I just saw an old high school friend for the first time in a couple of months, and out of the blue he asked if I wanted to go hiking/camping in 2 weekends in Shenandoah National Park. I went to college right near there and love it, so I was in instantly. It'll be the weekend of December 9-11.

Now, I'm hoping I'll be warm enough up there in the mountains! I know the climate around there can vary pretty drastically from day to day or even hour to hour, but I'm assuming that I should expect low temperatures in the 20s or so. So I'm hoping my gear is up to it.

I've got a 20 degree sleeping bag right now (North Face Cat's Meow) which has served me well, although I'm pretty sure I've had a few cold nights in it when the temperature couldn't have been below freezing. For insulation I'm still using a CCF pad, but I'm probably going to get a thicker and wider one - my current one is probably fine for three-season use, but it's only 20" wide. My tarp is a pretty cheap thing but it'll keep water and some wind off - just hoping there aren't powerful gusts.

What else should I know about winter hammocking especially in the mountains of Shenandoah NP? We will be car camping so if worse comes to worse, we can just bail back into the car, but I'd rather not. Any tips or advice? Is this a suicide mission?