Going to the Ground

[ringtail-THFKAfood]

The first two years that I used a hammock I worried about a system to "go to the ground." I still use a bivy and poncho combination when I know there will be no trees, but have never had an unplanned situtation when I had to sleep on the ground.

Have you ever had an unplanned night on the ground with your hammock?

What was the situation?

[funbun]

Whew, I thought you converted back to the Darkside. Good to know you're still with us.

[Just Jeff]

One time I had a great campsite for my son and me, but we both had to tie off to the same tree. It looked big enough, but I woke up with my butt on the ground...when I got up to tighten it, I saw the tree had bent at a pretty sharp angle. Rather than look for a new site (which wouldn't have been hard to find, I just slept on the ground. It was the middle of the night and my son was still asleep, and I had the big Exped inflatable, and the hammock was a BGT test and I needed to check it out on the ground anyway...it all added up and I just bivied in the Crazy Crib. Certainly not as comfortable as hanging but it worked out ok.

Ed Speer put his elbow through his hammock once and had to sleep on the ground...luckily he had his Exped with him, too. Pretty sure slowhike was there for that one.

[slowhike]

yep, i was w/ ed on a winter trip when his trusty hammock of more than 500 nights (or was it 5000 hours?) failed him.
it's the same hammock pictured on the front of his hammock camping book. he & karen buried it in an un-disclosed location w/ special honors.
check out this thread about a recent night when i had problems w/ the trees being to far apart for the cheap wal-mart webbing & a air mat problems on the same winter night.
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=612
...tim

[Bird Dog]

he & karen buried it in an un-disclosed location w/ special honors.
...tim

Good thing. Else, die-hard hammockers would be trying to visit the site and dig it up. Could be like an Elvis shrine or something. BD

[slowhike]

Good thing. Else, die-hard hammockers would be trying to visit the site and dig it up. Could be like an Elvis shrine or something. BD

yeah... i would have made something else out of it... a special shirt or something.

[Certain]

I went to the ground (for a few hours anyway...LOL) last week out here on the AT. I was exhausted, cold, and I originally tied off to a dead tree that may have fallen over in the nite if I hung on it, so I went to the ground, for about 2 hrs and then after laying there in pain, I got up at midnight in 30 degree temps and wind and figured out another option to hang. I have a HH, and the bottom entry made it more difficult to crawl in, but it was the first time I tried it. Hey, in dire circumstances, you can do anything I suppose, but you sure as hell won't sleep as good on the ground!

[Bird Dog]

I went to the ground (for a few hours anyway...LOL) last week out here on the AT. I was exhausted, cold, and I originally tied off to a dead tree that may have fallen over in the nite if I hung on it, so I went to the ground, for about 2 hrs and then after laying there in pain, I got up at midnight in 30 degree temps and wind and figured out another option to hang. I have a HH, and the bottom entry made it more difficult to crawl in, but it was the first time I tried it. Hey, in dire circumstances, you can do anything I suppose, but you sure as hell won't sleep as good on the ground!

Spoken like someone who would "bury" their hammock when it finally blows out in an "undisclosed location". BD

[blackie]

I had to go to ground once...we were going on a trip and i decided to take my hammock ..one i had not used in 2 yrs...well night arived we set up camp..i went to climb in and bam!! rope broke at the knot..under a flashlight we could clearly se the rope was history..so with no other rope to replace with i just set it up like a bivy...not a good way to spend a night..