HangCon '19>RIVER FOREST,LOCATION CHANGE!!!! January 24-28, 2019> HangCon '19

[ChinoUSMC]

Chino- thanks.

Again this year we are taking in food donations for the local area. We've been hit hard the last 2 years with storms and flooding and would appreciate any and all food donations. Please bring 1(or more if you like) non-perishable can of food. Anything you would eat would be great.

We will have a few boxes to put them in near the sign-up area for your convenience.

Cool. What about the other donations for breakfast and dinner? I couldn’t remember if I donated to Timber or Gumbo last time.

I will chip in extra for more of that Bear Scat. Good Lord that stuff was awesome.


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[Gumbo]

Cool. What about the other donations for breakfast and dinner? I couldn’t remember if I donated to Timber or Gumbo last time.

I will chip in extra for more of that Bear Scat. Good Lord that stuff was awesome.


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I'm so glad you like it. Of course I will be making more this year of the Bear Scat Cobbler and I will also make my Praline Bread Pudding for the big Saturday Feast to go along with the Low Country Boil and Gumbo. Advance donations can be made via Pay Pal gift to [email protected] to help cover the up front costs of site rental, patches and other needs.

Remember if you are buying advance raffle tickets, please specify donation or raffle in the included note along with your Name and Hammock Forum name.

[Randonneur]

Count me in, Had a blast last year but could someone please set the thermostat a little higher this time? I just wasn't ready for that 28F night. As promised, I will bring a few loaves of homemade sourdough to break bread with my fellow hangers over a nice hot meal.

[ChinoUSMC]

For anyone that is curious as to where the general area is located (and please correct me if I’m wrong):










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[countrybear]

YES YES YES! I am so pumped, I cannot wait to see everyone there!

[Icewater]

Count me in. I look forward to meeting everyone.

[Floridahanger]

Count me in, Had a blast last year but could someone please set the thermostat a little higher this time? I just wasn't ready for that 28F night. As promised, I will bring a few loaves of homemade sourdough to break bread with my fellow hangers over a nice hot meal.

Now why would you go ahead and say something like this. We enjoy our very few times in the 20's. The low record is 23F at FH4. Let's shoot for 20F even.

YES YES YES! I am so pumped, I cannot wait to see everyone there!

Glad you're so pumped to come back. See ya later.

Count me in. I look forward to meeting everyone.

Come out to our several group hangs this year and meet some of the locals before the big one.

[Timberrr]

Satellite pics
River Forest.JPG River Forest Satelite Pic.JPG
The octagonal building (right of center) is the pavilion and rectangle is the bathhouse. Just below the pavilion is the main fire ring.
Lots of open space in center, lots of trails and trees for hanging everywhere else.
Just out of the 2nd frame, to the lower right of picture, is a marina on other side of the St Johns.

Initial plan is to reserve this general area for tents. There are a few trees for those who want to do the combo hammock/tent setup.
River Forest Satelite Pic - Tent Area.jpg

This area is designated for parking. We should be able to park along the road so there'll be a lot of places to camp by your vehicle for those who are so inclined. (Reminder: no campers, no RVs, no pop-ups, no generators.)
River Forest Satelite Pic - Parking Area.jpg

Other links to River Forest:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/ocal...a/?recid=40239
https://www.recreation.gov/camping/r...O&parkId=75491
http://www.campingroadtrip.com/campg...est-group-camp
https://www.hipcamp.com/florida/ocal...est-group-camp

[Timberrr]

First things first...
Thank you for being flexible and understanding and flowing with these changes.
We have been assured by Jay, the Chief Ranger of ONF, that we will be back at Doe Lake on MLK weekend in 2020.

What happened...
Chris, the Ranger (not the Chief Ranger) on whom we depended to mark Doe Lake as "unavailable" in the reservation system, left the Forest Service. He serves in the National Guard and was called up for duty before he could mark the site for us. He has since gone full-time in the military. With much gratitude for his service, we wish Chris well and we pray for his protection.

Our back up plan has always been the Campground Host. Mark, our new host last year, was not exactly supportive of HangCon and told me personally that, "we (hammockers) would be out of ONF." I was not dismayed when Mark was replaced as host by John and Yvonne in March. John and Yvonne are awesome. But by then, Doe Lake was already booked solid through May.

Now what...
Gumbo and I searched for sites that would fit the parameters of HangCon. There aren't many! River Forest is our best option and we were glad to find it. Unfortunately, it was already booked for MLK weekend, but we were able to get the next weekend - Jan 24-28 - and we are glad to have it!

Frankly, we are excited about the novelty that comes with being someplace new. The opportunities for new activities that are presented by the St Johns River add to the thrill. We are very optimistic that River Forest will meet most of our needs nicely... and that we can work together to manage the rest.

[Timberrr]

As always, there is no cost requirement for anyone to participate in HangCon.
You don’t have to pay to come be part of the community, and have a good time with everyone. So please don’t let cost keep you home. Some specific activities may have a cost to participate - such as launch fees.

That said, a mass hanging of this magnitude is not free. It is our hope to continue to keep attendance costs at zero for all participants and vendors. But based on past experience, we expect expenses to approach $5k. Donations are accepted, encouraged even (really encouraged in fact! and greatly appreciated!!) - recommendation: $5 a day per person. Raffle ticket sales and contributions to the gear donation table also help cover the expenses.

All funds go to the hang. There is no paid staff and any unused funds are used to support the Fl. Trail Assn., Friends of Fl State Parks, and/or other similar outdoorsy, do-gooder organizations.

One thing that we are considering doing differently this year.
Doe Lake needs a new ice maker - to the tune of ~$2,500. That's far more than we typically have to give. So we are considering holding 2019's excess funds to add to 2020's funds to meet that expense. Even then, it's a long shot. We've never held funds before so this would be a new twist. What do y'all think?

To be clear: these are HangCon's funds, not Gumbo and Timberrr's funds. Your input is appreciated.