Oversleeping, or just spending "too much" day light relaxing in the hammock, has happened to me on most every trip since I started using a hammock.Originally Posted by lattie11581
I think it must be different, or deeper, or something, and whatever it is, it's good. Which partly explains the strange obsession many of us seem to develop after that 1st trip with a hammock.It's not your imagination. You really do sleep better and deeper in a hammock. Read THIS from National Public Radio about a year ago.
<----- Smily sleeping in his hammock
The whole HF thing is a bit odd, don't you think? Imagine a website with thousands of members who are ecstatic about their beds at home, no matter how good the bed is. (maybe there is such a site?) And most of us here tend towards the gear freak type. But really, could any of us post thousands of posts about our backpacks or tents or sleeping pads or tarps, no matter how good we thought our particular equipment was? Which reminds me of a funny scene from, I think it was Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods". When after they had been on the trail for many weeks. And they camped near some folks- probably relative newbies - and they get a little panicky when they see them coming over to talk. Because you JUST KNOW ( from the looks of them ) that they are going to want to talk about GEAR! Run away!But we don't seem to get very tired of talking about hammocks, and/or how to keep warm in hammocks!
And I always think back on my 1st week long hike with a hammock. When after a bad start ended up being a sort of "mystical" experience of hammock bliss. I had REAL bad altitude sickness. And when my 1st night sucked big time, and I FROZE my arse off, abandoning the HH for the ground under the stars about maybe 0200. Dog cussed and hated the hammock and HHSS. But gave it a very uneasy 2nd chance, and slept much better and quite warmly, listening to the snores of the others in the distance. That was my 1st taste of that hammock restorative sleep, kind of mystical, but I probably didn't know it yet. 3rd night on the ground again, because I was too sick to get over the pass, and no trees. But the last night of the trip, after some more success in the hammock, was the deal changer. I was starting to feel better. We had hiked all day over many boulders and a tough pass. The wind was howling right off of the lake a few feet away and into the foot end of my HH and tiny tarp. And unknown to me, the 2 tenters I was with were snickering about how I would end up beside them on the ground again, because that wind was going to freeze me for sure. Went to bed not long after supper and sun set. Laid awake for a while listening to the incredible racket and popping like gun shots that the HH tarp was making in that wind. Sometimes making a loud startling pop right in my ear. That was miserable!
Next thing I knew it was maybe 0900+, with the sun up and bright. All my hike mates had been up for quite a while, had breakfast and were packed and were ready to go. If they had not woke me up, I guess I would have slept on for a while, oblivious. And as I dragged out, I knew there was something different about that experience! My friends were major grumps from an uncomfortable night, but I was now a happy camper. I felt great! That nights sleep- despite the incredible racket - was maybe the best I had ever had period- and for sure in the wilderness by a long shot. And from then on something new was added to the anticipation of a hiking trip, something other than just the pleasure of being there and the adventure with widerness loving friends. From that point on I was also looking forward to laying/sleeping in my hammock as another fun part of the trip.
So maybe it is different.
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