The large front bag always looks huge but I guess that's the reality of winter trips. I'd planned a 10 mile loop but I'd only been going about 2 miles when it started to rain. As I was basically going nowhere I took a short cut and was at my destination in less than 5 miles. I got the tarp up, hung the hammock and started on dinner. Having somewhere to sit is a big plus, much better than sitting on the ground, especially when trying to eat.
I lit the stove (BB 22g) and for this I have a bit of stainless wire with a pigs tail shape on the end. I dip it in the stove, light it and then dip that back in to light the stove, it saves having to try and get the lighter into the stove. I put the lighting device down and picked up the windshield, which is sectional and in 3 bits. Two of the hinges are fixed and the last join is held together by a 'U' shaped pin I made from the same stainless wire as the lighter. I picked up the joining U and held this in my lips (as you would a nail ready to use) and aligned the joint in the windshield.... except I'd picked up the still hot stove lighter and put the hot end in my oouth
Ouch, luckily my water bottle was handy and it's no worse than you'd get from hot jam.Post dinner and changed I then began the fun of getting into my bag, on a mat (I don't have an under-quilt) and getting comfy. The more I fidgeted and adjusted the more the hammock began to swing, which made it harder as well. I did eventually get sorted but I seemed to be in the bottom of the hammock and despite my efforts my head was quite a bit lower than my feet. The swinging was also making me feel a bit queasy but after a while either I got used to it or it stopped.
I did wake in the night, it had got quite a bit colder. I was wearing base layers, had my new Ghost Whisperer on, a hat and my down booties. I was in a bag with a comfort rating of -10 but I had also brought my 150 quilt just in case, which I'd hung in a bag on the ridgeline so added that and I was much warmer. I seem to be a colder sleeper the older I get. I'm usually a side sleeper but I couldn't manage that but I did have a pretty good nights sleep... I've had much much worse before... 2019 HT550 for starters
It got down to 0.5 degrees but I was warm enough, I could tell the mat was working as when I leant against the hammock I could feel the cold.With nowhere to be I laid in for quite a bit in the morning before getting up for breakfast. The sun was up and gradually warming the woods with the previous nights damp rising through the trees.
I cooked up breakfast and sat an enjoyed my coffee watching the birds and listening to a distant woodpecker. I've seen enough Shug videos to know that 'porch mode' should be deployed for breakfast and just lollygaging*
Fortunately the trees were near enough as I didn't have any poles with me. Before anyone worries, Ralph didn't sleep in the ridgeline organiser, he'd have froze up there. Despite the sun it was still only 2 degrees but the new jacket, plus many other layers, kept the chill off.
I had spotted a strange object from my bed, it looked like a large toadstool, and was about 40 feet away. Venturing over to see what it was....
I've no idea how that could have got there, apart from being in a private garden, it's thick scrub woodland, you'd never be able to kick it to there from anywhere clear, perhaps the squirrels like a kick-about?
I had fitted a structural ridgeline to the hammock with the length set as per The Ultimate Hang recommendation but wondered if that was the issue with the lay. As I had all day I undid this and adjusted the suspension and I did manage to get a flatter lay, I had another 40 minutes laying down watching the wildlife to be sure
I spotted the Jay my mum says has been digging up the nuts the squirrel buries as soon as he goes, I think he was waiting for the squirrel to head down for breakfast. As I left I noticed that spring must be just around the corner.
I didn't see any snowdrops which are usually first here. I had thought about heading out on a ride to look for a bacon bap or similar but as the garages here don't need to sell such things (nowhere is far enough from home to have to eat on the way) it would need to be takeaway from a cafe and I decided that it would be a fruitless task so gave up on that. Once packed away it was only 15 minutes before I had a house full of kit to air and coffee and pastry.
So, how was my first night in a hammock? Well, surprisingly good, I did manage to sleep and I was warm enough for the most part, but, I seem to have motion sickness
Even as I sit here nearly 10 hours later it feels like I'm still rocking back and forth and it's making me a bit nauseous. Perhaps I'm prone to this sort of thing. When I raced land rovers I would often still feel the motion of the car after a rough race, even hours later, particularly when laying down, I also once went on one of those simulators where the room is on hydraulic rams and moves in time with the action on the screen of a roller-coaster or fighter jet, it made me dizzy for 2 days. Let's hope it's not going to happen every time as I think the hammock will be ideal for some locations. I only remember the dizziness after racing from when I started so perhaps I'll adapt to this as well, or just take seasickness tablets Sean 2/2 BAM Ralph 11/12 FSL
*lollygag, verb, informal, North American, spend time aimlessly; idle. Favourite pastime of Shug
Only a tropical -2 here, we miss out on the worst/best of the temps, but make up for it with windspeed.
