But it's not what you've seen... Hahaha
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But it's not what you've seen... Hahaha
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"Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it.”
― Winston S. Churchill
In the late 70's, REI did not have the large stores of today, they were very very small. They would display tents upside down hanging from the ceilings.
I am still 18 but with 52 years of experience !
When is a hammock not a hammock? On my last trip - with a stop on Jones Island - I saw several sites that had ENO hammocks set up way too tight, and high, for comfort. Seems that instead of hanging their food from a tree, campers have started to use a general purpose (i.e. ENO) hammock as a food cache. They are not worried about bears; just raccoons and deer. and "somehow" the Park Service has managed to make the raccoons disappear.
In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.
Haha it's so rare to see a properly hung ENO in a campground. If you tried that with the special forces tactical raccoon squads out on the coast you would not only lose your food but they'd likely jack your hammock as well. Ruthless creatures.They are not worried about bears; just raccoons and deer. and "somehow" the Park Service has managed to make the raccoons disappear.
Before their "disappearance", I had one squad unzip a closed container to steal the cheese inside. They also started to make off with a paddling bootie, but only got 20 ft away. They either figured it wasn't food, would not fit their feet, or succumbed to the smell.
For a while, I'd put a small motion sensor-activated light (9V battery powered) on the picnic table so if I hear sounds and night, I could look over and see what kind of critter (2 or 4-footed) it was.
I would have thought those ENO's were just strung too tight out of ignorance, but given how high they were set between two trees, that would only be the case if it were Yao Ming's campsite.
In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.
And then there are mice, chipmunks and squirrels. And you guys have marmots in the mountains. Also birds... at Mt Baker a crow opened my friend's unattended pack and stole a bag of crackers.
In the Adirondacks and most northern forests there's another critter, the pine marten. Nasty little cusses. The one in this pic opened a zipper on my McHale pack and made off with my lunch bag. I gave chase, on snowshoes, and fortunately he dropped it. Not to be outdone, he had the audacity to come back where our group was taking a break and paused to hiss at us. Truly an amazing encounter.
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Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton
Although I haven't seen them my last couple of trips to the Adirondacks, that was in warmer weather. They really love cold weather — the colder the better. The one in the pic was young, apparently taught by his parents that people are a good food source, and therefore a bit miffed when he didn't get any. We once had a large adult follow us for a couple of miles up Ore Bed Creek in the Daks, bouncing from tree to tree.
But back to the original post ... hanging a freestanding tent up like that to dry isn't a bad idea. Although I haven't used a freestanding tent for nearly 20 years or so.
And if someone is thinking a hammock is a safe place for food storage... LOL
Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton
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