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  1. #1
    Senior Member Junebugdawn's Avatar
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    Do hammocking thru hikers spend less nights in hostels/motels than their ground dwell

    I have been reading several books by thru hikers of the PCT and AT. All of them have been t*#t users. It seems that the climate of the hiking culture is that many hikers relish the opportunity to sleep in hostels or motels when the trail ran close enough to a town and if their funds allowed it. I've given this some thought and considering how miserable sleeping on hard shelters or the ground is coupled with the huge number of rainy days and nights the hikers seem to have endured, I can see why they would take opportunities to have a soft, warm bed. However, my guess is that those sleeping in hammocks have a much different experience. They have a comfortable, dry, warm bed every single night. In light of this, did the ones of you who have thru hiked long trails in hammocks spend many, if any, nights in hostels or motels? Do you think the percentage of nights spent in them is higher for t*#ters than hammockers? I dream of doing a thru hike and would definitely hammock. I tend to be a purist at heart and wonder if I would want to spend any nights in a hostel or motel. Now, hot showers and food are another story.
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  2. #2
    Senior Member Cannibal's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Junebugdawn View Post
    hot showers and food are another story.
    You answered your question for me.
    Add one more reason to the list too, although only for a few weeks: Air Conditioning!

    Honestly, I think it is more dependent on if you are hiking socially or for solitude. The folks that spent the most time staying in town tended to be those that hiked with a group. The members of any group rotate in and out over the course of the hike, but some folks needed/wanted that group dynamic. So, when one of the group decided to stay overnight in town/hostel, the group as a whole often made the same choice. I didn't see much difference between tenter and hanger.

    Nothing sexist meant by this statement, but I spent A LOT more time in town when Genuine Draft was hiking with me....A LOT! Some of that was obviously for self-serving reasons, but more often than not it was because she managed to get her hands on my guidebook and noticed "Ohhh, look! There is a hotel only 1.2 miles off the Trail!" There was only one acceptable response from me and that was "OK". I tried other responses, but they just made the following miles really long.

    So I'm going to say the main reasons from my perspective are creature comforts, social dynamic, and a hiking partner you can't ditch at the next road crossing. The last one being the most dangerous.
    Trust nobody!

  3. #3
    Senior Member Junebugdawn's Avatar
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    Re: Do hammocking thru hikers spend less nights in hostels/motels than their ground d

    That all makes sense. Almost all of the hikers who wrote the books were hiking alone, but, of course, hiked with others, for periods of time, that they met along the way. I can see how a group dynamic would play into it.
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  4. #4
    Senior Member Certain's Avatar
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    Well I can say that I usually slept better in my hammock than in town regardless of it being a hostel or motel. What got me into town was usually in this order:

    1. FOOD--seriously, when you're waking up and not able to go back to sleep because you're literally dreaming of spaghetti and meatballs...it's time to feed your body

    2. Shower--I personally have a limit of about 10-14 days before I feel like I'm turning into a Sasquatch

    3. Break--Sometimes I needed to break up the mental monotony of hike hike hike hike and not have to "think" about every little step of the day. I particularly enjoyed waking up in the middle of the night and stumbling to a flushing toilet instead of waking up completely to go pee in the woods. I'm still working on a pee-bottle solution for women!

    For me the #1 advantage to hanging on a long-distance hike are the numerous options I had for camping. I rarely had to plan my hiking distance according to shelter location, because I almost always stealth camped alone a few miles past the shelter after cooking dinner and getting water. Not so easy in a t*#t (love that by the way!)

    If you feel the call to do a long distance hike DO IT!!!! Don't talk yourself out of it. It's a radically life-changing experience! Do it do it do it do it do it!!
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  5. #5
    Senior Member Junebugdawn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Certain View Post
    If you feel the call to do a long distance hike DO IT!!!! Don't talk yourself out of it. It's a radically life-changing experience! Do it do it do it do it do it!!

    DON'T. TEMPT. ME! One day, y'all are gonna wonder where Junebug disappeared to................................................ .....



    Thanks for your answer. Right now, I thru hike vicariously through others.
    Just me being me

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  6. #6
    Senior Member yooz85's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Certain View Post
    I'm still working on a pee-bottle solution for women!
    I work in health care and have seen these for women, not sure if anyone would wanna carry it in to the woods though...

    check out my youtube channel! Trip Reports and hammock talk. - Creekcrossings Youtube channel

    My Blog - Creekcrossings blog

    Also check out my Facebook page! - Creekcrossings Facebook page

  7. #7
    Senior Member sandykayak's Avatar
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    Not a bottle, but better than squatting. Still, I wouldn't use it in a hammock

    http://www.freshette.com/

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    comfortable

    It is easy to say that the hangers spend the outdoor nights more comfortable than the groundlings, at least during the early part of their hikes before the groundlings acclimate to the ground. That could contribute to less desire to stay in a more expensively rented bed.

  9. #9
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    I'm not cheap, but unless there's an overwhelming reason to hit a hotel (i.e. REALLY bad weather) I always camp.

    That said - I'm a relatively new hammock camper, I've been doing small t*#ts and improvised shelters most of my life, now that i've switched to hammocks I don't even crave a mattress.

    Shower ... that's another story.

  10. #10
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    I've never done a long distance hike. We don't have trails up here, but have done lots of long term camping mostly for work.. Personally, the whole point of doing a hike, is to get away from civilisation. As far as showers, I find that after 7-10 days, you no longer feel dirty, and the smell tends to disappear as your body becomes more naturalized. Of course, up here, your closest lake is usually only a few steps away, so bathing never really becomes an issue unless you can't handle the water temps.

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