Hammock Presentation

[JaxHiker]

Are you in the North Florida area and considering a hammock for your backcountry adventures? Not quite sure where to begin? If you answered "yes" to these two questions maybe I can help. I'll be giving a presentation at the Florida Trail Association's North Florida Regional Conference on Sat, Oct 6 at 4pm. I will be discussing the benefits of hammock camping while covering gear selection, setup, configuration options, cold-weather use, etc.

The conference is being held at Gold Head Branch State Park near Keystone Heights. The park offers a unique hiking opportunity along the Ravine Trail and includes about 5 miles of the Florida National Scenic Trail. Registration is $10 with a $5 park entrance fee. Other activities include nature hikes, Q&A with the USFS, potluck dinner, and a raffle. More details about the conference and the preliminary agenda can be found here.

[chiefduffy]

Thanks JaxHiker, I will plan to be there. Related question: does Goldhead allow hammock camping yet?

[JaxHiker]

Cool! Look forward to meeting you.

They do but to be honest I'm not sure how widespread. I was told only at one campsite which doesn't seem right. I'm going to be there tomorrow so I'll be able to give you a better picture.

[JaxHiker]

Ok, Chief, I finally got the scoop. Much to my surprise Gold Head has no designated hammock sites. Having stayed there before I find it very difficult to believe that none of the sites have suitable trees.

That's the bad news. Now for the good.

The Park Manager is new and wasn't at the park when the original survey was done in June. However, he did the survey at his previous park in the panhandle before moving to Gold Head and is on board with the pilot. I offered (and he accepted) to do another site survey as I did for Little Talbot. So while it's not immediately possible to hang I'll do my best to rectify the situation sooner rather than later.

[Buffalo Skipper]

Sure wish I could make it, but I will be out hammocking on my own this weekend. I have been tagged to do a hammock presentation next year at a scouting event. Sure would be good to get some ideas. I would not complain if you were to PM me about how it went and even shared some pics.

Have fun tomorrow. I will.

[JaxHiker]

I'd be happy to share with you or answer any questions.

*** After Action ***
I got worried because it rained just as soon as I'd finished putting the hammocks up. I was using a pavilion so I was covered but the people still had to get to me from the rec hall. A few braved it and then it fortunately stopped so the rest made it. I ended up with 20 or so people and had a lot of great participation. I had three hammocks setup and a few people tried them out.

I ended up speaking for 1.5 hours and only stopped to let folks get ready for dinner. I think they would've kept going otherwise. One of the other speakers was there. This is a very experienced person with over 7000 miles under foot. She said she hadn't expected to learn much but was pleasantly surprised. I took it as a great compliment.

As they left I spent about 15-20 minutes breaking down and loading the truck. When I made it back to the rec hall one of the FTA employees pulled me aside and said, "Well, they're all talking about your hammock presentation. Would you be interested in doing it again?" So for those of you that missed it you'll have another chance to catch me at the FTA State Conference March 16, 2013.

I couldn't be more pleased with the turnout, interaction, and overall experience.

[chiefduffy]

Glad it went well! Maybe I can catch your presentation next time. I had the opportunity to go to Neel Gap for the weekend...so I did!

[JaxHiker]

I'm aghast! How could you choose NG over me???? At least you could've taken me with you.

[chiefduffy]

Do you have any experience with the WBRR? I am considering going to a bridge.

[JaxHiker]

I'm afraid not. I know it exists but that's about it.