OR: I knew better but did it anyway.
Hammocking:
Item #1: I was not, read NOT going to admit this, but I went to ground accidentally Thursday PM, I had made a poor choice for a marlin spike & the stick disintegrated under the force of the Marlin hitch. I had tied it right and was hanging from the knot & not the stick. The stick was squeezed to sawdust after me sitting there for about 10 minutes. OK, I knew it was soft, used it anyway.
Item #2 : As mentioned in "Broookville lake" I picked a swampy area to set up in. Had it gotten windy, my stakes could have easily pulled out leaving me unprotected. The ground got VERY soft over night & in the morning I did pull the stakes out with ease. On the plus side, I did pick a mostly sheltered area, thereby blocking what wind there was. BUT, I should have paid more attention to the lay of the land. Yes, I was off the ground, but had my quilt dropped to the ground, as it has at other times, I may have had a very wet top quilt in seconds. And, had I gone to ground as in #1, my down UQ would have been ruined with all 200 lbs of me mashing it deep into the mud from a 2' fall, or at least messed up for that trip.
Item #3 hammock: The above campsite took FOREVER to set up in, I just could not get / judge the distance between the trees. I should know better! I need a minimum of 14 feet, kept picking trees 10 feet apart. Even with obvious tree selections nearby I was going to "Make it fit!" come hellorhighwater. Oh yea, I got the high waterDid finally pick the right trees after about 5 other attempts. Even tried to set up after counting only TEN FEET.
Hiking items, in no order, but it's stuff that I know I should / should not do, yet still do anyway:
Hiking a mile out of my way to cross a stream less than 2' deep. Whatsupwiththat?
Not eating on day 2. Why do I still do that?
No Pack Off Boots Off Breaks. I had AMPLE opportunities AND time to do just that, at least on the first 2 days. Even came to a picnic bench on day two AT LUNCH TIME & did not stop other than to re-tie my right boot.
I have a $400.00 digital camera, with nearly unlimited storage & a good battery, yet I took a grand total of 7 pictures. 3 of them of a tree cut down by a beaver & none of the streams I crossed, even though that was a milestone in my hiking history.
There are others from recent hikes that make me refer to me as dumbass, but these were the triggers for this post. I'm not lamenting or complaining, & the post is to say "we are all still learning & that is OK"
I think what upsets me most is all of the above are rank beginner mistakes, stuff I KNOW better than to do. When I picked up that stick I could tell (had I taken even a second to think) that I was going to hit the ground by using it. In the morning after getting the wet feet, with the same light as the afternoon before I could see that I was in a slight depression. I know how I feel after not eating on day 2.
So, from now on I am going to try to put in to play / practice all of the stuff i have learned the hard way (like hitting the ground
We have had posts on beginner mistakes, how about some "I KNEW BETTER BUT DID IT ANYWAY" stories from some "experienced" hikers / hangers.
I can't be the only one! Or can I?
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It really was a nice hanging area; shame. 
Originally Posted by Doctari
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