I've been playing around with hammocks since 2015 when I came across Shug's videos. Last night was my first ever night in a hammock (solo) in the woods.
It was short as far as trips go. I wanted to make sure I was in a familiar place just in case, as the weather around here can be a little unpredictable at higher elevations. The weather called for no rain and a low of 39. My one and only UQ is rated to 15, so I figured I'd be nice and toasty with the option to vent if need be.
The hike in was pretty relaxing. This time of year there are hardly any folks on the trails. I saw not a soul northbound and southbound. I was venturing to a shelter I had been to before, although I stayed with a tent the last time. I remembered the sites being pitched with roots and rocks, so I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to try a hang and take advantage of not being on the ground for a change. In my 40s, I just don't sleep well on a pad any more.
Prior to this trip, I'd set up my hammock, messed around with tree length and suspension, and all the ins and outs, so there was plenty of practice. As I approached camp, I was getting a tad nervous with only an hour of daylight left. Would I find the right trees? Although the weather called for no rain, I wanted two trees in an open enough area that I could set up my tarp just in case.
When I finally arrived at camp, I was elated to find there were numerous hanging options. I ended up picking two trees that were closer together than I would have liked, but after some tinkering, I got my angles set up. When I was feeling confident, I set up all of my other gear. I only had about 45 minutes of daylight left.
It did end up raining, and I was glad I took the time to seam seal my tarp before heading out. Man, was it nice to be high and dry and know that all of my gear was going to stay dry under the protection! Also, can I just say how amazing it is to kick off an UQ and put your shoes on to go to the bathroom, vs having to roll over on a pad, crouch, unzip your vestibule, zip it back up, and repeat? Huge!
Although I don't know for sure how well I really slept on this trip, I can tell you it was a far sight better than sleeping on a pad. I woke up a couple of times snoring myself awake, but I'll need a little practice getting my side sleeping down. I have several hammocks, and one is an extra wide, so this should help solve the problem. What I will remember most from this trip was how hard it was to get out of the hammock. I didn't want to get out at night and even after making coffee and other chores in the morning, I ended up getting right back into the hammock.
I'm excited to continue along my quest. Now I'm left wondering.. is there a place on this forum where I could go out with hangs in the North Eastern US? And 2... tips for side sleeping?
Thanks for reading.
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Originally Posted by Shug
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