Three of my friends and I did a four day trip from Central Florida to Linville NC to the Linville gorge. We arrived on a Sunday and left on a Wednesday. If you can go during the week that is the best since we only saw four people in four days. Just the way we liked it.
I have been hammock camping for some time now but the other three...this was their first time in hammocks. After helping them setup once, they caught on very quickly. We are all firemen, so we are all familiar with ropes and knots. Sleeping in a hammock as opposed to the ground, was a big surprise to them. After hiking this extremely rough terrain, a good nights sleep was much appreciated. They are hooked for life.
One of our crew strung his hammock up the second night with too little sag and ripped his hammock completely in half. No kidding! He only weighs about 140. The trees he picked were too far apart and his whoopies and straps were almost straight out. I was able to help him re-tie the upper half to support his upper body and string up the other half as a foot support. It almost looked like he was sleeping in a lounge chair. I would not have been comfortable but he never complained. Im not going to mention the fairly well known brand because it was his fault not the hammocks. It is one of the cheaper brands. I think he will be buying an Enos or maybe even a Warbonnet. Considering the other three of us weigh over 250 lbs and our Enos' survived just fine. Adam get ready because I was the only one with an underquilt, they had to wrestle with pads. I think you will be getting several orders for underquilts before our next trip. My new Mamajamba tarp was awsome. Just the right amount of cover, lightweight and makes a good sized porch area to sit out a rain shower.
Attached are some of our pics from the trip. If you ever have a chance to visit this area, do so on a weekday and dont forget the Advil.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7837521...7629686984648/
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