First Time Hang Trip Report (Juniper Springs Campground, Ocala National Forest, FL) 12/14/2013 – 12/15/2013
I arrived fairly late in the afternoon (around 16:30) on December 14th, 2013 with a plan on staying for a quick overnight equipment test. I chose site 77 at Juniper Springs Campground, specifically because I knew it had the perfect trees for hanging). Unfortunately, as I arrived at the campground, it began to rain.
I decided that no matter what, I was going to stick it out and hang regardless of the weather. I chose two trees with about 12’ between them (perfect for my tarp). I had previously purchased ENO Atlas tree straps and two carabiners from REI and also had a Noah’s Tarp 12 (12’ x 12’) handy.
After hanging my hammock (a Hennessy Hammock Safari Deluxe Asym Classic), I set my tarp up in a modified lean-to configuration, staking it to the ground on one side and then up and over dual ridge lines (one on each side of the trees) I made from 550. I climbed into the hammock for a quick test and was pleasantly surprised that everything seemed to be nearly perfect the first time around. I was a little worried, because I'm a big guy (300 lbs.), but everything held up very nicely.
Around 20:00, a lone raccoon wandered into camp across the firepit from me, I proceeded to clap my hands and yell until it turned around. About 30 seconds later, the ******* had flanked me and was about 2 feet from the back of my seat. I proceeded to attempt to scare the thing away again, only to have it climb a tree in the middle of the campsite and look down at me, laughing…
Around 22:00, I decided to call it a night and prepared to spend my first night in my new hammock. At 22:30, the raccoon decided it had enough and came down the tree and wandered off. At 03:40, I was awakened by heavy rain and lighting/thunder. It was then that I noticed my rear end was wet. Not having wet the bed in around 30 years, I suspected something was not quite right. I could feel the rain splashing up from the ground.
I grabbed my headlamp and turned it on to assess the situation; I then accidentally knocked my iPhone from its precarious perch in the HH gear loft and almost gained a black eye. After recovering, I looked around the campsite from inside the safety of my hammock fortress and noticed that my formally wet but walkable campsite was now a lake. I also noticed as I attempted to exit my hammock that one of my flip-flops had floated off into the abyss.
I then made the fateful decision to retreat to my truck for the remainder of the night. After waking up at 06:45 with a nice kink in my neck, I made a quick breakfast of BACON on the camp stove. After enjoying the feast, I began the joyous task of packing everything up for the trip back home and made myself a promise to return once again- next time when it's drier.
Post Trip Analysis
• The hammock was quite comfortable; temperatures were expected to drop to the mid 60’s, so all I needed was my sleeping bag- although I did put a fleece sleeping bag liner inside the hammock in case I became chilled.
• Secure my flip-flops to the bottom of my hammock; do not leave them on the ground.
• The “gear loft” in the HH is too small; I will need to upgrade this to something bigger.
• If it rains on future trips, I will not use the modified lean-to tarp configuration.
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