 camper Vince poses by his hammock (photo by jhy) |
by JHY
Twenty hardy fellows converged on Ludington State Park this weekend for a weekend of camping, hiking, and fun. They are all members of hammockforums.net, a meeting place for people who want to discuss all things related to sleeping in hammocks.
These are not your summer string hammocks, hung semi-permanently near a cabin. These hammocks are medium to high tech creations made for easy hanging, packing, and carrying. What's high-tech about a hammock you ask? The fabric (waterproof, breatheable, lightweight), the pattern (stability, comfort, ease of entrance and exit), the accessories (hanging straps, zippers, cords, quilts).
In fact, discussing and looking at the merits of each other's gear is one of the popular activities at such outings. And this activity is not limited to the hammocks. Two men wore traditional wool coat-shirts they had made, and another demonstrated a handmade laser-cut, collapsible wood-burning backpacker stove.
About twice a year there is a regional campout. These happen somewhat spontaneously as a result of conversations on the forum. There's no official restriction on who can attend. One camper this weekend was from Indiana, and another from Chicago.
 campfire breakfast (photo by jhy) |
Women are welcome to participate, and there are usually a few, but this particular weekend none were in attendance.
A couple of the participants even had tents, and were not being run out of the group on a rail. If you are looking for a group that likes to get out regularly, the folks at hammockforums are eager to welcome you.
(A longer article should appear in the Outdoor section of the Ludington Daily News on March 3.)
See Hammock Forum
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8 comments:
Just a small correction, the website is hammockforums.net
Love the article!
Great having you out to the hang. Thank you again for the biscuits. We ended up officially have one female that showed up later in the day. Tenters are always welcome to the hangs, but we reserve the right to make fun of their sore backs. :)
Rich- Got it fixed. That was one of the things that reverted to the first draft. That is so totally weird!
Kevin- Glad to hear it, and it was awesome to meet you all. Make all the fun you want... hammocks give me a sore back, so we're even!
Hey, my wife was there. We had a great time.
Nimbus37
Hi Nimbus- I think she came after I left. Sorry to miss her.
Ludington St. Park is right up the road from where I am!
Wouldn't do this myself, but sounds really interesting. I bet my sons would love this.
I hope you must have enjoyed the trip. Have you visited Luray, VA and Shenandoah National Park?
I love seeing guys having fun. It has been a while since I last went out with fam and friends to do some commune with nature. I hope to join one soon. Thanks for reminding me about the joys of camping.
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