Reavis/Campaign Loop Jan 3-4

[te_wa]

This trip will start at the Roger's Trough Trailhead. Many of you know the trails leaving from this tough to reach trailhead, one of the most popular is the Reavis Ranch Trail. We are going to follow the trail to Reavis Ranch and stop there (6 miles) for lunch, and re-fill our water. Continuing on to the Fireline trail we will climb alongside the moderate slope of Mound Mountain (highest point in the Supes) until we reach the spur trail to Circlestone. Time permitting, some or all of us can take the walk up the hill to the (possibly astrological?) Indian structure found on top. This would be a 1.5 mile side trip.
Continue along the Fireline trail as we start to take it downhill into the Campaign Creek drainage. Once at the intersection, we will cross the creekbed and make camp amongst a nice pocket of Ponderosa pine trees.
This area is about 9.5 miles from the start of hike.
Camping amongst these trees we will find the spot is well equipped with existing fire ring, pools of water in Campaign creek and some old log "benches" to sit on.
The return hike will take us out of the drainage along the Northern slopes of Pinto Peak, another fine Superstitions landmark, and up and over Pinto Pass. We will drop down into the drainage of West Pinto creek before once again climbing to the base of Iron Mountain, where I have spotted red-tail hawk nests. Once over the saddle, we drop back into Roger's Trough (and spring) to complete the 20 mile loop.

this is your chance to test all the new gear you got for the holidays. morning could be in the mid-twenties so prepare for that.

[te_wa]

pitch it in an "A frame" shape and you will be fine. its too cold for bugs, snakes, the like. sleeping under a tarp on the ground is exaclty how I evolved to sleeping under a tarp off the ground ;)

btw, check weather for Miami/Globe, it is far more usable and reliable. NOAA is your best bet. Mike

[rushthezeppelin]

pitch it in an "A frame" shape and you will be fine. its too cold for bugs, snakes, the like. sleeping under a tarp on the ground is exaclty how I evolved to sleeping under a tarp off the ground ;)

btw, check weather for Miami/Globe, it is far more usable and reliable. NOAA is your best bet. Mike

Ya I'm still not 100% sure about that whole hammock idea....in the winter I can retain more warmth on the ground and during the summer I'm sure I'll enjoy the bug protection of my noseeum mesh on my tent : P Also I'm just paranoid about flipping out of the thing in the middle of the night as I'm not the most still sleeper. I did go out in the woods near my parents the other day though and got a good quick setup for making the A frame with my tarp. Will probably leave my tent at home though as you said there's really not much it will do for me this time of year (unless by some freak chance we have 1-3 inches of standing water at a campsite.....like that will ever happen).

[te_wa]

Claytor Mosquito hammock
full mesh netting w/ 2 way zipper
double bottom w/ pad sleeve
you can thrash all you want, cant fall out.
$45

Travel hammock Skeeter Beeter
very similar to Claytor but with single layer bottom
$45

you will see one of the baddest hammocks in the world if Drewboy brings his "warbonnet blackbird" (even the name is terrifying!) to the Campaign creek thing next week. It is made by a hammock hanger and is one of the premier, if not the best, gathered-end camping hammocks in the world.
mine is a Bridge style (since the suspension runs along side channels, like a suspension Bridge)
its a little tippy. Im used to it.

[rushthezeppelin]

Another thing I'm worried about is the mixed opinions on whether or not hammocks are good for your back. I know if I don't sleep fairly straight I can wake up with an aching back which would really blow to carry my gear with.

Also where did you find that hammock for 45 bucks. On the actual website for these guys they have one that is 40 bucks but it has no netting....the cheapest one with netting is 70 bucks.

[te_wa]

holy cow! Claytor's prices have skyrocketed in the past year. I think the $45 was a misquote, his Mosquito hammock was $60 when I bought it. The Skeeter Beeter was $45. I got the latter from ebay I think.
Byer of Maine makes a small light affordable option, as does ENO and DD hammocks and Trek Light.
Many people enjoy the flat lay achieved with a gathered end hammock while it looks like a big banana, you lay on a diagonal and its really flat.
then to be almost completely flat there are the JrB BMBH (bridge) and the Warbonnet. those cost $$ but are real deal camping hammocks. With these models you can sleep on your side/stomach (its a weird 3/4 position, you'd have to try it)
In my standard hammock I can sleep on my side, fetal position, flat on back, and the 3/4 position. You would never think it looking at the shape of one - but seriously - hammocks can be so comfortable i will likely never sleep on the ground again. And i dont have back problems!! (the reason many use them)
Hennessy also makes a few models that many guys use.
You can buy tarps from OES or Speer or JrB or make your own, like I did.

it is the good life and it will be huge

[rushthezeppelin]

Well after doing some research I think I can email the Claytor guy and possibly get Mosquito Hammock without the fly for cheaper.....heck I already have my tarp that is bigger than the fly it comes with anywho so that would work out pretty damn well if you ask me. Hopefully he will quote me around 40 bucks and I'll be uber happy : )

[drewboy]

I will indeed be bringing my Blackbird hammock along on this trip. I just this week sucked it up and added a few more ounces to retrofit it with the triangle rings, webbing and carabiner suspension for a fast and easy setup. Woohoo! BTW, you will find that with a hammock you also have the most comfortable place in camp to sit. Like Tewa says, once people get off the ground they never go back (unless forced to).

I'm seeing slight chance of rain sat night and chance of snow sunday on the NOAA weather site. A rare opportunity for folks in this area to get out the cold weather gear and put it through the paces.

It looks like we will have a fairly large group here Tewa. How do you typically run these trips to accommodate different hiking abilities? Do people bring along GMRS radios to stay in contact?

[te_wa]

you can bring a radio, I usually hike fast but will take time at overlooks/high points to look down on the stragglers to make sure they are alive still...
W/ a group of 10 (the largest I have led) I will have to hold my horses and hike the speed (or dang near) of the slowest hiker. Usually, the HAZ Wrecking Crew is my crowd, guys like Kurt and Wally and Steve are always haulin' burro so I dont have to wait...
anyway, Its my chosen task to make sure we all get there in good shape and great spirits. I'll do my best.

about hammocks: the Bear Mtn. Bridge and the Warbonnet are maybe the only hammocks that come with no-hassle setups. What I mean by that is all the other brands Ive seen have something to be improved upon. The Claytor is a great hammock, but the suspension ropes can be greatly improved. The need to tie knots is a bunk process, you can retro-fit the hammock w/ 1" (seatbelt style) webbing and use either ring buckles, or cinch buckles, or JrB "tri-glides" to make a much easier setup.
What I would suggest... stay on the ground for this trip.... you can lay in my Bridge and lay in Andy's Warbonnet and see how you like either (they vary in shape greatly).
Once you purchase a Claytor hammock you can then seperatley purchase some webbing, some kind of device that frees you of knot tying, and a good underpad or underquilt. Both pads and quilts have their pros/cons (and can be used in conjunction when temps dictate). The nice thing about the Claytor (and one or two others) is that it has a "pad sleeve" and you wont have to lie directly on your pad inside your bed. Another thing, a standard 20" pad will not work well. Your shoulders and arms will exceed the pad's width and that is a bad, bad thing if you are out in temps under 50° or so. It is widely accepted that hangers use some sort of insulation under their body at temps in as high as 70°
Underquilts shine... they are hands down, the easiest and warmest for the weight, less bulk than ccf (closed cell foam) but the cost is much higher. Even still higher for down vs. synthetic.

here's an example of two dream setups:
Warbonnet Blackbird with a Warbonnet 2/3 underquilt and a Warbonnet Tarp. You use the Gossamer Gear Nightlite Torso pad as your leg pad/pack frame (for use with an UL pack that usually do not have a "framesheet" or "stays") all my packs weigh in at under 17oz and require some sort of frame to be "built" from a pad.

Jacks R Better Bear Mtn. Bridge Hammock (BMBH) with a No Sniveller Underquilt. The NS can be used as an UQ, a top quilt, a serape/poncho and will fit any hammock, but especially nice on the BMBH.

TOP QUILTS! hammocks and sleeping bags dont mix well. inside a hammock trying to wiggle into a sleeping bag is a wrestling match you will soon tire from. Quilts either synthetic (like the fanatic fringe polarguard(?) models or the GoLite Ultra 20 down models are what you want.
The Golite Ultra is the real deal, bro. You can also, for about $800 get the JrB hammock set, which includes the hammock, a top quilt, and underquilt, and tarp.

we'll discuss this further b/c drewboy and i could go on for hours, but to expedite the slight learning curve to hanging, join up on the hammock forums dot net. see you there!

[rushthezeppelin]

Ya I've been browsing those forums all day already : P

[tonyp]

On the bottom end of the spectrum, the Byer mosquito hammock works well for the money, though it doesn't come with any rigging, and you'd have to work pretty hard to insulate it for cold weather. The zipper on the netting fails first, but you have 5-10 hard expeditions before that happens. I have the hammock and my lightweight tarp connected with caribeaners at either end, and carry a couple of salvaged straps with loops on the end to wrap around trees. I keep the bag in the hammock and stuff the whole pile into the bottom compartment of my pack.

Of course, I'm the opposite of Te-Wa in that I sweat the $ more than the weight. What we would agree on, though, is that there is a learning curve with hammocks that is best approached in warmer weather.

[rushthezeppelin]

In response to tonyp:.

I was debating that one but after alot of research I've found that the cords at the end like to tangle up ALOT.....not to mention those cords like to stretch and I've found alot of people will complain about having their pumpkin on the ground by morning in those. Gathered end just seems like the way to go as apposed to the several cords running out the ends. 70 bucks for the mosquito claytor really doesnt seem too bad especially if it has the double bottom. I've been reading nothing but good reviews about them. They just seem like an all around very good quality, long lasting hammock for the price.

[te_wa]

I was looking at the Ridgerest Deluxe Large pad, 25" wide and 77" long. Thats a 3/4" thick CCF pad that weighs 1lb, 10oz and can be trimmed to fit your needs. Other hangers (with more cold weather exp. than me) have agreed that it's going to be a 25 degree pad at least. Jack Tier (Pan) tells me it isnt unreasonable to expect 20° out of it. Most places I camp dont really get colder than that. not bad for the weight, and $45

in the warmer months however a single 1/4 CCF pad works ok down to about 50° fairly well. Im just not really a pad person tho, since the whole concept of hammocking is unencumbered comfort. Underquilts is where its at mang!