Happy Birthday, it's nice to get out with the wife sometimes. Make it a special night and bring the wine and cheese. May be worth the weight
Happy Birthday, it's nice to get out with the wife sometimes. Make it a special night and bring the wine and cheese. May be worth the weight
Happy birthday Jeff, mine was yesterday. I got a fire pit and a JetBoil Java Kit. Cleaning up on the b-day presents, aren't we?
Bear Island sounds great. I'll be hitting you up for some advice on that trip soon. That's been on my list for a long time.
Here's the map - the ones to the left of the island. Sounds like they're pretty strict about staying at the campsite, but after a quick look I didn't see anything about tying to the trees. I'll probably call and be sure...it would suck to get down there and not be able to hang!
But I'll probably bring fresh water if we use the western sites...that's too long of a walk to the bath house.
“Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall when the wise are banished from the public councils because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded because they flatter the people, in order to betray them.” ~Judge Joseph Story
- My site: http://www.tothewoods.net/
- Designer, Jeff's Gear Hammock / Pack Cover by JRB
IMPOSSIBLE JUST TAKES LONGER
We (my dad and I) always stayed either in the lagoon sites (right of the map, back of the island) or in the sites along the beach to the East. I don't actually recall there BEING sites to the West of the bathhouse when we were there last, so they may be newer. Newer meaning less than 8 years old or so
It is a bit of a walk to the bathhouse if you're near one end of the island. We would swim or hang out on the beach most of the day, then take a shower at the bath house, so we'd just get water for the night and next morning then before heading back to camp.
"Physics is the only true science. All else is stamp collecting." - J. J. Thompson
Cool - thanks for the info.
“Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall when the wise are banished from the public councils because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded because they flatter the people, in order to betray them.” ~Judge Joseph Story
- My site: http://www.tothewoods.net/
- Designer, Jeff's Gear Hammock / Pack Cover by JRB
IMPOSSIBLE JUST TAKES LONGER
Happy Birthday Jeff......many more to come, each happier than the last!
"If you play a Nicleback song backwards, you'll hear messages from the devil. Even worse, if you play it forward, you'll hear Nickleback." - Dave Grohl
A phone call to the park before you leave would definitely be in order. I heard something last fall about the western end of the island taking a lot of damage from Ernesto. Those campsites might not be there. And if they are, there might not be any trees to tie.
Also, I heard that the channels were silted up but the dredging got canceled. So they've only able to run a much smaller ferry over to the island and for only about 5 hours at a time around the high tides - seriously limiting the ferry capacity. The water taxi/private ferry might be necessary even if you wait 'til April.
Happy Birthday Jeff. Once you convert your partner to hammocking and THEY are the one suggesting trips, life is sweet
happy BD jeff. that's a really nice & thoughtful gift that your wife & the little guy are giving you!
i took a group to bear island about 5 years ago. really neat place.
we stayed in the group sites A, B, & C (no one else was using the group sites).
seams like they were probably about a 20 min walk from the ferry dock.
you follow the trail shown on the map to the beach where the bathrooms, showers, & phone are shown on the map. but the only thing there when we went was two bathroom stalls & a water faucet. a hurricane had taken everything out in resent times before that. that may be something to ask about when you call.
we didn't see the east end of the island, but we did do a walk down to the west end to watch the sun set. it was really beautiful with hundreds of shore birds of all kinds.
across from the west end you could see land that was a military base. i can't remember which one though.
the two lone camp sites shown on the map were tucked in the dunes. no trees that i remember.
i remember seeing lots of trees on the back side of the island (the side facing NC & the bay/marsh you travel across to get there), but i don't remember much about them as in undergrowth, etc, because the only time i was near them was at the ferry dock. and that was before i discovered the hammock so i wasn't thinking about that they called it a maritime forest.
if you use any of the sites on the ocean side & the taxi service isn't going be able to get you to near your campsite, one thing i remember about walking across the island was having to tote our stuff across.
we were staying two nights & had more than we really should have taken, but i had most of mine in a backpack. there was at least one big cooler to drag. the road across the island starts out paved, but soon became a sand road. i was told by park employees that a good way to take stuff across was using a plastic snow sled, the kind w/ a flat bottom so it slides across the sand. but that's something to have in mind as you choose a campsite.
a couple other things i remember was that some of our group rented canoes to come across & when they went back, made the mistake of going against the tide
and we happened to hit it on a weekend that the locals said was " unusually windy". so we had a time w/ blowing sand between the dunes the group sites were in. we built a lean to by turning a pick nic table on it's side to cook behind, but still had sand in our food. i still have sand in a chair i took
also, we saw a bald eagle & an osprey!!!
I too will something make and joy in it's making
Just Jeff,
Happy B-Day!
Thank you for all your advice and info over the last few years. You, Rock, the Jacks and others were my primary inspiration to start Hanging!
Coincidentally, my wife (who's gone backpacking and dayhiking a couple times w/me) told me last week that she will try a night in a hammock! Can't wait.
Again, Happy Birthday.
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