Random hammocking encounter

[Karla "with a k"]

I'm driving around Wyalusing State Park (in the southwest corner of Wisconsin) scoping out other good hammocking sites when I spot a hammock with a bugnet on it and exclaim "Another fellow hammock camper!" My camping buddy for the weekend, Jessica, finds these comments from me common place and we don't give it a second thought.

We stop and check out the new bathroom/shower facilities added to that loop when something compels me to ask the blonde woman by the water faucet washing her dishes if she happen to be on the site with the hammock.

She hesitantly responds, "......yes...... why?"

I exclaim with excitement that I hammock camp too.

She then shares with us that it is her husband who hammock camps all the time and is on hammockforums.

"Wait, what? I AM on hammockforums also!" I excitedly exclaim. "What is your husband's profile name?

She has no clue, but says his name is Mike.

"Hmmmm, Mike. I'm not sure who that is. My name is Karla "with a K".

She replies, "Oh, I know you! My husband talks about you. He and our dog, Gladious, have camped with you."

"Your dog's name is Gladious? Then, I have camped with your husband. He is Setteworthy!"

"Yes! That IS his profile name. You have to come to our site and tell him hello. "

Erica, his wife, suggests to walk into camp as if I am her returning from washing the dishes.

"Honey, I'm back with clean dishes", I shout.

Setteworthy stares at me as if he is seeing a ghost. He doesn't know who/what is returning with his clean aluminium pan. He squints his eyes and then is able to put a name to the face and blurts out, "Karla!"

We have camped together almost a half of dozen times and the last time we saw each other was 7 months earlier at the Lover's Leap at Lapham Peak hang.

A good laugh, further introductions, a good belly rub for Gladious, and then a quick hammock tour complete our visit.

It was awesome to run into you, Setteworthy! Can't wait to hang with you in November at the New Moon hang!


Setteworthy with his setup.

[TrailSlug]

It's a small world isn't it.

[OlTrailDog]

Great story. I've yet to meet another hammock camper, only quite a few who pack in hammocks for lounging and sleep in a tent.

[Biker Bob]

A year ago I was in at a motorcycle rally and there was at least one other hammock, later that week at a campground in Mt Rogers and there was something looked like a flying saucer with a couple of GEs under it. I talked to them a few minutes. At motorcycle rallies and motorcycle only campgrounds hammocks are becoming more common.

[Rifleman]

I got a good laugh from your prank.

[dkurfiss]

Excellent. Thanks for sharing. I there is one other hammock camper that I run into at the motorcycle camp outs I attend. Groundhog is on here.

[TominMN]

I'm driving around Wyalusing State Park (in the southwest corner of Wisconsin) ...

That's one beautiful park. Great birding spot in the spring.

[Scarecrow]

Haha, that's awesome! While camping over Labor Day weekend, a couple guys stopped by my camp to ask for directions to the nearby lake. While I was giving them directions, one of them notices my hammock system and tells me "Nice setup man! I'm no longer a ground dweller either!" HF wasn't brought up in our brief conversation, but I still wonder if that guy is lurking on here somewhere. It's extremely rare to spot a fellow hammock camper in my neck of the woods. Like someone else mentioned above, most of the hammocks I see while out and about don't seem to be set up for sleeping in, and there's a tent close by them. "Our kind" are out there, but sometimes it's like trying to find Big Foot.

[airoot]

There’s more hammockers every time I go out - saw two others the last time I walked through the cohutta wilderness in n Georgia. Didn’t have a chance to chat them up unfortunately

[xMagnolia]

Every time I hike in the Sipsey Wilderness in Alabama, I run into at least one hammock camper. Often, it is someone from the forums. It’s always fun to have something in common to start a conversation about.

Charlotte