This was the first time I had ever been to this area of the Angel Falls overlook area of Big South Fork and the first time I had ever hammock camped.  In spite of a lot of rain it turned out pretty well.  It rained quite a bit but we didn’t let it dampen our spirits and we got quite a bit of hiking in during the unrelenting downpour on Saturday. We parked at the Bandy Creek parking lot and started our hike from there.

 

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We hiked about six miles to our campsite that was located in a pocket between the Sheltowee Trace and Grand Gap Loop Trails.   It’s very flat and there is enough room for several tents.  It’s located about 1/8 mile from the Angel Falls overlook. Once we got  to camp a few of us needed water so we backtracked a short ways, only to find a dried up water source so we ended up hiking about a mile South on the Sheltowee Trace down near the river in order to find a feeder creek that had good water.  This section of the Sheltowee Trace has a steep set of switchbacks that proved to be quite a challenging hike back up.  But it definitely got my heart pumping on the way down because I nearly stepped on a copperhead.  I have a great eye for wildlife but with the fall colors and leaves on the ground this copperhead blended in incredibly.

 

 

We got our water and were back to our campsite within about an hour. It began raining around six or seven that evening and didn’t let up until about the same time the following evening.  That night we ate our dinner under a large tarp that someone brought with them and had a pretty wet rest of the night.

The next morning we woke up and it was still raining!  Lucky for me only the edges of my hammock got wet so I was able to sleep soundly.  We took a day hike on the Grand Gap Loop trail in the pouring rain for a little over six miles which had some great rock formations and took us through an area of the forest where we saw some of the largest Magnolia trees that I have ever seen.   Thankfully the trails were fairly flat which worked well for us considering we were dressed in full rain gear that, although breathable, isn’t very comfortable you’re huffing and puffing up a hill.  It didn’t let up a bit during our entire day hike but it was a good experience none the less.  We passed a group of  mountain bikers during the hike but those were the only people we saw that day aside from our group.

That night was great because the rain finally stopped and allowed us to build a fire and dry out a bit. After we ate our dinner by the fire some of us went for a hike out to the Angel Falls overlook and were rewarded with some cool cloud formations that I personally had never seen before.  When we got to the overlook there were clouds at the same level as the overlook and gave the impression as though you could walk right onto them.  They were in constant motion though and it was as if the landscape was changing right before our eyes.  Truly an awesome sight! The next morning we broke camp and headed back to our vehicles for the long drive home. Even with the full day of rain, this trip was a total success and I look forward to going back and doing it all over again, but without the rain would be preferable.

This was my first time camping in my Grand Trunk Skeeter Beeter Hammock with my Eagles Nest Outfitters Atlas Strap Set and an Equinox Egret Tarps (8 x 10-Feet) tarp to give me shelter from above.  I learned some things from this trip with regards to hammock camping.  First off, I found that it’s a good idea to have a ground cloth – whether a piece of Reflectix 24″ X 25FT Bubble Pack Insulation or Grabber Outdoors Space All Weather Blanket: Olive, 5 X 7 Ft below you to stand on and set your gear on.  And second, I’m so glad I brought the tarp because it started raining on Friday evening and didn’t stop until Saturday afternoon.  Even though the tarp covered most of my hammock the ends still got wet and managed to get one end of my tarp fairly wet.  I vowed right there to purchase a really good sil-nylon tarp that was at least 10×12 in order to get that extra coverage for worst case scenarios like this one where it rained for at least eight solid hours.  Preferably one made of sil-nylon because they are normally very light.  But I have to admit that I have my eyes set on the ENO Housefly though which is not the lightest tarp out there but it’s awesome!  It is equipped with doors that enable you to close off the ends and keep out the wind.  Lastly, I really like the thought of the ENO Underbelly Gear Sling to keep my gear off the ground and close at hand.  The ridgeline in the hammock is good for small items but the underbelly hammock would be great for larger items like boots or pack.

 

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BACKPACKS/CONTENTS & FOOTWEAR	WEIGHT OUNCES
SHOES/BOOTS
ASOLO FUGITIVE HIKING BOOTS	50.00
BACKPACKS
MOUNTAINSMITH LOOKOUT 45 BACKPACK – NOW MOUNTAINSMITH LOOKOUT 50 BACKPACK	66.00
HAMMOCKS
ENO ATLAS STRAP SET	11.00
GRAND TRUNK SKEETER BEETER HAMMOCK – NOW GRAND TRUNK SKEETER BEETER PRO HAMMOCK	24.00
SLEEPING BAGS
SNUGPAK CHRYSALIS 2 SLEEPING BAG IN SEA TO SUMMIT ULTRA-SIL EVENT COMPRESSION PACK	50.00
SLEEPING PADS
THERMAREST RIDGEREST SOLITE REGULAR SLEEPING PAD CUT DOWN TO 20X60	12.00
TREKKING POLES
EASTON TREKKING POLES	20.00
TARPS
EQUINOX EGRET 8X10 TARP	27.00
FOOD
WINE IN SMALL OUTDOOR PRODUCTS 16OZ BOTTLE	22.00
FOOD – OUTDOOR RESEARCH LIGHTWEIGHT 5 LITER DRY SACK	53.00
BASICS
BODY GLIDE-BENS REPELLENT-SUNTAN LOTION IN ZPACKS CUBEN FIBER BAG	2.90
MINI COMPASS AND TEMP GAUGE	0.70
CORD BAG	3.60
POTTY KIT – COGHLANS BACKPACKERS TROWEL, TOILET PAPER, HAND CLEANER BOTTLE/HOLDER IN NYLON SACK	0.70
ZPACKS CUBEN FIBER ZIP WALLET	2.00
SAWYER FILTER MINI(2OZ), ONE SQUEEZE BAG(1.5OZ), SCOOP CUP(2OZ) MESH BAG	5.50
SAFETY LANYARD – BG COMPACKT SCOUT KNIFE/ADVENTURE MEDICAL RESCUE HOWLER/COAST G10 FLASHLIGHT	2.80
TOILETRY KIT – MEDICINE/TOOTHBRUSH/TOOTHPASTE ETC IN OUTDOOR RESEARCH SET OF 3 DRY DITTY SACKS	10.40
FIRE KIT: DRYER LINT/LIGHTER/LIGHT MY FIRE FIRESTEEL	2.80
CLOTHING
COLUMBIA TITANIUM RAIN JACKET	18.60
NIKE RAIN PANTS	12.40
MARMOT DRICLIME WINDSHIRT JACKET	12.00
Reflectix BP24025 24-Inch by 25-Feet Bubble Pack Insulation	10.00
FALL-SPRING CLOTHING BAG 2 NIGHT SLEEPING BAG WOOL SOCKS/SHORTS/PANTS	20.00
OUTDOOR RESEARCH ROCKY MOUNTAIN LOW GAITERS	4.80
NIKE RAIN PANTS	12.40
COOKING
GSI BOWL	1.50
MSR POCKET ROCKET STOVE/SNOW PEAK SOLO MINI COOKSET/VARGO TITANIUM FOLDING SPORK/MSR FUEL CANISTER STAND/GAS	25.00
WATER BOTTLES – BLADDERS
CAMELBAK 2 LITER UNBOTTLE FULL 13OZ	80.63
LIGHTING
PRINCETON TECH REMIX HEADLAMP IN HMG NANO CF8 CUBEN STUFF SACK	3.50
TOOLS
LEATHERMAN TOOL	5.30
ADVENTURE MEDICAL RESCUE MIRROR / SILVA POLARIS 177 COMPASS / MOUNTAIN LAUREL DESIGNS CUBEN FIBER BAG	1.50
GARMIN ETREX VISTA GPS	6.80
EXTRAS
SUNGLASSES	1.40
MP3 PLAYER; EARPHONES; BATTERY IN HMG NANO CF11 CUBEN STUFF SACK	5.30
TOTAL SUM OF WEIGHT IN OUNCES	537.53
TOTAL SUM OF WEIGHT IN POUNDS	33.6