There's a buffalo in my hammock

[webhanger]

I finally had the chance to get my boy (11 years old) out in his new hammock for the first full night under the stars. We went to Buffalo Point on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake. He chose to sleep near his friends tent a little way off from me. We had a little bit of a learning curve as this is his first time in his own hammock and on a stand.

The bugs weren't bad, however they were enjoying occasionally buzzing around your ears to be annoying. I haven't made the bug nets yet and being the lows last night were in the mid to upper 70's we used a poncho liner over the ridge line to keep the occasional buzzing critters out of our ears. Which worked out really well. It allowed for enough air to get in and out and kept the hammock warm enough to not need a blanket on top of you. We still had the occasional bug plow into the side with a loud whump from time to time. Bugs are not the most brilliant of creatures.

After finally getting him settled in for the night I lay awake enjoying the stars from my own hammock while I drifted off to sleep, finally retreating under my poncho liner to escape the infrequent buzzing in my ears. Sometime in the night the coyotes began their night time conversation which woke me up.

As I was going back to sleep I hear my son calling me from next to my hammock. The conversation went something like this:

Dad! whispered.
What bud?
There's a buffalo in my hammock.
What? (I know the hammocks I built are plenty tough but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't hold a buffalo)
I'm freaked out!
Are the coyotes scaring you?
No! there just noisy. It's the buffalo that is bothering me.
What would you like to do?
I don't know! What can I do?
You can go back to bed and ignore the buffalo, or we can bring your hammock down here by mine and then go back to bed and ignore the buffalo. (I must admit I was not convinced a buffalo was anywhere nearby, it being dark out with the crescent moon just threatening to break the horizon, I couldn't see or hear one not to mention they typically don't like to get very close to humans and there were plenty humans where we were)
I want to come down with you.
Ok.

So without lights we went up the hill picked up the stand and brought it down the hill. We went through the pre-hang checks to make sure butt and ground would not have a chance meeting then proceeded to talk about using stars and moon to find your way at night for another 20 minutes or so. Then we went back to bed. Still no buffalo in sight.

When the sun began to shed some light on the scene I stuck my head out and this is what I saw. (captured with my cell phone from my hammock)

The thing was right there in our camp site. Here's a pic of the hammocks too.
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