Watoga 2013 Fall MAHHA Hang Reports

[DavyRay]

I Have one BIG problem with the fall hangIT WAS TOO SHORT!!!!!,
For my first group hang i would have to say that i was truly amazed at how friendly everyone was, i was welcomed by everyone that i met, alot of members went out of their way to come and find me and make me feel right at home, we wandered into several campsites and everytime we did we were welcomed into the conversations and were made to feel very comfortable.
We got in very late and ended up moving our entire setup saturday morning so we missed the hammock and gear tour but took it upon ourselves to ask others to show us thiers and everyone was more than happy to take the time to answer any questions we had. My wife tried out a jrb bridge hammock for the first time and fell in love with it and i have decided that i would like a wwb type bridge,so we have added to our wish lists.
We want to thank everyone that worked so hard to make this hang work and i want to thank everyone that made us feel at home and welconed us into the group as if we were family.
Way too many names to mention but i am gled i have found such a wonderful group of people and i am grateful to be a part of it...
Next time lets make it longer, i could have stayed there a week and never have gotten tired of it.
Great experiance!!!

Friendship and new gear to try out is a dangerous combination. It leads to all sorts of Acquisition Disorders.

I was camped near Padovini and Stormcrow. Sunday morning turned into a show-and-tell. Different bridge hammocks set up within a few feet of each other. I got to try out the JRB ultralight bridge that Padovini won at the raffle, and Stormcrow's WB bridge hammock. All really nice gear, and easy to set up.

[Uphill]

Thanks to Padovini's setup, I will be acquiring a single tent pole (I only need one for my WL Tadpole) to open up the interior.

I will also be making some DIY door flaps to close in my tarp so I am ready for the NoVa hang on that last weekend of November. BRRRRRRRRRR!!

[Zilla]

Friendship and new gear to try out is a dangerous combination. It leads to all sorts of Acquisition Disorders.

I was camped near Padovini and Stormcrow. Sunday morning turned into a show-and-tell. Different bridge hammocks set up within a few feet of each other. I got to try out the JRB ultralight bridge that Padovini won at the raffle, and Stormcrow's WB bridge hammock. All really nice gear, and easy to set up.

ITs not a Acquisition Disorder, its a healthy habit of collecting things that i really NEED! LOL
And with that being said my wifes christmas list has a jrb bridge at the top and my list is a wb bridge or a diy bridge,i need one rated strong enough for a big guy and jrbs is not rated high enough and when i asked him about making a bridge that would be rated strong enough to hold at least 350 lbs he said it was unlikely that he would be making one in the near future, so i am going to research the wbonnits and if they cant make one for me i will make it myself..
Not a disorder a nessity

[Silverpalm2x]

I really enjoyed the park as well.. Many many trees to hang from. I want to go back and spent all day dreaming about being in the woods while sitting in my cubicle.

after a third night at Watoga - Thanks to WV and HF for the free campsite Sunday night.

PS: Congratulations to Matthew and Sam for successfully taming and riding my recumbent bike. Well done!

I agree about being able to stay a third night. It got down to 32degrees but was super toasty thanks to my dad leaving me a second sleeping bag to use for a top quilt. My old sleeping bag is not what she used to be.

Sunday night my wife and I enjoyed some great conversation with Kanguru + wife about bike touring hammock camping, and DIYing all kinds of things. (time to get to work SquirrelGirl) Plus those DIY 3/4 underquilts came in handy for lap warmers as well.

@Jsaults thanks for letting me take a stab at riding the recumbent. I am not sure if it is for me but it was good to ride a bike this weekend.


ZILLA, i just wanted to say you should have stayed for one more night. It was a great hang.

I Have one BIG problem with the fall hangIT WAS TOO SHORT!!!!!...

[Crash]

It was a great hang. I saw 4 bears together on friday. Then 2 bald eagles while biking on the Greenbrier River Trail. Watoga was a great place to go. Thanx WV!

2Q made me a propane lantern reflector which kept me from blinding everyone. 2Q gets my thanx.

I met a lot of great people and hope to seeall of you at the next hang.

[WV]

Well, my trip report will be wordy, as always, but this one more than most. I took a camera to Watoga, but had such a fine time talking to people and doing things that I didn’t stop to take a single picture. This hang did happen, but you have only my word(s) for it. Even the few hours when my dog was lost were enjoyable, because I had Chuck’s company and assistance on my unplanned hike (and bushwhack), and the trail we took was one of the prettiest in the park, which is saying a lot. It helped immeasurably that friends hiked up the Arrowhead Trail to meet us with news of Leo’s kind return by the Good Samaritan (who drives a Dish Network van these days.)

Before I ramble any further, I’d like to point out that Happy Camper’s announcement that Dutch is the new Fall MAHHA coordinator was very much after the fact. He assumed these duties some time ago and put in a lot of work to make this hang a success. He’s not just a pretty face and purveyor of pancakes. Thanks, Dutch!

I’m glad we were able to keep to the practice of having the raffle tickets cover our camping fees. Two things made that possible. First, the Park Superintendent was entirely flexible on state camping regulations to accommodate us and communicated that willingness to the entire staff, so we had help from them on all sides. Second, of course, was the generosity of our cottage vendors and others, who donated the raffle prizes. I won’t name names; you know who you are. (So do we.)

Thursday it rained a bit as I marked our campsites. Kelly Smith, the Assistant Superintendant, had left instructions to let us mark all 15 campsites immediately, even though we were only charged for the three we used that night. During a break in the showers that afternoon a couple of flocks of geese came in, flying low over the river next to us. Wonderful sights and sounds at our eye level 40 feet away. I cooked dinner in the rain, with a tarp over the fire circle, enjoying the company of TZ Brown , Anne Brown, and Gadgets. Ewker and Susie arrived Thursday, too. Nice to meet them; I think I talked them into coming back again someday.

Friday afternoon was full of meeting old friends and making new ones, but first I spent an enjoyable morning doing trail maintenance. My wife, Barbara, joined us that evening. She slept two nights in a hammock! (Trumpet fanfare, crowd cheering, confetti.) Vega Mike did a workshop on Leave-No-Trace Camping, which was well-attended, but there was a shortage of campers-who-leave-traces. Nevertheless, death to Micro-trash!

Saturday morning, Dutch suggested we have the pancake breakfast in the campground instead of at the picnic shelter, which was a good idea. The weather was nice, but even if it had been raining we could have deployed the huge tarp that Slowhike brought. In fact, I bet if we had slightly fewer people (40 or 50 perhaps) we could do the evening potluck and raffle there, too. The picnic tables at the campsites are heavy, but movable. For this hang, though, it was nice to use the park’s picnic shelter with its big stone fireplace, electric outlets for crockpots, and beautiful setting. The shelter, like many of the other beautiful park buildings, was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Depression. I’m glad we were able to leave a donation for the CCC Museum in thanks for the labors of those men 75 years ago and the park’s hospitality today.

Much happened between Saturday breakfast and Saturday supper. We climbed up 1000 ft. to the Anne Bailey Tower on Workman Ridge. There were workshops galore. Leo got lost. Leo got found. A fine time was had by all, especially Leo.

A bit about the amenities – no one was bothered by the sound of cell phones ringing the entire weekend, but it’s hardly roughing it when you have warm bath houses with hot showers and dishwashing stations with plenty of hot water just outside. I don’t know if anyone used the laundry facilities (3 washers, 3 dryers) at the campground, but they are there. Also a pay phone.

Finally, thanks to Tracy, who makes us all “Happy Campers”.

[Ewker]

WV, that was a good trip report.

We had a blast and will be back up there. The park is awesome with so much to do. You would need a week to really enjoy all the park has to offer like the Greenbrier River Trail (close by), hiking trails in the park and the Allegheny Trail that goes through the park.

Thanks to Dutch for helping and showing Hamhocker and myself how to make whoopie slings and a continuous loop. Hamhocker has decided that it is worth paying the money to buy one. Our fingers don't work like they use to

[Tinmar]

WV great report. Felt like I was there. Got to make a trip to Watoga. See you at the Spring MAHHA.

[Hamhocker]

WV, that was a good trip report.

We had a blast and will be back up there. The park is awesome with so much to do. You would need a week to really enjoy all the park has to offer like the Greenbrier River Trail (close by), hiking trails in the park and the Allegheny Trail that goes through the park.

Thanks to Dutch for helping and showing Hamhocker and myself how to make whoopie slings and a continuous loop. Hamhocker has decided that it is worth paying the money to buy one. Our fingers don't work like they use to

Let me co-sign on Ewker's post. What a tremendous weekend! I so wish we had scheduled an extra day or two of vacation. Next year.....

It was wonderful meeting everyone. We laughed, learned, ate well and thoroughly enjoyed being with a great group of people.

Thanks so much to everyone who helped organize this event. Bravo to a job well done!

Here are a few pictures from the trip. We were having so much fun that we forgot to take pictures!

[Velcro]

First, thanks for all the work and planning by WV, HappyCamper, Dutch and everyone who made this Great trip possible. I don't know how you planned relatively warm nights and a full moon but thanks a lot. I've attached a few photos and I think I should've taken more.