Come on Mike....you know what the ground is.... It's that horribly hard, uneven, lumpy, wet, and cold thing that those beautiful trees somehow grow out of.
Come on Mike....you know what the ground is.... It's that horribly hard, uneven, lumpy, wet, and cold thing that those beautiful trees somehow grow out of.
That was the first week long trip I've had since going to the hammock. It was a bucket list trip for me. Truly and "end of the road" place. Seriously, no roads access the park. You can take a train in, fly in, or like us, paddle in. We saw no pther people for 3 days. Then we saw a few folks who flew in, then no one for another day, and then we passed the only other canoeists in our quadrant of the park. Thay caught up to us the last day and we all took the train out together.
I haven't slept on the ground in over 5 years. Last time I went camping I spent the first night in a bed of the trailer we borrowed. Tossed and turned all night long, didn't get a bit of sleep. The rest of the trip I spent in the hammock and slept great. And of course I had to hear my wife complain about how hard the beds were in the trailer. She's now mostly sold on the hammock thing.
*Heaven best have trees, because I plan to lounge for eternity.
Good judgement is the result of experience and experience the result of bad judgement. - Mark Twain
Trail name: Radar
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It's that stuff you walk on. Also good for growing plants in. Not meant to be slept on, & that is what we refer to here on this thread. We are describing our mistake of thinking that the "Ground" can be slept upon.
What we all have failed to realize is that: If it hurts you feet so much from just walking on it, what makes us think that we can sleep on it?
When you have a backpack on, no matter where you are, you’re home.
PAIN is INEVITABLE. MISERY is OPTIONAL.
The other night I was having a bit of trouble finding trees. I had my stand along so all would not be lost if I didn't find any. I would have gone to a motel if it went far enough to consider the ground as an option. Oh I should mention I was car camping... Out walking would be a different story.
Last time I had to go to ground, it was miserable. But I didn't quite "go to ground", a buddy of mine had a cot and was like, "it's kinda like a hammock, only the suspension is stronger!" I figured it couldn't be too bad.
Was I ever wrong. The cot bent in the middle, sagging even more than a hammock and left me in a U shape all night. I couldn't sleep on my side since the human body doesn't bend that way or my belly. I was left on my back all night and it constantly felt like I was sleeping on top of a bar. I was stuck in one position all night, and I woke up feeling much older than I am. Never again.
The other time I had to go to ground, was simply because the trees were too spindly and curved for me to hang safely, so I slept on the beach. I woke up that morning freezing, the ground had stolen all my heat from me and even though the air temperature was about 68, I was shivering as I woke up, even in a sleeping bag. Those pads that camp stores sell aren't for padding, they're for insulation. They aren't for comfort. I realised then that the ground will sap all your heat even worse than cold butt syndrome.
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