Results 1 to 4 of 4
  1. #1
    New Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2020
    Location
    Melville, Mt
    Posts
    42

    First Hammock Backpack Flint Creek Range MT.

    I was desperately in need of some solitude... a good workout and a chance to unwind, so I cobbled together several mid week days.... to avoid humans...., and headed into the extremely rugged western side of the Flint Creek range to a lake I loved in years past. An idyllic setting with a rock point jutting out into the lake, the end of which is just above water level, but drops off about 30 vertical feet into the depths. The first test of my cheap backpack hammock from Amzn, and a rain fly from Second Wind Sports (Hennessey.. asym). I was equipped with a Big Agnes insulated air mattress completed the package, and rather than taking along a sleeping bag, I took a warm fleece throw.
    20+ years since I'd been there, I had forgotten how utterly brutal the trail was. 7 miles in, much of it extreme grade. All very rocky except a few short stretches, you not only have a work out but every single step has to be placed because of the rock. Not an easy trail, with over 3K elevation gain in 7 miles. To make matters worse, the pine bark beetle had killed a lot of the timber, and deadfalls resulted in constant detours, and were so frequent that there were new ones on the way out! A crew with a chainsaw had done part of the trail a few weeks before apparently, but not the upper end, and the falling trees had replaced what they had removed.
    I love solitude.... and had it. Moose, bear, deer, various birds, bobcat tracks, and solitude. The first day my hike started late and was cut short by a violent thunderstorm. I found a spot in otherwise thick lodgepole timber, where I could set up on a small point of rock with a couple of well placed trees. Set up with one end of the hammock elevated a bit, and the fly fairly low.... I needed pitons instead of stakes, but managed to get one stake shoved into a crack, and the other to a tree. Tied my pack upright to the suspension strap at the tail end of the hammock to keep it dry, put my boots under me, inflated Big A, and climbed in...... Big A is straight, and the corners wanted to pop out at the head end. Not ideal for a gathered end hammock. I lay there as lightening crashed and rain poured down, the fly shaking like a leaf in the wind, but I stayed dry. Ended up dragging out the quilt for mosquito protection, and covering my head with a light vented rain jacket... forgot repellent. Once the storm had passed I had a bit of dinner, and read myself to sleep.
    Next AM, I finished the trek in... I was less than half way, but the worst grade behind... the knots in my unprepared calves took awhile to work loose.. Not unexpected. I knew I was out of shape and unprepared physically... but even now at 65, I'm very tough... I don't get discouraged easily. The mosquito problem was relentless, and I chose a spot right at the water's edge on the point of rocks jutting out into the lake... a single small tree anchored the head tied short to the tree, and a long line slung over a rock ledge to the base of a tree further in anchored the foot, with the paracord line nearly rubbing the rock. Not ideal, but it worked. In retrospect, I should have found a chunk of log.... and actually rested the foot line on that, just using the tree for tension... but hindsight is 20/20. One sapling right at the water's edge growing from a crack in the rock, on one side, and a small scrubby pine about 4' tall on the other side, worked out perfectly for staking the rain fly, though one was about 12' away from the corner of the rainfly, and the other about 8'. The water's edge sapling was tall and slender (about 2.5" dia), and allowed me to raise that side of the fly quite high. The head of the mock was well above the foot... which seemed perfect to me, as that's the way I like to sleep. Another violent storm rolled in, and as it approached I got violent winds, and quickly lowered the lines on the rain fly as low as possible . The longer line I could not lower, as it ran right across a rock ledge... but I anchored it with a big rock close to the eyelet to tame it. The foot end was attached to the suspension line as there was nothing else, but I lowered both the head end of the fly and the end toward the water, also anchoring it with a big rock to tame things. It was like a thing alive struggling to be free and fly with the birds, and the roar of the deluge was deafening, as the rain and wind turned the small lake into a regular maelstrom of waves and flying spray. Again I stayed dry during the brief tempest, and the sun soon came out, and steam rolled off the rocks, and life was good again.... The mosquitoes were knocked down or discouraged, and my choice of the point to have a breeze to blow away the skeeters was a good one. Took some "exploratory hikes" in the afternoon, and another solitary hiker showed up in the evening, setting up well away on a high spot 1/4 mile a way on the lake shore... came over to try out my hammock later. That night was not a success....The head end higher than the foot significantly, I kept sliding down...I want the head elevation, but that was just a bit much. Needed velcro on my bum. Constant thunder and lightening .. but no more rain, kept me awake. I left the next AM early... it was getting too crowded with two people at one lake!! Spent the day heading deeper into the mountains and exploring other trails... without my pack. Amazing how you develop wings on your feet when you shed the pack. Slept at another remote lake that night, no bugs... it had gotten colder, the morning and evening were brisk to say the least. It can snow any month of the year in Montana in my experience, so I was prepared. Moose and bear encounters were benign..... Moose make me nervous. They are completely unpredictable. This one posed for me while I took of my pack and got out the camera.
    The trip back down the trail was brutal.... Up is difficult, but down when you are solo is downright dangerous. Each step must be carefully placed and calculated to avoid impact and twisting, etc. Time doesn't matter... getting out safely does.

    Lessons learned:

    1# Need a hammock with integral bug net.......... & don't forget the Cutters
    #2 Ground sheet would be good
    3# A ridge line and a hanging net would be good for clothing, and to hang accessories,etc.... I laced the foot end of my hammock and put clothing in it.
    #4 I like the hammock pretty tightly strung to reduce the banana effect. I have to sleep straight in this hammock with an air mattress. The head end should be a bit higher than the other end, and I like to sleep with my body more to the one end.
    5# A larger rain fly would be nice so I can hang the hammock fairly low and have a privacy wall on one side.
    #6 A proper hammock top quilt might be worth looking into, but there are issues with air mattress quilt interface
    6# With a tight hammock hang, keeping everything in the hammock while you get in and situated is a bit of a challenge.

    The Amock Dramur really looks pretty idea except for weight and cost...........

    H.W.

  2. #2
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    NC
    Hammock
    Simply Light Designs Trail Lair
    Tarp
    SLD Trail Haven
    Insulation
    EE / UGQ / SLD
    Suspension
    Whoopie Slings
    Posts
    210
    Bug nets are totally worth the weight on a hammock. Since you had issues with your sleeping pad you may find an underquilt more comfortable, I certainly do.

    It sounds counterintuitive but by raising the foot end of your hammock it actually forces your head higher in the lay - give that a try and see if it fixes your problem of sliding down. Would love to see a picture of your idyllic spot on this lake!

  3. #3
    New Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2020
    Location
    Melville, Mt
    Posts
    42
    Quote Originally Posted by Layne View Post
    Bug nets are totally worth the weight on a hammock. Since you had issues with your sleeping pad you may find an underquilt more comfortable, I certainly do.

    It sounds counterintuitive but by raising the foot end of your hammock it actually forces your head higher in the lay - give that a try and see if it fixes your problem of sliding down. Would love to see a picture of your idyllic spot on this lake!
    The Big A air mattress does a lot to open out the space in the hammock, and improve the flatness of the lay.... Thanks for the tip about raising the foot...I rather like counterintuitive..... I'm a chair sleeper... I like the zero gravity position the best, and have thought long and hard about making a spread end hammock with a contoured bottom raised from the butt to the knees to achieve this. I can't sleep in a bed, but the hammock strung the way I had it the first night worked for me. I'll experiment more with this hammock and then gift it to someone, and buy a good one with a bug net. If it weren't for the weight the Draumr would be about perfect for me.... I used to be the kind of backpacker that cut the handles off toothbrushes, but as I haven't done the huge long trips like I did when I was young... usually 50 to 100 miles in the Cascades, one even 250 back in the late '60's eary '70's, I've gotten a bit careless about weight...but I'm working on it. I'm looking at refining my load for weight reduction, but I'd be willing to pack a few extra pounds to sleep well. Sleeping and eating well make all the difference.

    H.W.

  4. #4
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2019
    Location
    Wayzata, MN
    Hammock
    Ridgerunner
    Tarp
    Superfly
    Insulation
    Bandit TQ Lynx UQ
    Suspension
    Whoopie
    Posts
    269
    Images
    1
    Definitely sounds like some rugged ups and downs. One of the big reasons for me to move onto my second hammock was an integrated bug net. Minuscule weight difference and immeasurable quality of life improvement. I have spent most of my hammock time in a bridge hammock so definitely look to get this confirmed by more experienced GE folks, but my sense was that you are better off focusing on laying diagonal to reduce the banana effect than over tightening the hammock itself. Then again I always use spreader bars and an air pad in my double layer bridge so what do I know?

  • + New Posts
  • Similar Threads

    1. Replies: 13
      Last Post: 12-16-2018, 10:03
    2. Replies: 10
      Last Post: 08-10-2013, 07:04
    3. Forney Creek Smoky Mountain Backpack, Memorial Day 2011
      By LyttleBryan in forum Trip Reports
      Replies: 5
      Last Post: 06-06-2011, 15:24

    Bookmarks

    Posting Permissions

    • You may not post new threads
    • You may not post replies
    • You may not post attachments
    • You may not edit your posts
    •