>Canada>Ont>EGL Gearing Up For Winter 2014-2015

[Chard]

EGL Gearing Up for Winter 2014-2015

With the snow starting to blow up north, it's high time we started thinking about everyone's favorite excuse to get out and do some laid back hanging and BBQ'n. Those who've come out before know the Gearing Up hang as an excuse to lolligag, roast meat and get a relaxing night's sleep. Newcomers get a chance to test out their winter rigs in a controlled environment and see how others have managed to take Old Man Winter's best shot and survived to tell the tale.

It'd be best to wait and have the hang when we're pretty sure of getting some cold weather. Daytime's not a problem, we usually have a nice fire going and night time, well, that's when we get to tuck ourselves in hammocks and drift contentedly off. I think somewhere within a week or two of New Year's sounds about right, so with that in mind, I'm going to suggest Saturday Jan 10, 2015 as the main night, with Friday Jan 9th for the early birds. Personally, I'm pretty flexible around dates.

Valens Conservation Area seems to fit the bill pretty nicely for this kind of hang. It's a drive-to, so the cars are on hand to pack in extra supplies (and/or blankets) and provide a bail out option if things get too uncomfortable. There's a heated washroom with showers next to the site and that's pretty hard to beat! Of course, depending on the turnout and the weather we might want to turn this into a proper back-country hang, but let's see where this goes.

Everyone's welcome, if even just to join us for lunch or dinner and there's no lack of trees to hang from.

I look forward to seeing you all out there!

Cheers,

Chard

[LuvmyBonnet]

I'm up for a hang! Finally something that's not 7+ hours away.

[Jayson]

Will talk to the Boss and see how it looks for us. Would be great to get out for a group meal again!

[keg]

Ahh, EGL trips, a chance to gain some weight after the holidays. Sounds fun.


I was talking to one of my students who is a wilderness guide and he said he always loses weight on trips. I told him he's camping with the wrong people.

[LuvmyBonnet]

Noob question. What's EGL?

[The Old Boot]

Noob question. What's EGL?

Eastern Great Lakes

A great group to camp with although you should be warned that some (hahaha - almost all) take their hanging and their cooking very, very seriously....)

Have a great time at Valens guys, we'll see you in the spring when there's no snow on the ground and the water moves...

[northboundcanadian]

Would love to come but unfortunately don't have the winter gear for it

[Bubba]

Would love to come but unfortunately don't have the winter gear for it

If you are close by, you could always visit for lunch or dinner. Also, keep an eye on the this thread as there are many people here with extra gear to lend. My first winter hang was done with borrowed equipment since my inbound gear was sitting in a post office.

As always I will be working on attending.

[Crash]

aaarrrgghhh!!! I'm not going to make it again to Valens this year!
I was so hoping to get up and hang with the Canadians again, eh.
If things change I'll be there.

[Chard]

I'm up for a hang! Finally something that's not 7+ hours away.

Excellent! Looking forward to meeting you. Yeah, we do quite a few backcountry hangs and for the most part that means heading north but we've got some diehard hangers coming from as London Ontario (5+ hours) and Buffalo's about as far. We can chat more about it at the Hang.

Will talk to the Boss and see how it looks for us. Would be great to get out for a group meal again!

Nice! It's been over a year since Pen! We need to get you guys out again!

Ahh, EGL trips, a chance to gain some weight after the holidays. Sounds fun. I was talking to one of my students who is a wilderness guide and he said he always loses weight on trips. I told him he's camping with the wrong people.

Well sounds to me like your student would waste away on a long trip; not a recipe for survival at all! Sounds like he needs a new recipe... for Chow-da!!

Noob question. What's EGL?

Eastern Great Lakes

Like the Lakes themselves, the spirit of name was meant to span borders, whether they be provinces or countries. Afterall, in one way or another, we all have a vested interest in this amazing watershed.

A great group to camp with although you should be warned that some (hahaha - almost all) take their hanging and their cooking very, very seriously....) Have a great time at Valens guys, we'll see you in the spring when there's no snow on the ground and the water moves...

Keep your tools sharp. You'll have a better time, a better product and more time to relaxing. I think people get into hanging out of a healthy sense of curiousity and a desire to improve our time outdoors, as limited as it usually is. Otherwise, we'd all still be tenting. Not only do I love seeing all of the hammock camping oriented products people have bought to fill a particular need (or want), I've always been impressed by the number of DIY'ers that come out on these EGL hangs. I've also been amazed by the quality of the down-home cooking the gang brings to the hangs. Between fresh baked banana cakes, home dehydrated 5 alarm chili, grilled venison, some of the best hot sauces I've ever tried, and (if I may say myself) some of the best **** stews if ever eaten in the bush or in a restaurant, there's never a want of variety. Granted we're usually either canoeing/portaging or car camping and weight isn't as much as a concern as it would be when backpacking. But then again, that's one of the beauties of canoeing.

Would love to come but unfortunately don't have the winter gear for it

If you are close by, you could always visit for lunch or dinner. Also, keep an eye on the this thread as there are many people here with extra gear to lend. My first winter hang was done with borrowed equipment since my inbound gear was sitting in a post offic.

Ditto. Coming out for the day trip is certainly a great option. Depending on the weather, it might be possible to McGyver an outfit, or as Bubba said, gear might be found.

As always I will be working on attending.

aaarrrgghhh!!! I'm not going to make it again to Valens this year!
I was so hoping to get up and hang with the Canadians again, eh.
If things change I'll be there.

Hey Bubba! As always, I'll be hoping you'll be able to come out.

Hey Crash! Hopefully you finangle a way to make the Valens hang, but if not, let's try to get you out in the Spring!