Whodunnit??? Igloos at Valens Conservation Area

**Deep Thought** · 02-08-2011, 17:15

I just got off the phone with a ranger at Valens Conservation area
1691 Regional Road 97 (R.R.#6)
Flamborough, Ontario, Canada
(just north of Hamilton)

He told me that some hammock campers have been out there hanging recently and have built some igloos. Aparently some kids have been using them since then and love them!
Just curious who those mysterious hammock campers were...
Anyone willing to fess up?

(and tell me what it's like to hang there??)

DT

We shall go on to the end, we shall hang in France, we shall hang on the seas and oceans, we shall hang with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our hammocks, whatever the cost may be, we shall hang on the beaches, we shall hang on the landing grounds, we shall hang in the fields and in the streets, we shall hang in the hills; we shall never surrender!
-Winston Churchill, June 5th 1940.

**Mick** · 02-08-2011, 17:50

That would be fellow forum member [O]TTeR and myself. Here is a link to our January hang at Valens:

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=27340

I think someone may have finished something we had started on that trip. We had built up some snow walls at the bottom of our tarps to block the wind that night. Some kids may have seen this after and turned them into igloos.

Valen's has been very accommodating to us in the last couple of years. We've become known as the Hammock guys and they're doing a small writeup about hammock camping in the new conservation area newsletter. So you can expect to be asked some questions while you're there. [O]TTeR and I get a kick out the comments of passerbys, including a British couple who thought that roughing it in their trailer was crazy

The site's you are referencing are located very close to the heated washrooms and laundry room. These are well maintained and the lanes and roads are plowed regularly.

There is a nice trail around the lake, through a wetland on a boardwalk, across the lake on a bridge and then through small forested areas. The trails are not long and would only take an hour or two to complete but there are very scenic at this time of year.

If you decide to go I think you'll enjoy the park. Here the link to some of our trip reports from Valens:

http://www.farflunggallery.net/main.php?g2_itemId=1952

Mick

**Deep Thought** · 02-08-2011, 18:29

That's fantastic Mick!
Thanks for all the great information. The trip reports are great, but the pictures are incredible!
I was told 134-135 were the "go-to" hammock sites

I'm waiting to hear what's going on with the February 18-20th hang that chardpp was organizing.
Link here:
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=23190

I'm not sure why that thread has gone so quiet...

My backup plan is to get into Valens early on Friday Feb 18th and make a bee-line to one of those sites. A site is apparently good for up to 6 people, and all are welcome. Sites at Valens would be first come first served that weekend. I'm told that there is a family day "Valens Ice Fest" that goes on Sunday, so there would be quite a few gawkers...

Should perhaps print a HF sign...

**Mick** · 02-08-2011, 19:43

You're welcome Deep Thought.

We camped last February and there was no one in the park. It was fantastic.

Having said that, they have been heavily promoting winter camping at Valen's, specifically trailer owners. It's been covered by our local news station and hammocking actually got a mention all day on the news because of that report. So there are a few regular campers now but they are in the powered section.

Those 2 sites you mentioned are good mostly because they are close to the washroom but there are plenty of sites you can hang from. At times the staff has even let us camp in the closed sections. If for some reason you don't get that site I think you will find another just as nice.

I think a HF sign would be a nice touch to any campsite.......maybe with a candle lantern next to it?

Mick

**Running Feather** · 02-08-2011, 20:01

Great trip reports and pics. Sorry I missed this when you first posted.

On the igloos

**mbiraman** · 02-08-2011, 20:57

Nice pics,,thankx for sharing

**[o]TTeR** · 02-14-2011, 08:53

Igloo mystery solved! As it turns out, the igloo is on a different site so we had no hand in it. It’s nice and solid though, wonder how it will fair against the above zero temps this week?

**bcaron** · 02-14-2011, 19:22

Great trip report guys. I haven't been to Valens for years. I didn't remember it being so nice for camping. But then I was only there for a day's fishing.