welcome as well to the Forum. Very nice pics. Looking forward to the rest.
"Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere."- RONALD REAGAN
"There is new life in the soil for every man. There is healing in the trees for tired minds and for our overburdened spirits, there is strength in the hills, if only we will lift up our eyes. Remember that nature is your great restorer." - CALVIN COOLIDGE
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Welcome to the forum Kattelyn and Throdka. Nice first posts. You've had good experiences , bravo. Very nice pics, i like the night time fire glow shot best.
" The mind creates the abyss, the heart crosses it."
“The measure of your life will not be in what you accumulate, but in what you give away.” ~Wayne Dyer
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You guys are from my old neck of the woods. I grew up in the panhandle though. I try to make it back down that way now and again to see the folks in Abilene. Welcome to the forums.
Actually, that's something I enjoy. The best part is "the turn"; the part where they go from teasing to awestruck in a moment. They realize that you've got less weight, more comfort, better site selection, etc. ,and their face just changes. Then come the questions.It'll be fun being around other folks who don't think you're crazy for being in a hammock vs a tent!
Again, welcome.
Me too, although that wasn't fire glow -- we were at Cedar Hill State Park, which is at the southern-middle edge of the DFW metroplex -- since I took a 15-second exposure -- that's actually light pollution from the city reflecting off the clouds.
Looks cool, though
Welcome you two. Glad to hear you're doing so well hammocking. I wish I had had a hammock in the mid-80s when I was going to Hobie Cat regattas all around East Texas and usually camping. Some folks would sleep on the trampoline of the Hobie to get a better nights sleep than a tent. At any rate, I certainly know what you mean about the skeeters!
Welcome to the forum.
Make sure to strap in this time. Delurking, is that like decloaking a bird of prey. Great pictures...definetely calendar stuff...let me know when you have enough to do the calendar thingee cause I want one...really. All you have to do is PM the guy with the hobbit feet avatar.
"If'n I'm gonna fall, someone is gonna' watch."
Sean Emery
I know what you mean about the questions. On New Year's Day, I went to a party thrown by a friend and a bunch of fellow boardgamers (I have a lot of hobbies)The host occasionally goes hunting, so I couldn't resist telling him about our hammocks. At the time, I was waiting on my order for the supershelter (with which I got a free Expedition cause they'd run out of Scouts), and he just asked question after question. Since I was going there for the party, and he has trees in his backyard, I just went ahead and brought along the setup with the brand new, freshly-arrived supershelter. I hung it up, and I must have spent the next 2 hours answering questions while he, his wife, his father, his mother, a half-dozen kids, and several party guests all had to try it out. Best quote was his wife (who he'd said probably wouldn't like it cause she's mildly claustrophobic), lying in there, tarp and all up, and saying, "Hm....I'm done with all the cooking and setting stuff out for guests for now, right??" It was a while before she decided to go head, get up, and go back to being the hostess.
Yup, looking forward to people asking questions when we go camping!
And hobbit-foot-guy -- I'll make sure to post a link with Snapfish, Cafepress, or wherever I put up the hammock calendar when it's ready, so anyone can get one. Glad you like the pictures! There's a few more with the hammocks in them in the rest of my Flickr stream, but so far, only those two seem calendar-worthy.
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