There were three of us this time. We set up our gear above the bridge, south of Hillfield Road. That probably isn’t very descriptive for most of you. We just call that little footbridge where you can short-circuit part of the trail by cutting across the valley, “the bridge”.
This time, Anne and I arrived while the sun was still up. Fred arrived after dark. I decided to try the Tentsile Flite (double hammock) with two people, to see how that would work. One of the shortcomings of the Flite is that you can’t use a standard under-quilt, and it’s just not worth buying a special under-quilt for it, so I can’t use it in cooler weather. I have tried.
This time, I put a sleeping bag under us and a comforter over the top of us. I wasn’t expecting it to get into the 50’s (~12 C) or I might not have chosen a hammock with no under-quilt. The insulation you put under you, inside the hammock is compressed and does not provide much protection from the cold. I could feel the cool underneath me while I was resting, but it was only enough to make the experience less comfortable. Had it gotten any colder, we might have had to return to the car for something warmer.
As I mentioned, this was the first time I slept with two people in the Tentsile Flite. Apparently, if you don’t get the angles perfect, one side (there is a dividing strap down the center that you can tighten or loosen) sags more than the other. I put Anne on the “low” side, since she is lighter than me, but I still felt like I was going to slide over the center strap to the other side. I didn’t figure out the cause of the problem until the morning. I suppose I could have adjusted the suspension straps to make it more even, but it seems like it should not be that finicky.
The Flite is pretty and it would be fun to lounge in on a warm, sunny day, but it is limited in it’s practicality, it’s heavy, and it’s complicated to set up. It’s not nearly as pretty, or fun to lounge in when you add the rain fly.
Enough about the Flite. I don’t suppose you’re interested in buying it from me? 🙂 The streams were pathetically low. There was barely any flow. I do hope we get some rain, soon; preferably not a hurricane.
Since it was a chilly night and the warmer weather has spoiled me, Anne and I hibernated until 9am. This may be the first time that Fred has gotten up before me. I still had to make the coffee. We eventually broke camp and hiked out. We took the long way out, so we could get in a bit of a hike before returning to our domestic lives. Fred went back out and spent another night in the forest, but I didn’t make it.
It turned out, had we hiked out the way we came in, we might have met up with another camper. There was a pickup parked near our vehicles when we got back to them. I always wonder who is hiking and camping in the forest. I hope they enjoy it as much as I do. If you are an avid hiker, camper, or weekend warrior and you read this blog, be sure to drop a note and say “Hi”.
+ There are no comments
Add yours