2022 Grayson SP Winter Hang

[gunner76]

I came, I saw, I left.... well I did not leave willingly . Got to the hang on Friday about 3PM. Temps were 19 degrees, lots of snow on the ground but the roads were clear. Set up my hammock.. Sat around the fire trying to stay warm. Do not remember who made it but I had a bowl of chicken soup / stew. Very good. Met several new folks and some old friends.

About midnight I was the last one up so I put several logs on the fire to make sure there would be some hot coals in the AM. Temps were 17 degrees at this point. Don't know why but I started to get very very cold and felt like I was having an asthma attack. I think it had something to do with the blood thinners I am on. Decided to be safe and took down my hammock, threw it in my truck and left. Got a hotel room and it took several hours before I felt warm again. I did see lots of deer on the side on the roads when leaving.

Hopefully everyone else is doing OK. Guess I will have to wait to try and break my PB of 9 degrees hanging in a hammock in the snow . Shug's record of -40 is safe for now.

[lorazepam]

Well that sucks.
If you weren't comfortable, it is best to fall back until you feel better. I would do the same.

[Crawldaddy]

Smart call Gunner !!

[WV]

Smart move, Gunner. I got there Thursday at 3:30 pm, got set up down the hill where the winds wouldn't be so bad. Temp was said to be 11° F. the next morning. Years of experimenting and sewing my own gear gave me a very warm night, but the next morning my cardiovascular system couldn't adjust, and my fingers ached after only a couple of minutes of exposure to the cold. I told the others I was going to bail. Then I had breakfast, worked out a way of keeping chemical hand-warmers always "at hand" and got through the morning, so I decided to stay. The next night was the same (but 4° F.). The morning was again, unpleasant for my fingers, but I'd learned to cope. I had to leave today (Saturday) because my wife is going out of town tomorrow, but I might not have stayed a third night, anyway. The woods were beautiful, the people were great, but the margin for error gets thin, and listening to your body is good medicine.
--------------------
On the plus side, this trip made a good shakedown cruise to prepare for when I next hang in the back yard. When I got home I learned that when it was 4° F. at Grayson, it was -13° F. here.

Those who admired my use of a Jetboil to ignite charcoal Saturday morning should be warned that if you leave the stove under the bed of coals too long, the piezo starter button and part of the plastic frame of the jetboil melts. Stove still works, though.

[gunner76]

It was beautiful out there with the snow and the lack of noise. Got home, took a hot shower and took a nap, feeling better.

[slowhike]

Glad you guys did what you felt best.
Listening to your body is good advice.

Look forward to hearing more and seeing pics!

[Phantom Grappler]

The camaraderie and coffee kept me warm, along with my fire red shirts. Thank you Need2no, for adjusting under quilt…

Hammock was so hot, I got a sunburn!

Heartfelt thanks to all our cooks.
Hope I don’t forget any!
Hickery smoked frog legs, coffee
Unclebubba, Need2noCallahan, Edgar, Chknbone, beef stew
Homemadehiker cookies, pastries, pizza, egg rolls
Bob chicken soup, grilled cheese sandwiches
WV scrapple-liver mush
Redrum bacon, sausage

Beat my old best low temperatures
And now it is 4* Fahrenheit

Hammocks and hot tents along with a few cold tents made morning coffee and fire, that much better.

I met lotsa cool hammock campers at Grayson
Many thanks to Hickery and Slowhike our fearless
hosts for putting on a wonderful Grayson Hang

Thanks to everyone who donated to our raffle. After expenses, we were able to donate $410.00 to The Friends Grayson Highlands State Park.

Special thanks to the park staff, for getting us in group site, keeping roads clear and lights on.

[Koolranch]

Let's see the pics......

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

[slowhike]

Phantom Grappler, you said...

"Thanks to Hickery and Slowhike our fearless
hosts for putting on a wonderful Grayson Hang"

Hickery, yes. But me, I was home being the armchair quarterback ;~)

Glad y'all had a fine time!

And those that went to Yates.

[iceman857]

IMG_0826.jpgIMG_0828.jpgIMG_0825.jpgIMG_0824.jpgIMG_0823.jpgIMG_0821.jpgIMG_0819.jpgIMG_0818.jpgIMG_0817.jpgIMG_0816.jpgIMG_0815.jpg I only got shots of a few of the setups, and only the tarps, usually.