Hey Folks,
I took a group of folks hanging/paddling on the Santa Fe River this weekend. I was the only "experienced" hanger in the crew. Two of my other friends brought their hammocks but each had only used them on one other trip so they were still quite the "noobs". The last member of our little crew borrowed my son's HH Expedition so they were brand new to hanging.
The temps dropped into the mid 60s at night with little to no wind and luckily no rain. Pretty much perfect hanging weather. I threw on my undercover and wrapped up in a fleece sleeping bag liner. I was very comfortable until just before dawn when I had to pull on a long-sleeved pullover and some pants due to a mild case of CBS.
So, at the end of the trip I had my two friends convinced that hammocks are indeed the way to go for hot weather camping but neither has much interest in any cool or cold weather hanging. The one that borrowed my expedition probably won't get into a hammock on the trail again without further experimentation at home. She just couldn't get comfortable and spent most of the night tossing and turning trying to find the illustrious "sweet-spot".
Long story short....When I camp on the ground and put my earplugs in I sleep like the dead. My head hits the pillow I'm out and I get plenty of deep sleep. When I wake however I'm stiff, sore, and really groggy. On the opposite end of the spectrum...when I sleep in the hammock I almost always seem to change positions a lot, get up to urinate, and generally don't sleep deeply at all. The strange part is that I pop up out of bed rested and refreshed in the morning without all the strange aches and pains I get while ground dwelling. Am I alone on this one or is this pretty common?
Just curious,
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