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  1. #1
    Senior Member DanversPort's Avatar
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    Humblebee on the northern AT

    Hey guys! I’m currently hiking the northern half of the Appalachian Trail, and I wanted to share some of my experiences here. I started in Pine Grove Furnace at the pavilion, and I’ve been walking north to Maine. I’m a day out from hiking Greylock, where I’m told the real climbing begins!

    Here are some pics of my experience thus far. If you want to check my Instagram (@Huemmblebee) there are some more pics there.













    Hammocking has been swell so far. I don’t have a pad to sleep in shelters, and have only had to do so once (Eckville shelter near the Pinnacle). Otherwise I love having my own space, free of snoring hikers and mice. The 20* UQ is a little overkill, I’d love to be using a 30* one, but I appreciate the warmth now that I’m in New England and the nights are chilly.

    I’ve only come across a handful of other hammockers so far- way fewer than last year on the long trail. The trail is also more male-dominated this year, according to hikers, and the thru-hikers I’ve met have some crazy stories of the extreme and late winter we’ve had.

    Most hammockers or hammock-curious hikers I’ve met have complaints about hammocks consistent with mine before I discovered the cottage industry. One can walk into an REI and leave with a passable tent setup for a thru-hike, but the same isn’t true for hammocks- I think you really MUST go with cottage vendors (Dutchware and Hammock Gear in my case) to get a comfortable and lightweight system. It’s not polite to give unwarranted gear advice out here, so I’ve had to bite my tongue plenty when I hear of “uncomfortably short” hammocks, lack of underquilt, hanging tarps from hammock suspensions, the whole 9 yards of things I didn’t know better than to do before I joined this forum.

    My base weight has been dropping and is now around 11lbs, which has been very comfortable, and lets me do large food resupplies when my dad crosses the trail and meets me. The other day I took on 13lbs of food- I doubled my pack weight that day!

    The hiking has been fun, and the toughest days have been the hottest ones in New York when some of my friends gave up on the trail. I’m happy to have friends and family on this northern half to support me and keep me company.

    Thanks for all the guidance that got me here! I’ll update when I reach wifi hotspots!

    -Hum

  2. #2
    Senior Member Shrewd's Avatar
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    Jun 2016
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    Humblebee on the northern AT

    Glad you’re having a good hike.

    I actually found myself hiking with 3 other hammockers from jersey through New York...we even had hammocks outnumbering tents one night

    New York is definitely not my favorite stretch (though eating at all those road crossings was great) but soon you’ll be in the north! Entering Vermont for me was hike changing. Keep it up!

    I didn’t have a problem either, and the only two times that was an issue was in a church that you probably just passed (I slept there before climbing Greylock) and one night in Lack in the Clouds Hut in the Whites.

  3. #3
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    Jul 2011
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    Glad you're having fun!
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  4. #4
    Senior Member TrailSlug's Avatar
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    Sep 2015
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    Huntsville, AL
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    Congrats on the trip and enjoy the hike as it's always gotta be better than being at work. Which CF tarp is it that you are using?

  5. #5
    Senior Member Vanhalo's Avatar
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    Sep 2017
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    East TN
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    I'm jealous.
    "...in Florida, she felt air conditioning for the first time, and it was cold and unnatural upon her skin."


  6. #6
    RENDAWG's Avatar
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    Oct 2017
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    Lexington NC
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    Looks like a great time. I am trying to plan a trip thru NC sometime soon. Thanks for the pictures. Be safe!
    HANG WELL MY FRIENDS AND HANG IN THERE!

  7. #7
    Senior Member DanversPort's Avatar
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    Trailslug, I’m using the standard CF tarp with doors. The shorter sides than my WBSF are kinda made up for with the beefy UQ. I like it for backpacking but will keep using my Superfly w/ pole mods for winter and canoe camping.



    A friend visited last weekend! Loved having the fleet in action, with him using my older setup.

  8. #8
    Senior Member
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    Jul 2016
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    central texas
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    Quote Originally Posted by DanversPort View Post
    Trailslug, I’m using the standard CF tarp with doors. The shorter sides than my WBSF are kinda made up for with the beefy UQ. I like it for backpacking but will keep using my Superfly w/ pole mods for winter and canoe camping.



    A friend visited last weekend! Loved having the fleet in action, with him using my older setup.
    [Very] awesome! Where was this?
    Last edited by W8lkinUSA; 06-17-2018 at 11:50.

  9. #9
    Senior Member DanversPort's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by W8lkinUSA View Post
    [Very] awesome! Where was this?
    That shot was set up in the tent sites behind Upper Goose Pond, MA. A really excellent spot, a pretty good day hike to a nice hut-like atmosphere, except it’s free and caters mainly to distance hikers.

  10. #10
    Senior Member DanversPort's Avatar
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    I’ve reached New Hampshire! The first mileage in VT was to my liking, but after Killington the weather and hills got tough. The big-name mountains thus far (Killington, Stratton, and Greylock) have all been so well maintained, that they aren’t as challenging as the more forgotten trails between them.

    The hammock saw its first real storm in New England (I was hung up in Bromley Shelter for a prior one) last night and it passed with flying colors. Hearing the rain pounding on a tarp is always a little stressful for me but lo and behold, everything stayed bone dry in the morning. A nice confidence booster that I’m hanging my hammock and tarp well.

    Here’s some pics!



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