4 Days to go!

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#21

Well, don’t despise me, but I feel obliged to proffer a kind cautionary note with the HH promotions. I can attest to how cold the HH can get. Brrrr. Also the condensation is a bit problematic in colder temperatures when using a foam pad. Have to politely disagree with Sgt. ROck, I found the shelters much warmer even with a raise platform than the hammock on my hikes last year- because ultimately a flat surface will compress less of one’s sleeping bag and many shelters are built to block drafts underneath the floorboard. On the AT, carrying a foam pad even if you decide to pack the HH is a good idea so you can sleep in the plentiful shelters when you get a chance. The HH should be fine starting from Springer in April, unfortunately I was never quite comfortable using mine Feb.-June despite many tries. summer is the HH season. Happy Trails to the Rebel with a cause!

Sweeper

#22

Sorry, I must have given the wrong impression. I ment the ones with those chicken wire like sleeping platforms.

Yes, the wooden ones are warmer. LOL, but the ground is even better in my experience, as long as it isn’t covered in ace already.

SGT Rock

#23

I have to admit I know little about the HH hammock, Jim. I do remember talking to by good pal Sweeper (I’m sure he’ll chime in) about the cold thing and the hammock. I think Sweeper called Tom, who suggested some people use a mylar lining along the bottom of the hammock for insulation. It does seem that you have a pretty good relationship with Tom yourself, however. Perhaps you already knew. Or perhaps Sweeper was just trying to sound smart (I’m sure he’ll chime in). By the by, we saw hammocks on the trail way past the 168 mile mark. Although you are hiking in the summer months, we encountered cold in June in Maine and July in the Whites. Don’t know when you’ll get there.

Grimace

#24

With regard to minimizing your cold weather gear, I know that everyone sees the trees starting to leaf out and assumes that winter is over. However, just don’t forget that it can get cold and snowy, not only in the northern Appalachians, but also down south deep into Spring. About ten years ago, in May (yes, May!), there was a vicious snowstorm in the southeast. As always the Smokies got it the worst of it (60" on Mt. Pisgah and 30+" on Mt. Mitchell), but snow also fell all the way down into the peidmont (I think Columbia, SC even reported a trace of snow!!), which means even the gaps got socked pretty good. There is no reason to think this will happen this year (or ever again), but it could.

Before you decide to ditch too much of your cold-weather gear, I would think long and hard. I would rather carry a few extra ounces than be absolutely miserable or, worse, hypothermic, while on the trail.

Don’t let anybody kid you. 24.5 lbs is a darn good pack weight. I can’t imagine you will see many who are carrying less. Once you get over Mt. Rogers (and until you hit the Whites), you can send a lot of the cold-weather stuff home without fear of even a rogue cold weather event.

Anyway, that’s what I think… of course I could be wrong.

Ken G.

#25

I just got the Esbits today. I’ll start testing tonight or Saturday.

SGT Rock

#26

Hey, yeah Rebel, your pack weight at 25 sounds VERY good. Grimace, hehe, yeah I tried the Mylar and other things as Sgt. Rock/Tom suggested. Some had significant good results but they were a bit of a hassle and I was still a bit chilly still. (Grimace, hennessyhammock.com has info on the reflector idea) By the time I was approching my best system to rig I realized how silly it was in a way to try to get a hammock to work in the cold when a tarp would be warmer and lighter… So I switched. For the record let it be known that I loved my HHUL on the LT in the summertime. There are plenty of diehard hammock fans out there I know, but IMHO I’m afraid that the hammock has its fair share of limitations. Sgt. Rock has more experience than I on the hammock though so I value his opinion. He’s the one to go to besides Tom himself to get ideas on how to live comfortably in the HH. Although Mr. winter still has some tricks up his sleeve, they should be shortlived ones till next Fall, but Ken is right, best to be caught prepared. Sgt., glad you got the esbits lookn’ forward to the test results! Grimace, you gotta send me a finish photo of you guys from Springer! Ever since I read you switched to a kilt in the SNP, I’ve been chuckling like Dr. Hibbert.

Sweeper

#27

Yes, and I do have to say that my experiences with the HHUL isn’t below 30 degrees yet. I did notice that some people that started February with them gave up on them.

If your going to “hang out” you gotta know more than one way to skin that cat and be prepared to sleep a little more uncomfortable on the ground or in a shelter when the $hit hits the fan and be experienced enough to know the limits of your gear. If it’s too damn cold in the hammock, I’m on the ground or in a shelter in a hearbeat! That is why I still want to have some sort of pad system that is still good for that.

SGT Rock

#28

I droped my dad off at Hiwassi this morning to get his shuttle to Springer Mtn and he should be on the trail now. He wants to thank all the people who have supported him to go. He would also like to thank Hennessy Hammocks for their support and sponsorship. I will be hearing from him whenever he hits Neels Gap. I hope everyone enjoys his journal too. http://www.trailjournals.com/jimdeane .

James Deane (Lil Rebel A.T. '04)

James Deane

#29

Sitting at Dick’s Creek Gap this morning waiting for the guy who “Really” needed a ride to the Atlanta Airport (He never showed, by the way. Blew my Saturday + a 4 hour drive for me) and who should drive up but my brother Phil with the Rebel. After picking up Jim in Hiawassee they picked up a hitching hiker trying to get back to the trail and were dropping him off before heading on down to the FS 42 parking lot at Springer Mtn. I didn’t know they would be there nor did they know I would! A very surprising chance meeting. I was glad to have gotten to meet Jim. As much emailing as we’ve been doing the last few months getting various shuttles organized, I feel like I already knew him. He was VERY excited to finally be on his way. Good luck, Rebel!

Hacksaw

Hacksaw

#30

Hey Hacksaw,

Glad to see you saw them off. Of course, I will never play poker with you again because you made me go on a hike ( wink ).

Mr. Boo

#31

Well I just got word from dad a while ago and he said he is in Neels Gap. He is having a ball. He said it rained the first two days and has been pretty nice the last couple. So he may be updating his journal shortly with this info.

James Deane (Lil Rebel, A.T. '04)

James Deane