This feels like destiny.Quote:
Originally Posted by Karla "with a k"
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This feels like destiny.Quote:
Originally Posted by Karla "with a k"
i guess the difference between you and me is that while i have a lot of skills, i also teach those outdoor skills and i do it in a fancy white hat with sparkles and a lavender bow.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cham102
i camp alone and with people in all weathers and seasons, and i invite strangers into my camp for tea and pie.
imma say this out loud for the ladies in the back: do the camping you like. do not be ashamed of how you like your camping. the reason i hammock is because i'm too old to be cold or uncomfortable. you're all welcome in my camp. there's pie.
Yes!!! If you've got it share it when you can, whether it's skills, loaned equipment, encouragement, acknowledgment of a novice's anxieties, a shared meal or coffee/tea and pie. It's amazing to me how much we can achieve with a kind word, a little help, and respectful consideration of others. Go alone or with a friend or a group as you please, colorful or not as you prefer (I sew to have the colors I want on a tight budget). I often think about my own challenges, the folks who have helped and encouraged me, and how experience has made me stronger and more resilient. Kindness, respect, and willingness to share our skills with another woman who wants to learn is the trifecta to get them started and may also lead to a lasting friendship. Besides, even if you prefer to go alone, it feels good to do good.Quote:
Originally Posted by flask_ehrlenmeyer
I've found it's pretty easy to spark interest among women who already hike with a tent and want to try hammock camping, even if it's just to lighten the pack. An indoor DIY hammock set-up is an easy and inexpensive way to allay anxieties about falling or sleep discomfort. If that goes well we can talk about camp set-ups, good meals (a perennial favorite topic, and you can carry more/better food if no tent), staying warm, safe, privacy, etc. If they're still interested we'll do a little guided tour around Hammock Forums.
If they get that far it's a great start. If they live in my area I might invite them to see and try out my set-up. As they learn about and acquire seasonal gear they can practice hammock camping, day or overnight in any season, secluded in the private woods around my house until they feel trail-ready. If they still prefer to pack a tent that's OK, no judgment. Nowadays arthritis and a spine injury have limited my trekking, so I'm now just an every-night hammocker indoors or outside on my property and occasional car-camping, but I have miles and decades of trail memories, alone and with a friend. I've slept indoors in a hammock nearly all my life, and I ditched my tent when I "discovered" outdoor hammock materials and methods. The learning curve was worth the effort. Now I like to encourage other women to get out there and experience the lighter load and IMO greater comfort of hammock camping.
The first step is to get the conversation started, maybe with a couple of pics of your last outing. And it's bound to go better when there's pie!
I think as a human race we can all be prone to excuses. I know change is a very difficult thing for many. For me the choice was simple. The pain of lying on the ground was becoming unbearable and making camping miserable for me. Give up camping (backcountry canoe camping) or FIND A NEW WAY!
So I accidentally stumbled onto a Shug video (thanks Shug) and was led here.
First excuse. Newly single and broke. BUT you want to camp right? So I found some cheap material and made my own hammock. My big splurge, a decent tarp. The rest all make do stuff from equipment I already had.
Second excuse. Privacy. Solution. A BIG tarp. A 4m X 4m gives tons of privacy. It can be configured into a full A frame style shelter and when staked at the second stakeout points at each end can have fully closed ends for full privacy.
Third excuse. Safety. The delusional and misplaced feeling of safety a tent somehow brings. Think of it. You're laying in your tent at night and you hear sounds in your campsite. You can't see what it is so it can't see you and you're safe right? LOL. Well you can close down your big a$$ tarp and be safe in your delusions. Good news is you can be safely out of reach of all the weather Mother Nature can throw at you. Bad news is that bear in camp still knows you're there and he's just waiting for you to be riper. Lol. Or more likely it's a raccoon scavenging your fire pit. Isn't it better to see that you're not about to die? I know I sleep much better after that. Of course the knife under my pillow and the axe and paddle nestled safely under my hammock just in case make me feel better too. :D
All tongue in cheek aside (hopefully some helpful tips were dispersed as well) the two hangs I've been on were all guys. A wonderful group of men whose interests were in sharing experiences, tips, equipment, good food and camaraderie around a warm campfire away from the cares of the world for a few days getaway. EGL GROUP YOU ARE GREAT! Everyone was extremely respectful of everyone else's privacy.
And now for a couple of tips that I hope may be of use for someone. You can now buy small pop up nylon 'johnnies' that may be useful as either a dressing area or place to wash up in. Or a tarp wrapped around a small close set group of trees can provide the same privacy. Also for us backcountry campers who use a thunderbox or 'cat hole' a small tarp stretched between a couple of trees or long stakes pounded into the ground can provide a nice 'wall'.
And now. Keep smiling. Keep camping. Be brave. Don't let the little things stop you from doing what you love.
HAMMOCKS RULE!!!