Joining the cult

[Doctari]

I may have just converted 2 to "Our cult".

Yesterday some friends from church told me they were selling all of their hiking gear. Both are AVID backpackers, & I could tell this was a blow to them, the wife said she has a bad ACL (R leg) & "several" injured vertibrae, the walking part is'nt that bad if she takes it easy, but sleeping on the ground, no matter how much padding she uses is 'IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!!!!" so naturally, I "preached the gospel" of hanging. Their response was, not so impressive, or so I thought.

I just came in from showing him my set up, (he 'HAD to see" my set up) his response was: "Wow, that's light! Wow, that sets up fast!! WOW! IS THAT EVER COMFORTABLE!! OH WOW!!!!!!" I then showed him: the ease of setting up the tarp, the hammock sock, the under & over quilts & the fact that it doubles as a chair. He said another problem with the wifes back is "Nowhere to sit".

I suspect that their hiking gear is no longer for sale.


I am so bad.


Doctari the Hammockvangelist.

[lvleph]

That would have been sad, if they really sell their gear.

[slowhike]

I may have just converted 2

Yesterday some friends from church told me they were selling all of their hiking gear. .
I suspect that their hiking gear is no longer for sale.

Doctari the Hammockvangelist.

preach it bro!!! ...tim

[Shadowmoss]

I am another convert. Yesterday I ordered a HH scout, mostly because of the price difference and the fact that it will fit me. I first saw reference to HH on TJ last year when I started following some journals there. Michele's preparation posts fired my interest again, and while looking around I just had to make the jump. This despite the fact that I just bought a Six Moons Designs Europa that I haven't used yet. Oh, well... I like options.

I'm from Nashville, TN, and I see that a few others here are from here, too. I look forward to meeting you. I'm going back to Amicalola Falls this next weekend to try again to make it up the approach trail. I hope to camp someplace at the top of Springer on Saturday night. I'll probably be in my Europa since I don't think my hammock will be here yet. If it is, I will probably take it instead.

You all should give Michele the Grand Pubah award for number of folks converted.

[Just Jeff]

Welcome to the forum! Neo lives in TN and has been organizing campouts in that area...it would be a great idea to check out one of those. You can read about how to stay warm in a hammock all day, but it'll really sink in when you see it and talk to someone who's experimented some. (He'll try to get you to trade in your HH on a Claytor, though... )

Make sure you know how to stay warm in a hammock if you take it to Springer...it's a bit different from sleeping on the ground.

[stoikurt]

Welcome, Shadowmoss, and happy hanging. If you have questions this is the right place. I'm sure Neo and others in your area will be glad to help you out in person if you need it.

[Shadowmoss]

I don't like to sleep cold. That said, I've slept cold a lot, so I have some coping methods. If push comes to shove, I can always set the hammock up on the ground with my poles to keep warm. I don't think it will come to that at this time of year, though. I have a good down bag (20 yo North Face -20 deg. bag), a Z-lite, and I'm going to pick up a large windshield reflector (as Tom suggested to me in the phone call when I ordered) and I carry an emergency space blanket. I have read Michele's journal about pitching the tarp low and filling in the gap with leaves, and I got the larger tarp (one reason I went ahead and ordered the scout now was that was included free) so pitching it that way should work. If all that fails, I'll head to the ground.

Tom said 8 days for it to show up, so the hammock probably won't be here in time for this trip anyway. I'm using the approach trail as my training ground since the nice ladies at the visitor's center smiled at me and sweetly said 'yes, the approach trail is so difficult that if you can do it, you can make it to Maine'. I've tried once, but started late in the day and only made it about half way up, camped and hiked down the next day. Even if I sleep cold, better on an overnight when my truck is a few miles away than on a thru hike once I'm committed.

Thanks for the welcome.

[Bird Dog]

welcome to the forum shadowmoss. BD

[rptinker]

I don't like to sleep cold. That said, I've slept cold a lot, so I have some coping methods. If push comes to shove, I can always set the hammock up on the ground with my poles to keep warm. I don't think it will come to that at this time of year, though. I have a good down bag (20 yo North Face -20 deg. bag), a Z-lite, and I'm going to pick up a large windshield reflector (as Tom suggested to me in the phone call when I ordered) and I carry an emergency space blanket. I have read Michele's journal about pitching the tarp low and filling in the gap with leaves, and I got the larger tarp (one reason I went ahead and ordered the scout now was that was included free) so pitching it that way should work. If all that fails, I'll head to the ground.

Tom said 8 days for it to show up, so the hammock probably won't be here in time for this trip anyway. I'm using the approach trail as my training ground since the nice ladies at the visitor's center smiled at me and sweetly said 'yes, the approach trail is so difficult that if you can do it, you can make it to Maine'. I've tried once, but started late in the day and only made it about half way up, camped and hiked down the next day. Even if I sleep cold, better on an overnight when my truck is a few miles away than on a thru hike once I'm committed.

Thanks for the welcome.

Welcome shadowmoss!
I guess our problem in the tropics (its the middle of summer here) is not much of keeping warm but of keeping cool.
But its nice to know that our tribe is increasing! My only wish is that more people from the tropics would join the forum. I would feel less lonely that way!

[lvleph]

In Panama I got cold a couple nights, but I was using a net hammock and nothing over top of me or under me. To solve that problem I used two towels, one over me and one under me. I think it got down to 70F at night maybe in the high 60s.