View Full Version : Hammocking in the Southwest
My wife and I are heading out west in the beginning of October to back pack the Paria River Canyon and to wander around the north rim of the Grand Canyon.
We converted to hammocks this spring and dread (but have accepted) having to sleep on the ground while hiking Paria. However from what I hear there are plenty of trees on the north rim of the canyon.
So here are a few question
1.) I know that HHs can be setup on the ground treeless but how viable is this in practice and is it a solution that will work for about three nights? Has anyone actually done this while hiking as opposed to their back yard?
2.) Is North rim of the Grand Canyon really wooded. (I do not remember a lot of trees when the Brady's went there!)
3.) What would you do?
A - All hammock all the time, on the ground, in trees it's a hammock life for me
B - Ditch the hammock for this trip and take a tent
C - Take a tent and the hammocks. Leave whatever you are not using in the rental car
An other information about the area would be GREATLY appreciated.
Thanks,
-Don
MedicineMan
08-01-2006, 22:50
you are correct about paria but everywhere else you can ascend to where trees usually are --8000 feet and up---...on a three week sweep in Utah,Nevada and Arizona we covered over 100 miles of trail and spent 19 straight nights in a hammock....for what a hammock weighs surely you can have along just in case
Touch of Grey
08-01-2006, 23:16
If you have a rock-climbing friend ask them to show you how to properly use cams or wedges/nuts. When you find a chimney that is about the right width you can use the rock-climbing gear to secure the hammocks. The hammock will fail before the rock-climbing gear fails. The price for cams is quite expensive though so the cheaper way besides tenting would be to get a set of nuts.
It's not a perfect solution but it is one that allows you to still hang.
Another alternative is to rent or buy a climbers bivy. It hangs from a rock wall. Weight is an issue with this fix though.
Touch of Grey
1.) I know that HHs can be setup on the ground treeless but how viable is this in practice and is it a solution that will work for about three nights? Has anyone actually done this while hiking as opposed to their back yard?
Yes in cold weather more than once. Worked fine as a tarp bivy set-up.
3 days should be no problem and sounds like you will likely find places to hang.
3.) What would you do?
A - All hammock all the time, on the ground, in trees it's a hammock life for me
I've been on the North Rim twice; you won't have any problem finding trees there. Water, on the other hand.....that's another story.
It's even possible to hang a hammock in the canyon, you just have to hike a mile or two away from the Colorado along a creek. You should find some cottonwood trees that'll work nicely. When all else fails you can always bivy for the night.
Have fun, it's beautiful country. :sun
Jimmers
Thanks for the responses!
I've decided to go with hammocks only. Any suggestions on ground sheets and where to get them.
I am thinking about Tyvek but don't know much about it.
Just Jeff
08-23-2006, 16:57
Go to a construction site and ask if you can have some scraps. It's free.
Hana_Hanger
08-24-2006, 05:49
For our hike JMT we chose your option of C
I have a terrible time getting in and out of the HH when on the ground as a Bivy and feel very VERY confined.
Have a great trip :)
and very sites do sell Tyvek if you cannot find anyone building around you at the moment.
Also the lightweight options here on Gossamer Gear is great as well.
http://www.gossamergear.com/cgi-bin/gossamergear/xdpy/s/Shelter/index.html
I noticed that Tyvek and Spinnaker are not waterproof and are recommended as ground sheets for waterproofed bottom tents.
Would a ground sheet made out of silnylon (like this http://www.prolitegear.com/base_designs_2_person_silnylon_ground_cloth.html (http://www.prolitegear.com/base_designs_2_person_silnylon_ground_cloth.html) ) be a better choice to setup the non-water proof HH on the ground?
After thinking about the following facts:
At the bottom of the canyon it will be in the 50s or 60s at night warm enough for Hammocking with the gear we have but no trees so we would more than likely have to set up on the ground.
On the north rim and on Mount Humphrey there are plenty of trees but there is a chance it can drop down into the 30s or 40s at night. At those temps we do not have enough Hammocking gear to keep us both warm.
So we have decided to tent in with a Mountain Hardwear Skyledge 2. Now I am trying to decide weather I want to take my 30 degree 2lb 12 oz bag 1st Dimension bag or my 45 degree 1lb 1oz Phantom 45 along with my Nest. . . . . I am leaning towards the second option because it is lighter and more flexible and I think it will be warm enough if the temps dip. Any thoughts?
peter_pan
09-08-2006, 12:59
Option two should be way warm.....a Nest on the ground, assuming the girth works for you, and an adequately insulated pad will do the 30-40 degree requirement alone.
Pan
The trip was awesome! Due to forcasted thunder storms we had to bail on the Paria river hike. We ended up doing a 4 day backpack in Hackberry Canyon instead.
I finally got around to posting my pics online: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgrav/sets/
The tent worked great but I really missed my hammock.
The Nests along with our 45 degree bags kept us plenty warm when temps gdipped down into the 30s.
hammock engineer
11-11-2006, 21:46
After finishing your trip, would you say a hammock was possible or was tenting the only option you seen was possible?
After finishing your trip, would you say a hammock was possible or was tenting the only option you seen was possible?
Hanging the hammock was would have been a snap in the where we camped outside of Flagstaff and where we camped on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon (outside of the park off of 611(?)) On the South Rim and in Hackberry Canyon it would have been a challenge to find a good place to hang.
Staying warm would have been a bigger issue with temps dipping into the 30s a few nights.