New England got a real taste of frigid conditions on Friday/Saturday as an artic cold front came and went, bringing with it subzero temps for the first time in some time here in Rhode Island. Seemed like a good excuse to set up the hammock, test my gear and see if I could set a new cold camping PR for myself.
Admittingly, it's sort of easy mode when you can set up your camp, return to your warm house and then head out at bedtime. And I was able to use a heavy synthetic bag with a claimed -40F value in the hammock in addition to two underquilts. Still the wind was fierce all night with some powerful gusts so I was happy to err on the side of caution.
I certainly was not cold this night - the bag and quilts kept me toasty. But the howling wind and popping of trees kept sleep at bay at times. I was happy with my tarp pitch was deadened the effects of the wind but my side tieouts loosened as the night went on. It's time to invest in a better system for those side ties - I'm thinking individual shock cord for each one. Having one long line for each side was my initial experiment but it's time to improve.
The biggest issue I had was that in the middle of the night I attempted to get up to pee and my calves seized up. I ended up dangling out of the hammock, legs locked up in a frozen, painful position. I sort of swung my frozen legs back into the hammock and abandoned the attempt. They were twitchy the rest of the night.
Anyone have any idea of the cramp issue? It happened to me in NH a few months back but I chalked it up to dehydration and the hard exertion of the day. I don't think I was sleeping with my legs elevated on this trip but maybe dehydration is still the culprit?
Bookmarks