Above the 2 trees I selected to hang my hammock and tarp and then below it all set up for the first night
This hang brought out the legends of Hammock Forums and hammock camping
Beep (sitting ) and Fronkey
TZ Brown
and of course Shug
and there were many more legends. Fourdog, McEntyre, Stairguy, Fin, Mr. Green, Lonetracker. Some I had met before and some I hadn't... it was a great group of guys.... and girls ( Thing 1 was a great addition) I believe about 20 hangers total by the end.
The sky was clear as the sun set on Thursday night, promising to bring really cold temperatures. It was around -11 before anyone even left the fire.
Me (Skygzr) and Beep by the fire
The conversation lasted a long time around the fire the first night, with no one wanted to make the walk to their hammocks away from the warmth of the fire.
Fronkey by firelight
Proof positive the next morning that indeed it got to -19.8 degrees and we all survived to see it.
We were treated to a great lesson in wood carving by Book. He was a wealth of knowledge and very entertaining. It was a real extra treat to have him at the hang
There was plenty of time to explore the YMCA Camp Miller and while it was a little close to the highway, it still had some great trails and nice quiet areas
Sitting around the fire in conversation and food preparation was a major part of the day.
My homage to Walking Bear, I picked up a one egg skillet and brought some real food. Made the English muffin hamburger and some sausage mcmuffins in the morning.
YMCA Camp Miller is an excellent camp and looks like it provides a lot of great fun for kids during the summer months.
Main Lodge and outdoor fireplace with seating for lots of people
A very nice petting zoo with goats and a miniature horse. they all seemed to love the attention in the winter
Lake Sturgeon was a bbeautiful setting for the hang. Frozen over with the fishing huts, it quite a typical and beautiful representation of Minnesota in the winter.
I had a great time on this hang, I knew it would be challenging with such low temperatures and for the most part I slept and did so by the end comfortably. It was so well attended that it was easy to listen and learn a lot and make some important changes to how I do my hammock and set up.
I can not thank enough:
Bridget ( camp coordinator at Camp Miller, for allowing us to use this facility).
Fourdog, Snipen, Paul for putting it all together and allowing just anyone (ME) to come.
Book for taking his time to teach a very wonderful skill.
To everyone that attended. thanks for being so generous with your time and knowledge.
