The tree on the right the strap is attached to is a cedar of about the same girth as the pine standing behind it.
If I hadn't been trying to stay close to my group in the campground there were plenty of smaller trees to use. These are typical of the Sierras in California. Subalpine the trees will get smaller, and going alpine they mostly are the size of small shrubs or nonexistant.
That's what I figured. Thanks for the clarification.
"The nuclear generator of brain sludge is television." By Dave Barry
550 cord is a wonderful thing, and would be perfect for light weight suspension extenders... if only 550 cord didn't stretch so much.
I wouldn't personally use 550 cord in a suspension. If I absolutely had to, it would be a 3 or 4 part line. It is a must carry though. Great for lashing things together, improvising shoelaces, and in a pinch you can remove the inner strands and make fishing line. The are a lot of cheap imitations of 550 cord the real stuff is amazing.Originally Posted by callook66
550 cord isn't strong enough for hammock suspension.
Amsteel, on the other hand....
Amsteel rocks.
Now that I've completed the PCT I'm going to answer my own question for anyone that may have the same kind of questions.
Yes, using a hammock on the PCT is not only possible, but it can also be very practicle.
I only used a hammock for Washington, but if I were to do the whole thing again, I'd never bother with the Tarptent.
However, not bringing a groundpad would be stupid. There aren't many places that a person wouldn't be able hang on the PCT (even in SoCal), but when it happens having a pad will make the difference between a good nights sleep, or spending a cold miserable night cussing yourself out for being so stupid.
Also, I had one night in the Goat Rocks Wilderness that the cloud that I was sleeping in was blowing mist sideways in 35 degrees at (at least) 40 mph. I went to sleep that night hanging between the last two decent hanging trees before getting to the Packwood glacier. I drifted off that night very, very thankful for my Neoair pad beneath me, sandwiched between me and my underquilt.
Another thing is when I was in WA, it was the rainiest September in 30 years. Because of my hammock/tarp setup I was typically the driest hiker in the group of people that I knew. I saw many, many people in single wall tents bail off the trail for town because their down bags were completely saturated.
I would have thought the opposite. Hooch had a PCT movie he recommended, so of course I bought it. It look like most of the camping would have been on the ground, But since I’ve never been there and u just got back, you would know…
I don't know which movie that you're speaking of, but I've probably seen it.I would have thought the opposite. Hooch had a PCT movie he recommended, so of course I bought it. It look like most of the camping would have been on the ground, But since I’ve never been there and u just got back, you would know…
I think that one of the reasons people get the impression that there aren't many trees from which to hang is part because of preconceptions of what the desert is going to be like. That's the way it was for me, at any rate.
Also, I think (as far as movies and photos go) people tend to take more photos and video in the high altitude, alpine areas, so people get the impression that's what the trail is like all over. The truth is, most of it is wooded to some extent.
Glad to hear you made it! congrats! and good to hear you were successful in hanging most of the way - it's interesting how creative one can get with a hammock. I've been some places this year where I couldn't at all but mostly upwards of 11,000 feet in open granite slab.
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