Hello, Bigbaby here coming to you from southern Louisiana. Yes I know what your thinking... Did he say Louisiana? Not the most robust state for backpacking but we make do. I am new to Hammock Forums but you guys have made me feel right at home. I have posted a few questions and I was surprised at the response. I posted what was clearly a noob question but not one person made me feel like a noob. Everyone gave good feedback and did what they could to answer my question.
Years ago I was big into camping and backpacking but life got in the way and I gave it up. I have recently discovered this “activity” again and I am very excited about it.
Let me tell you about how I found backpacking and hammock camping recently. I have a high stress job. I work as a police officer in my town and I am currently assigned to the patrol division. I see death and the decay of our society everyday and it will eat away at the soul of a person. Recently I received a call of a traffic accident and that the vehicle was catching fire. I responded as quickly as possible and found a mother with two small children trapped inside. I will spare you the details but despite my and other officers efforts all three people perished in the accident. To make matters worse, the accident was caused by a drunk driver and of course he made it without so much as a scratch and to this day has no memory of the deaths he caused.
I had reached my breaking point and came home looking for answers. I had to do something to unwind and process what I had just experienced. I grabbed my sons school backpack and loaded it with water and a snickers or two and headed out. I began walking some locale small trails that wind through some national forests we have here and almost immediately began feeling better. I walked and stopped and gather in all the sights and smells the woods had to offer. At some point I came upon a campsite along one of the trails. Nobody was there so I stopped and looked around. It was great! You could see the places where people would pitch their tents and the crudely built benches, and of course the fire pit. It made me think back to the days when my dad would take me camping and when I went backpacking myself. At that point I forgot about my troubles and realized that backpacking was my release.
I left the woods and went home and pulled out my old pack, the only piece of gear I had left and realized that things have probably changed since I backpacked. I got on the computer and began researching and that is how I found hammock forums. I am very excited although I don’t have any gear to speak of. I will have to gather it slowly as funds will be short for this but I will make the best of what I got.
I hope I have not bored any of you and I thank you for any advice you guys give as I need plenty of it. Oh, and Shug, your videos are great! Whooo buddy!
Bigbaby
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