I've got a tarp.
... and make that ETA 3:30PM
I've got a tarp.
... and make that ETA 3:30PM
Aside from the two hex tarps for our individual hammocks, we also have a third hex tarp, and two diamond tarps from the HH Explorers -- plus the stock tarp on the expedition we were bringing if someone had needed to borrow it -- could always overlap 'em and have a big area
With the weather moving in and the Temps dropping, the less hardy of us cut out mid day today, just after the rains began. With sadness we left our comrades in trees to brave mid 30's temps, with 20 MPH winds and Rain, rain, rain.
Although short, it was a great trip ..... I'm constantly amazed at what a great group of people hang out in hammocks, not to mention Hammock Forum.net!
We got to tell scary tales around the campfire, listen to spring peepers sing us to sleep, watch a Clark Jungle Hammock give birth to a live Slinky, and eat like royalty due to the generosity of Uncle MJM, Cindy, and Texas Longhorn ....
Those of you that missed out, REALLY missed out.
To Slinky and MtbikeNate .... great shindig!
Many a good hanging prevents a bad marriage
William Shakespeare
"Insert witty and intelligent statement here"
Agreed that a good time was had by all.Originally Posted by Captn
The fears about availability of space that cropped up late in the game, although real at the time posted, turned out to be unjustified. There was plenty of tree space left for another two dozen hangers. A special thanks to Slinky for staking a claim on some real estate that worked quite well.
In addition to "the less hardy" heading out, those of us with Sunday commitments also left today.
The crazy thing about Texas weather is that we started out in the mid 70's and by the time I got home it was colder than the low of last week's hang in the Arkansas Ozarks. Go figure.
It's always good to meet folks with common interests and group hangs are the greatest because of that. I look forward to the next one wherever it may be.
Twas fun. I enjoyed seeing hammock models that I wouldn't otherwise have seen anywhere, and getting some ideas.
I'm a little disappointed that one of my tree huggers gave out on me yesterday when I was perfecting my hang. Thanks to captn for supplying a spare. While I had enough strap to make mine work if I had to...I didn't quite trust them anymore. I'll be getting some replacement straps soon that WON'T break on me (and to think...I'm only 170lbs).
We had a pair of excellent waterfront campsites, and there were trees EVERYWHERE. This would be a good location for future hangs during the less busy times of year. :-D I think the impending weather scared off a lot of campers, which allowed a lot of sites to open up at the last minute.
One positive aspect of taking off early is that I was able to stop in the Nacogdoches farmer's market before I went home, and I picked up some persimmon bread, muscadine jelly, Texas-made parmesan and goat gouda cheeses, and some flowers for the garden. Yum.
mtbikernate,
so now it's after the hang .....
what did you learn, like, and want to change?
after my first group hang and seeing what's what
I went home with lots of ideas!
and with a new sewing machine
i made some of those ideas take shape ......
what's on your wish list?
Really not much. I like the hammock, but I need to work on my technique a bit. I ended up with my bum touching the ground this morning, and I'm pretty sure the hammock itself stretched enough to make that happen. I think hanging it higher would have solved that problem, but with the distance the trees were spread apart, I'd have needed to put my tree huggers higher than I could reach.
A smaller tarp might have let me hang between closer trees so my huggers could be within reach and maintain the hammock at a proper height. The hex shaped tarps looked nice, and provided good coverage to those who used them. Which just about matches what I was thinking, anyway. I just didn't know how small I could go with a tarp and still get reasonable coverage. I got the GG tarp since it was cheap and big enough to cover me if it got wet, and I could use it to bide my time until I buy a better tarp.
My 12x12 was HUGE. While I like that size and would use it in the future, I think I'd rather use it to cover something other than my hammock.
I did like the stretchy guy lines UncleMJM and his family had on their tarps to maintain tension.
Ummm....otherwise, not too much. I've been backpacking for a few years now, so I'm happy with my other gear. The hammock thing is all that's new.
Oh, right...and I liked how the Hennessey Super Shelter works. I might see about doing something like that for my hammock.
And I already have a sewing machine (a 1953 Singer hand-me-down) that I used to make my down top quilt a few years ago.
I got a gg tarp as well, just to try it out. It's not very good for hammocks. It would be good as a group gathering place during raining weather while you're car camping though.
I have a warbonnet superfly tarp and made line pouches for it and some snake skins. I haven't yet had the chance to try it out in the field though. Every time I set up somewhere I look at what I don't like or what could be lighter, faster, better, in some way. I think what I've done is going to work pretty slick, just don't look at the stitching!
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=15001
We missed you Dave but based on what I see the weather has done your way you made the right call. Who knew there would be a winter storm in south central OK after the ides of March.
Although we had plenty of trees, there was not much of a LZ for your wood hauling rig and most of us headed a la casa before lunch Saturday. BTW, thanks to Slinky's saw, Nate's wood bashing skills, and plenty of downed logs there was plenty of wood for Captn to keep the fire going in your absence.
Those who stayed got to experience the same conditions we did last week at the Arkansas Ozark hang - cold and wet.
I look forward to the next time our paths cross brother.
And it's a dandy, too. Snow, sleet, freezing rain, howling wind...
Catch you soon...my regards to the fam...I enjoy you guys.
Dave
"Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self."~~~May Sarton
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