My older son turns 13 this year, on June 23. I want to intentionally mark a transition in his life and masculine development. So, the year that he is 13 will begin with a backpacking trip in the Great Smoky Mountains backcountry. There will be other activities and opportunities throughout the year.
Anyway, we've been working on plans for the trip since January. There will be five in our group: me, my son, a brother-in-law, his nearly 13 year old son, and my dad. The route we've selected starts from the Cosby campground. We will hike over Low Gap to the Walnut Bottom campsite the first day. The second day we'll head down Big Creek and then up the Baxter Creek Trail to the Mt. Sterling campsite. The third day will take us down the Long Bunk Trail to the Little Cataloochie Trail ending at the Pretty Hollow campsite. The fourth day we'll hike up Pretty Hollow and down Swallow Creek to return to the Walnut Bottom campsite before hiking back out to the Cosby Campground on the fifth day. Total distance is around 40 miles with the longest day slated to be about 11 miles.
So, that's the plan. As we began our planning, we discovered hammock camping. Being a big proponent of doing things myself rather than paying someone else to do it for me, we embarked on a DIY journey. We each made hammocks. Of course, the younger siblings wanted hammocks, too. So, I acquired material and let them make their own. But, there was so much that I didn't know to begin with, like the need for insulation (not just a sleeping bag) and weather protection. So, I've been working on making gear, figuring things out as I go along. I'm also making some gear for my brother-in-law (my dad decided he'll stay on the ground -- he likes to stay with the tried and true).
One of the latest things I've been working on is bottom insulation. I made an UQ with half of a full-size fleece (nylon) blanket and some ripstop. I tried it out two nights ago using just it and a fleece sleeping bag. It was 60° to begin with, and I was warm enough and fell asleep fine. Three hours later I woke up cold. Not freezing, but cold. It was 50° I knew that I would not be comfortable even if I went back to sleep, so I bailed and went inside the house. Last night, my 3 younger children and I slept out in our hammocks. I used the fleece UQ, having made some adjustments to the suspension to hold it tighter to the underside of the hammock. Again, I awakened around 12:00am feeling the cold (not freezing, though). I added another layer of fleece between the UQ and the hammock and swapped the fleece bag (which I was using as a top quilt) for a 40° synthetic sleeping bag. I was warmer, but not comfortably warm as I would like. It again was around 50°. I was able to sleep after that, waking up a couple of times, but I wasn't toasty warm like I wanted to be. The children were using sleeping bags (2 of them had 0° bags and the older, to-be-13 son was using a ~30° bag). They had no insulation under them. They all got cool in the middle of the night, too.
What does all of this have to do with a backpacking trip in June? It's all about gear testing and figuring out what we need, how to set it up, how to use it, and how well it will work. I've tried to figure out the temperatures to expect in the Smokies in June. One site said it can get down to the mid-50°s at night. If I have a set up that is good down to the lower 60°s, how do I plan for the mid-50°s? I do want to hang, but more important is to be able to sleep well, and that includes being warm enough (and not too warm).
Do any of you have suggestions or ideas regarding the temperatures to expect at that time of the year? What should we be prepared for? There are DIY options other than what I've already tried (many, but I'm not made of money). Any other thoughts about our trip and planned route? We will continue gear testing and figuring out what we can do with what we have or can make (we do have PLs to make UQs from, and I'm also wondering about IX which would weigh a bit less -- that weight really begins to add up).
I know that many of you have spent time in the Smokies. I have visited the park a couple of times and have camped a few times in Pisgah National Forest (on the ground) years ago (once, in the back of a pickup at 8° -- that was a cold night). So, I ask for the sharing of your wisdom, and I thank you in advance, welcoming all comments, suggestions, and advice.
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