Who's going to be the one to top all of these extreme hangers by using this thread as a to-do list?
Who's going to be the one to top all of these extreme hangers by using this thread as a to-do list?
www.Adventure-Some.com
More Adventure in Your Daily Life
- MacEntyre
"We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." - Ben Franklin
www.MollyMacGear.com
Thanks Turk. In every science there are theory guys who think about it, and the practical guys who do it. Nobel prizes go to the practical guys who prove that some theory guy was accidently correct. So I'm a theory guy, and not in the class of "out on the edge" folks like you who really do it. I mean really really do it. But I'm having a grand time, and appreciate very much the very diverse community that has grown up around----and who woulda thunk it----sleeping in a hammock!
Grizz
Thanks for asking Mac--I love telling this story. This was how I got started in hammock camping in the first place. It was quite easy actually. It was on my 1,600 mile solo kayak trip up the Inside Passage in 1989 along the west coast of Canada from Vancouver, BC to Glacier Bay, AK. And it was Brown bears, not griz--Browns are bigger! They are so big that adults can't climb trees! I was alone for months at a time paddling up the coast & had to camp every nite in serious bear country. Of course, I was aware of the advice to hang your food when in bear country--but I decided to heck with that, I was going to hang myself--the bears could have my food, it was me I was more worried about! I prepared by making my very first camping hammock & practiced using climbing gear to hoist me & the hammock at least 15' off the gound--an adult Brown can reach 15' when standing on his hind legs. All it took was climbing rope, pulleys, & jumars (cam-lock devices for ascending ropes). The hard part was climbing each tree to position the anchor points high enough to get the hammock at least 15' high. But when properly rigged, I could lay in the hammock on the ground & pull on the rope hoisting me & the hammock aloft! Of course I stayed in my safety harness the whole time. I often used this method in trees & on rock clifts that summer. Sometimes I could rig my hammock between limbs in a single tree or between large rocks on a cliff face. I never had any bear problems in camp that summer, although I met several ground campers who were having serious issues with bears.
One eventful day I had to camp on a large island known for having the greatest Brown Bear density in the world--average of 5/sq mi! This single campsite was expected & was the biggest reason I carried a hammock & climbing ropes that summer! And am I glad I did--I saw 5 Browns in my first hour before finding a suitable place to land! Dinner that night was cold oatmeal eaten 25' off the ground! Unexpected bad weather caused me to spend the next day & night in the same spot--36 hours in my hammock & a lot more cold oatmeal! I only got down for water. I slept like a baby & spent the day watching Humpback whales feeding less than 100' from my hammock! The beach below me was littered with bear tracks, scat, & upturned rocks where they had been digging for clams, but I was safe & snug in my hammock!
Trees in the Pacific northwest are large & the lowest limbs were generally far above my head--so I often had to use a throw line to get my climbing ropes into the trees. But the lowest limbs are often very, very high making it difficult even to throw a line high enough to reach them! For this reason, it often took 2-3 hours to make camp in the trees (there was a lot of trial & error)! But when you are as motivated as I was, it seamed like a small price to pay for a good night's sleep!
Sorry, but I have no pictures of that trip--my brand new expensive camera malfunctioned on day 2! So I have nothing but memories of the trip of a lifetime!
So I hope this qualifies for extreme hammocking! It's not always about the cold. BTY, I'm an old man now, I hate cold weather & you'll never find me hammocking at 20 below!!!! I worked outside one entire winter in the Canadian Arctic where it never got above 40 below--that was enough cold for me. Stay warm....Not To Worry
Ed Speer (NotToWorry)
Co-Owner, Speer Hammocks, Inc
Author, Hammock Camping book
Moderator, Yahoo Hammock Camping List
I started this the other day so I'll try again. As I sit and watch these videos made by shug and turk I find it a toss up between the 2 of them.
Here are my reasons.
As shug goes about his hike he does it in extremely cold weather. Temperatures that I think would make a lot of trained military say what the, who the , in a hammock too!!!!!Not only does he do this in crazy temps. but he films it in a way that it seems like the piney woods is really his backyard he's just that comfortable.
Turk on the other hand does the same thing but the extremeness leans a little more in his direction due to the inherent danger he puts himself in. What I mean is he blows up a raft ( just a reinforced ballon if you ask me)and goes out into the river?? Hello anyone watch and say dude thats just nuts .
With these 2 individuals here on hammock forums as our do it live scientist, gives all of us a chance to learn by there triumphs or mishaps. I understand that they learn a lot from the elders (sorry guys) I think if the computer was around years ago we'd be talking about other people like grizz,cannabol, and so on.
So I tip my hat off to the both of these adventurous guys for allowing us to not only be entertained by learn at the same time.
There is many people who claim they can do what they do but really don't or people who say they do it wrong or would do it different but don't.
These people are known to be arm chair elitist, I feel lucky to have come across a forum where I really don't see these kind of people here, everyone helps everyone with no attitude.
So thank you Shug and Turk,you guys are definetly men amongst men with the extreme adventures you do. Please keep the videos coming so we all can continue to learn ( no pressure ). Thanks for having serious testicular fortitude to battle the demons of the winter and push em back with a comfortable hammock, and accesories.
TY
Yessir Ed ... that is extreme!
Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven
Ed, can you describe how you rigged the hoist?
- MacEntyre
"We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." - Ben Franklin
www.MollyMacGear.com
That is a well thought out response Ty. Wait until I go winter camping down a frozen glacier on my unicycle in only a Speedo!
Turk's videos are always eagerly anticipated by me ..... terrific stuff.
Sometimes just getting out of the house with my wife and daughter still wanting "things" from me is extreme.
Carry onward!
Shug
Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven
WOW i just read ed"s post all I can say to that is that is N***INGFUTS. ED YOU DA MAN
Ishould've read that first. YOU THE KING SIR YOU THE KING.
ED BROWN BEAR SPEERS
WHOA
not to take anything away from shug and turk but, whoa. To knowingly put yourself in a position where your litterly part of the food chain is borderline insane.
Last edited by GOLFER; 03-16-2009 at 04:53.
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