Most were within a 300 yard radius, with a few scattered futher.Originally Posted by Iafte
Most were within a 300 yard radius, with a few scattered futher.
Last edited by angrysparrow; 01-26-2009 at 19:56.
“I think that when the lies are all told and forgot the truth will be there yet. It dont move about from place to place and it dont change from time to time. You cant corrupt it any more than you can salt salt.” - Cormac McCarthy
In the history of hanging, finer words of wisdom have seldom been uttered. Excellent job saying what a lot of us were thinking, feeling, and experienced. I'll walk in the dark with you anytime - it was a pleasure hiking and talking with an ex-WIite. And I won't mention your choice of sleeping gear.I dashed off my first posting just to reassure kind and concerned folks (you know who you are) that I survived hiking back and forth to the shelter a second time.Interesting enough, I saw no ponies. Conclusion: People = Food = Ponies.
It was a pleasure to meet each and every one of you. My only regret is that time did not allow me the opportunity to listen/talk to each of you. While the connection between some of your name tags/trail names and faces have already started to fade (ain’t it great getting older), I look forward to seeing all of you again at other hangs.
Lessons Learned From The Winter Hang (names omitted to protect the guilty…and also so as not to embarrass the smart, generous, and kind. ):
God Bless: the organizers; the folks who supplied the excellent food; the fire wood/keeping the fire going; those bringing extra hammocks/quilts; those willing to cook over a smoky fire so that the rest of us could keep eating……..and eating……..and eating; and, in particular, the people who cleaned up at the end of the Hang.
Keeping your camera battery warm, without also keeping your camera warm is an exercise in futility. (For those of you who believe in redundancy, two cameras freeze as well as one camera.).
Why is it that when some people hear the phrase “Wild Animal,” they have an irresistible urge to immediately go up to the animal and try and pet them?
Bright and reflective guy lines help prevent falls/injuries.
No matter how expensive the boot, the sole will still burn if placed too close to the fire.
Never under estimate the slowest person in your hiking group….as may they be carrying all of the stuff that fell out of your pack as you sailed along the way.
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Wet socks cause colder feet. Also, when it is time to bed down, putting hand warmers in each of your boots and topping them off with dry socks keeps your boots from freezing.
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It is far better to fess up to ignorance up front, so that you can learn (hopefully, less painfully) the easier way to do almost anything having to do with hiking and hammocking.
Anyone who still thinks that there is a “Weaker Sex” obviously did not go to the Winter Hang.
There are many folks on HF who could knit a Volkswagen if only you gave them some knitting needles, steel wool pads,…..and a challenge.
Indians do not lust after cattle when they have venison, enough said.
Waiting until you are fording shallow streams in low winter temperatures is not the time to discover that your “supposedly” waterproof boots aren’t.
A good attitude can overcome bad/wrong gear.
Do not fail to immediately react when folks say, “Excuse me, but that’s my chair.”
Buying YakTrax versus Kahtoolas (http://www.rei.com/product/774966) is a terrible place to economize….and may also be very hazardous to your health.
Never underestimate the power of the cold.
Trail names have little or no relationship to the personality of the person bearing them.
Alcohol stoves do not fail in temps below freezing. By actual observation, they work well even at approximately 13 degrees.
Following footsteps in the snow can take you in directions/places you would never even begin to imagine; but not necessarily where you want to go.
In unknown terrain at night, when heavy mists/fog roll in and your visibility goes down to six feet or less, you better have taken a heading on your compass from the trailhead before you started, plus have a spare headlight handy.
When you are getting ready to leave your vehicle at the trail head triple check that all lights and other electrical devices are turned off.
Last and certainly not least, never wait until after sundown to go to an open air privy. In the same vein, baby wipes/wet naps are completely useless once they freeze….and you do not want to discover this important fact when you are trying to finish your privy activities.
In the company of so many experienced hangers, there were enough “Teachable Moments,” for even me to be able to take in lots of new helpful information. Thank You All!
P.S. Once I figure out how to post them, I will be putting up some pictures from the Winter Hang.
In our little clearing in the Rhododendrons, five hammocks shared eight trees.
It's amazing how many trees grow about 13 feet from each other!
- MacEntyre
"We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." - Ben Franklin
www.MollyMacGear.com
Some were commenting on some of the ice cleats seen on the hang. I would like to show you what I think are the best, in fact, the USPS uses these, the $45 dollar ones. I have tried others but these work so well. Take a look.
http://www.noslipstore.com/shopbybrand-32north.html
Mule
Predictions are risky, especially when it comes to the future.
I'm sold on these.
Don't slip off and are tough on ice. Downside...you have to watch how you pack them. I put them in a small Glad container with screw on lid.
I really enjoyed this weekend, nice to meet all of the people that came out. Got to see a wide range of hammocks in use, which was really helpful. The people that attended the hang were some of the nicest I have ever met. Thanks to the raffle, I now have a tarp, it's just missing a hammock.
BTW Mule,
I would have liked to hear a mini concert from you on the backpacker guitar thingy. I think you have some good sounds. I only heard a little bit...but I liked it!!
Thanks again to all those who contributed to the raffle/fund raiser. And thanks again to DougtheElder for buying a ticket for each of the mods!
Thanks to MrPrez for the pocket knife & Grizz for the wrist... I mean Shuggies!
And ALL the great food!!!
Sorry I missed most of those that stopped at the restaraunt Sun. We had one more day hiker out on the trails & I just wanted to be sure he came back safe<G>.
I felt a little bad that I didn't wait on "Walks In Dark", to be sure he made it back safely to his van from his final trip back to the shelter for the rest of his gear.
I was glad to see him post later Sun eve.
I was also glad to see that Angrysparrow wasn't angry at all
After I herd others describe more about the difficulties that "mtnkngxt" had, I wished that I had thought to offer to walk out to his car w/ him.
Glad to see him still posting & recovering.
I hope JD will recover quick too.
I'm still impressed that so many were willing to travel so far to be part of the 3dr Annual HF Winter Hang.
Glad people did so well & took care of each other!
Hope to see some of y'all at Hot Springs!!!
I too will something make and joy in it's making
We had everything anyone could hope for except a "professional fool"...most of us are merely amateurs...wish you were there.
Sometimes even a Blind Hog finds an Acorn
No worries on the walk out. Was with Darby and Doctari was right behind us as well. I'm typically fine, but just got over a bad case of phneumonia and the cold air just aggrivated the little lung function I have. Better to have bailed early then make extra work for the medics among us. I'm getting a Underquilt from JRB for my birthday next month from my family, so with that and my down bag as a quilt I'll be ready for Hot Springs. Just need a SWT now and I think I'm getting one of those here very soon.
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