Stop Ham(mocking) me!

Rocking slowly in the wind listening to the birds chatter around you, feeling the warm sun hit your face, the breeze picking up and setting down leaves gently.

Hammocking is one of my favorite past-times, whether it be with friends or just by my lonesome. I love the peace it gives me, as I’m suspended there’s not a care in the world. It’s like a mobile bed. Many things can be done while hammocking for example; homework/studying, discovering new music, sleeping, socializing, and much more.

On the day pictured it was early November and I had decided to hammock with my roommate and a few of her friends. We set up our hammocks outside Ackert Hall, across from Wefald. Its always more fun with friends because you can double bunk! Sanders (my roommate) and I bunked ours, me being on top and played a few rounds of Mario Kart on our DSi’s from our childhood. Then a few hours later Sanders’ friends wanted to try and triple bunk so we popped her right down below, with minimal moving and ‘viola’ triple-decker.

I’ve been hammocking before, many times this summer. We have a lot of parks and green spaces out where I live that are perfect for hammocking. In fact over the summer my extended family and I stayed out in Bunker Hill. Bunker Hill is a small ‘resort’ in southern Missouri were family’s stay in cabins and there is free access to the river just down the hill. They have canoes and kayaks that can be rented and so much more. This year I got to bring along a friend so I chose one of my best ones Mady, we hammocked almost everyday. One day we even considered sleeping out in the hammock but it was rumored that there was coyotes out in the woods that would stop at nothing to find something to get into.

My dad is also an avid hiker and backpacker. He has gone many trips with just his hammock to sleep in overnight. He has a rain-fly and a bug net which come in handy out in the woods in the middle of the summer. Gear like that is a pretty good investment if you do go backpacking and don’t want to haul a tent on your back, I find its easier and more fun to swing yourself to sleep.

I’m hoping to get a lot more use out of my hammock in the warmer weather. I have lots of camping trips planned this summer and I’m excited to see what they have in store!