Newbie from the PNW

[freeborn]

What a wonderful, informative forum. I found this digital hangout because of an excellent DIY video series I ran across on YouTube.

I haven't tried camping with a hammock (I've got a lawn furniture Pawleys Island style hammock and stand, but in all honesty, that's been rolled up and stored away in my wood shed for the better part of a decade, too many trees in the yard to set it up).

I grew up in the upper midwest in the Missouri breaks area of northern ND, and the lake lands of upper MN, pretty much living outdoors for most of my youth, then I discovered mountains, and left the flatlander life for good, or at least for the past 30 years. I've now spent the better part of my life here in the PNW (Pacific North West), mostly in the Cascades, with a short 3 year sidebar in the hill country of north GA (a region that will forever be dear to my heart, I got married a stones throw from the Appalachian trail in the Great Smokey Mountains of TN).

A back injury has basically kept me out of the woods except for day hikes for the past 15 years, my problem isn't that I can't pack the gear, its that I don't like taking all the meds it takes to get me out of a whimpering fetal position after spending a night on the ground. I'm hoping that hanging may be the solution that gets me back into spending more quality time in the woods!

I'm an avid DIY'er, and have been since my godmother gave me a Frostline kit back in the 70s. I took my first sewing machine apart when I was 5 years old... still haven't put it back together . I now collect and repair antique sewing machines, mostly because of my fascination with mechanical machines, maybe building some gear will finally give me a reason to put some of my collection to use! BTW, the whole "thread injection" thing is responsible for getting a half a swallow of my morning coffee into my sinuses... thanks a lot!

I probably won't have much to contribute here, but I'll sure be mining a lot of the great info. My first plan is to tie up a sidewall from a popup canopy as a proof of concept, just to see how hanging for a night effects the back.

Anyway, thanks to all for supporting and making available such a phenomenal resource!

Erik

[Curt]

Welcome! Where in the foothills are you? I did a lot of my growing up in Minnesota as well, but moved here the second I finished college. Nothing has made BP'ing more comfortable and sustainable than getting off the ground. That and a light load and you'll be good to go!

[raiffnuke]

Welcome to HF from Mass.

[ninjahamockman]

You ran into shugs video he is pretty awesome and informative

[2ply]

Welcome to HF from Georgia! The DIY forum could keep those old thread injectors of yours busy for a while.

[freeborn]

Curt,

I moved out here right after graduating from the Univ. as well. I'm south of I-90 between North Bend and the pass. While we were married in TN, my wife is also a PNW transplant from MN.

Erik

[freeborn]

Ninja,

Actually the video series that started me down this path was done by creativeKayt, at least that's her name on YouTube (very well done btw), though I did end up watching a bunch of Shugs videos as well. It almost seems as though all "hammock" google searches eventually lead to Shugs. I'm almost positive I've come across him somewhere in real life, he's certainly memorable!

Erik

[Coffeedrinker]

Hello,

I'm just a wee bit north of you and across the strait in Victoria.

Welcome to Hammock Forums,

Coffeedrinker

[XSrcing]

I'm hollering at you from a bit north in Bellingham! We are planning a group hang near Ocean Shores last weekend of next month and you should come (check out the trip planning section). Don't worry if you don't have much gear at all, the rest of us should be able to keep you off the ground.

[Coil]

Curt,

I moved out here right after graduating from the Univ. as well. I'm south of I-90 between North Bend and the pass. While we were married in TN, my wife is also a PNW transplant from MN.

Erik

Welcome neighbor! I'm a fellow newbie in Issaquah.