hammocks at the Tony family ranch

[te_wa]

this is a group hike invitation to not only the hammock hanging crowd, but all can join.
There will be a focus on hammocks, the multitude of set-up options, and a general show and tell and gear talk (no different than any other trip right?)
Temps will be around 35° so make sure you have both bottom and top insulation that works. So far, Drewboy, Tyrone Anderson and Crocodile Ryan and Rally_Toad have all agreed on the date of February 7-8th.
We will take the Haunted Canyon trail from the bottom and stay the night at Tony Ranch. There is water near the cabin. Dozens of sites, numerous trees.
Day 2 I want to show you guys a 100' deep cave and stay in the canyon narrows (as recommended by Kurt)
Its about 10 miles round trip.

[Crocodile Ryan]

Ok, looks like Im back in, my agent cant take me to look at them again till tuesday, so Ill see you guys on Sat morning

[te_wa]

*update*

the forecast this w/e is 59/40° with a high possibility of rain both Sat and Sun hiking days. Over night Saturday has 80% cnance for rain- bring rain wear, and dont forget your hammock tarps

[te_wa]

im going to be using my new hammock setup, i got the All Terrain airBivy Etreme or ATBE from Grand Trunk, and already have a nice big tarp so if anyone wants to purchase my tarp that came with the ATBE you can have it for $35 (it looks like the Funky Forest Tarp)
its 12' 2" on the diagonal, or 8'3" square. Ripstop with poly coating in dark blue. has about 10 tie outs - 18oz including stuff sack, guylines and heavy stakes. Replace the stakes, about a pound.

for a gathered end hammock, this is light and has enough coverage, so get rid of that dollar store blue tarp and buy this one (hint hint alex, chris)

[big_load]

Every time this thread pops up, I expect to see a discourse on the historic use of hammocks by the forward-looking pioneers of AZ's ranching heyday. I can just imagine Slim Pickens getting his spurs tangled up in a string net hammock.

[rushthezeppelin]

im going to be using my new hammock setup, i got the All Terrain airBivy Etreme or ATBE from Grand Trunk, and already have a nice big tarp so if anyone wants to purchase my tarp that came with the ATBE you can have it for $35 (it looks like the Funky Forest Tarp)
its 12' 2" on the diagonal, or 8'3" square. Ripstop with poly coating in dark blue. has about 10 tie outs - 18oz including stuff sack, guylines and heavy stakes. Replace the stakes, about a pound.

for a gathered end hammock, this is light and has enough coverage, so get rid of that dollar store blue tarp and buy this one (hint hint alex, chris)

Hmm this is something I'd be very interested in. Mind if I do a try-out of it on this tirp? Seems like I'll actually have rainy conditions to test it.

[te_wa]

hey this aint rent-a-center. look at the specs of the funky forest tarp on grand trunks website, then imagine that tarp a wee bit smaller
i'll bring it so you can buy it, but you cant get it wet all night and then decline, sorry
of course, you can "rent" it for $35, and then when you give it back to me I'll likely be inclined to just give it to you.

[rushthezeppelin]

Well it seems like a good enough deal and that would be an easy way to shave some weight compared to that super heavy tarp I'm using at the moment. I guess I can buy it off ya then : )

[pickelltree]

i plan to be at lowes higley and 60 at 7 am,

[te_wa]

just a shout out from your weatherman, te-wa again... im watching NOAA and although they are saying 90-100% chance of rain in many SO CAL cities, its not raining there as predicted. LA was supposed to get hammered overnight and they havent seen any heavy rain (predicted 1/2" at least), infrared shows rain over Lompoc/Santa Theresa. Im thinking this storm is going to stay north and blow into Utah and we should be fine. If not, it will be light rain.
but who cares? I have a hat, and a tarp!

temps still 39-40 for a low.

[SuperstitionGuy]

Let it come to Utah! We need all we can get. Go ahead and have a good hang at the Tony Family ranch and bring back some great pictures!

[te_wa]

i will, but it may take a couple weeks to get them loaded, my new canon uses a cd driver install tool and my new dvd burner/cd driver hasnt been installed yet. so let me do that, and ill post pics of tony ranch and poland creek.

[Crocodile Ryan]

Looks like Im in the not able to go column again......

Seems Im heading back east for work on Monday, so its probably best if I skip this one, and its great finding out about it Friday afternoon although its better than monday morning which is their usual MO

I dont like the way things are going, Im starting to sound kinda flakey.....

That means Im back to living vicariously through you guys, So..... mike, that means you better google those camera drivers and have those pics up on Monday......

[Crocodile Ryan]

Really wish I couldve made this one, looks like you guys had a good time, although Im kinda glad I missed the rain

I didnt realize such a large group was going, how many hangers?

I was wondering what types of hammocks were out there for everyone to inspect, also what the heck was on Andrews rig, in the pic it looks like hes got two tarps set up

[te_wa]

there were 3 hangers, Tyrone didnt make it, dont know what happend to him..
Drew's rig has a shelf with a tie-out to store a book, water, shoes, etc... youre looking at the netting.
the rain added a nice aspect to the hike and im not sure why everyone avoids it.. I kinda like rain. I used a tiny 31" umbrella (thanks to teva joe for the idea) and stayed very dry. only my shoes were slightly wet. the best thing ive used so far, no weight of parka, jacket/pants combo, or the stickiness that you get from wearing waterproof (read: steamy) clothing. Im sold on umbrellas. of course, in thick bushwhacks they dont work. You missed a good one,
sucka!

[Crocodile Ryan]

Dont get me wrong, I actually like the rain - I always seem to get really nice pics, with all the clouds etc

Its just that after my last trip out in the rain (semi-Trans Supes) where I was totally soaked for a good 4hrs, I wasnt too thrilled to get wet again

So you think you converted anyone to hammocks??

[te_wa]

well you can agree that i dont have to convert anyone, the hammock speaks for itself. Similar to hiking poles. you can make fun of them all you want, and then buy a pair and be hooked. Shannon is real interested. She asked all the right questions. I think Lyle was into it too. When it was raining, and I was sitting under my tarp "porch" cooking my breakfast... several people wished they had a place to sit and chill like I did. Others stored their packs out of the rain, under my tarp and then stood in the rain with envious looks. Shannon was especially impressed that my hammock and tarp, with its generous coverage (protection) weighs only 40oz for everything. Compare that to the ground coffins like the MSR Hubba and the BA Seedhouse for the same weight. Plus, you cant cook in those unless you love carbon monoxide poisoning.

[Crocodile Ryan]

How big is your tarp?

I have a 10 x 12, sometimes it feels huge, other times a bit cramped - I guess a lot of its how I set it up

[te_wa]

20 oz includes 4 bungee tensioners, 2 niteize hooks and all stakes/guylines in a stuff sack with a 10x11 hex tarp.
Im going to add tabs along the sides about 6' apart so i can use the corners to stake down some "barn doors" for full enclosure. here's an example:

you can see how the doors fold in to make a stable, rainproof deal.

[writelots]

I'm interested in trying the umbrella bit. Seems like a great idea - but I am SO uncoordinated. I mean, I have a hard time with a stick... An umbrella might just "push me" over the edge. How did it deal with the wind?

[Crocodile Ryan]

I have a "trail" umbrella from REI, and it does great in the wind, its actually vented on top to help deal with high winds, cant say Ive done much real hiking with it though