Just got back from 4 days in a tent...uggh! So this is why I choose to sleep in a hammock.
The Joys of Ground Hugging!
First you begin with the location… level ground with no sticks or any stones, this is a quest sought by all, but seldom achieved by any.
Find the ground sheet, usually some form of poly or Tyvek or even sil-nylon. Next the labor of setting up camp….whether your choice of shelter is a tarp, tent, bivy or simply cowboy style. Never fails the wind starts up just about now, as you try to hold down the ground sheet which is responding like a kite.
You admire your set up, and have staked out your piece of territory for the night, might I add in record time. Your ready for your sleeping pad….self-inflating….Close Cell Form or blow your brains out of an air mattress of pure comfort.
My choice is two…CCF called ThinLight by Gossamer Gear for insulation…easy and so light. Next… it only requires 20 short breaths of air to inflate the Big Agnes Air Core Pad. For me those 20 breaths transform some where between 30 and 35 breaths of aching cheeks and light headiness. I need to lie down and rest before I let my poor compressed bag out of its confinement. Refreshment is a 5 minute break and slip of H2O and now on to the struggle to getting comfortable in my bag. Did I forget to fluff…no not floss, yep fluff up the loft of my bag. Dang…crawl out…shake, fluff, dance around…crawl back in.
Reposition the pads again and now you cautiously begin the task of zipping up; slowly hoping not to snag the zipper in the draft tubing…almost there. Choices to use the hood or simply a hat, and lets not forget my pillow…yes it is a must have luxury.
One pillow is the blow up kind; the other is either a stuff sack with spare clothes or a small real pillow of about 8 to 9 ounces of bliss. I prefer the real thing!
Now off with the headlight…and snuggle down to some zzzzzzzzz.
Wrong… about 10 minutes later you must turn over…. you do not feel comfortable.
Turn, reposition both knee and head pillows, and this causes the zipper which is suppose to be locked, to edge its way down a bit. Again you re-zip the bag…settle your head and hope to feel comfortable enough to end up in the land of nod.
Out goes the knee pillow let’s try the back…reposition everything again…nope that’s not it. Let’s next try sleeping on the tummy…where do I put my arms? Dang not again…now back to the side…reposition everything again including the knee pillow so my lower back does not hurt.
The hips are feeling the hard ground pounding deep into my bones, my shoulders are crying out in pain while my neck screams for some relief.
I keep hearing sounds, now I am half up out of my bag, trying to pinpoint where the sounds are coming from. What was that? A snake…no…a field mouse…rat or marmot…not loud enough for a bear or mountain lion. (On island...is it a rat...feral cat...a feral pig...stray dog...not loud enough for a cow or horse)Sitting up now, ears straining to hear what the sound was, only to hear nothing at all.
Settle back down in your bag; reposition the pillows yet again then the sound returns…even louder.
What is it??? Oh my word you realize that it is the thumping of my own heartbeat which seems so loud all around you. By now you have too much adrenaline pumped in your blood stream, so find your headlight and your journal or book and hope this makes you drowsy enough to drift off to sleep.
Close the eyes, count sheep, numbers, all the while noticing my lower back feels cold.
I am chilled…where did I put my gloves and fleece socks? Found them and now back to the repositioning of the pads, bag and pillows.
I give up…. might as well go take a pee break now …unzip…crawl out…relief…crawl back in.
Fix the sleeping pads and rearrange the sleeping bag….start all over again.
The wind starts up and there is a slight drizzle which has caused the sil-nylon of my palace to sag. It is now or never…unzip …crawl out….tighten down the guy lines…crawl back in.
Fix the sleeping pads and rearrange the sleeping bag and the pillows…start all over again.
I am finally on my side, pillows in place, and the chill returns to my lower back,
aching …waiting…not going away. All right already…dig in my pack…find my down vest or fleece jacket. Struggle to put it on while hoping not to have to have to reposition everything all over again. Wrong …unzip…crawl out…put on the jacket…crawl back in the bag…zip up and once again, fix the pads, bag and my pillows!!!!
This whole scenario will repeat itself through out the night till the wee hours of the morning. Somewhere between 4 and 6 am I get some sleep from pure exhaustion.
Now the sun is shining in my face and the normal sounds of other hikers breaking camp or starting up coffee, glance at the time its 6:30 a.m. Oh great I got about 2 maybe 3 hours of sleep. Might as well get up, and so starts another day of backpacking, surely tonight I will stay warm and get some sleep.
Just where is my hammock???
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