I just returned from a short, but excellent, overnighter to Boulder Lake. It's near McCall, ID which is about a 2.5 hour drive from my house.
This was the first proper night in a hammock for me. What I mean by "proper" is it's the first night I've spent in it at any kind of notable elevation, aka, not in my backyard.
The trail head is near Boulder Mountain Reservoir, which is also home to a fairly sizable campground. We (my friend, Jake, and his brother-in-law, Andrew) arrived at the parking lot around 11am. The hike is only 2 miles and has a gain of ~700ft, which is all in a very short distance. My two companions on this trip are both ground dwellers of the simplistic kind. They both use blue tarps for shelters and that seems to work out well for them. Andrew actually fashioned what I like to call "The Ghetto Hammock" from his tarp, paracord, and a caribiner. I know what you're thinking: "This won't end well!". But it did! Yes, the paracord and the tarp stretched throughout the night and his bum was only a few inches from the ground by morning, but it actually worked.
I found a nearly perfect spot to hang my hammock. The trees were ~13 ft apart. Slung the SBpro up, got my angle set (my compass has an angle measurement on it, not sure what it's really for, but it worked quite well for this purpose), and pitched the mammoth Guide Gear 12x12 over it. I should note here that I had my Mom add tie outs where the tarp needed them for a proper a-frame setup. My thread injecting skills are terribad and she's a pro. For insulation, I used a SPE that I hobbled together from a walmart CCF and another that I had. I didn't have time to make a real SPE so I just duct taped the wings on. This worked in the sense that the wings kept my shoulders, hips, and legs from touching the side of the hammock. I used my REI 20deg Polar Pod as a TQ which also worked quite well. My comfort throughout the night took drastic swings. Overnight temps were in the mid to high 30s. No wind to speak of. I started out nice and toasty then would get cold. Not cold spots, mind you, just cold. Like the chills. I was wearing polyester long underwear, wool stocking cap, wool socks, and FA Down Sweater. I also felt quite clammy throughout the night. There was no puddling on the pad or the hammock bottom from condensation, but it was definitely "wet" feeling all night. I'm guessing that part or all of this was due to the bare CCF underneath me and no air circulation because of it. Any ideas on this? I don't think I hung the tarp too low, take a look at the pics and let me know what you think.
Anyway, if sleeping on a CCF is a right of passage for newb hammockers, I'm done. No more pad for me. As I type this I am formulating how to either DIY or buy an UQ. I will NOT do that again. Even with those complaints, I slept reasonably well. I woke up about as often as I do on my bed at home but didn't have the normal back and hip pain. Any advice in that regard is also welcome.
I apologize ahead of time for the pics. I am no photographer and all of the images are somewhat random and haphazard. Enjoy...I certainly did!
The Ghetto Hammock (I think it's awesome that it worked for him)
New Tarp tie outs and prussik detail
The beastly tarp, I really like this thing.
Just over the saddle in this picture, you can see nearly the entirety of Round Valley, which I forgot to take a picture of
My version of the 2 cup heinie pot. I put two wristbands on it because my lips are kinda big. Kept burning my lip with just one. A progresso soup can lid fits PERFECTLY on this one.
West side of the lake, looking towards the side we camped on
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