Florida Panhandle Trip

[kgd]

Also one of the reasons I opted for my hammock was the ability to set it up in bivy mode.. There are a lot areas that have that stupid no ropes on trees rule.

Thats pretty cool Tonym. I think the bottom entry of my Hennessey would make that a challenge but I've heard of people doing it. I'll try experimenting sometime to see if it works. I used a jungle hamock/tarp for the no hang situation, but I still used paracord tied to the trees so technically I was still violating the rules.

 

[fishshooter]

Excellent pics Ken. You should of hooked up with FishShooter and hung out in the swamps with him.

For sure! You were less than a hour from my place a few times. I'm between Wakulla and the caverns, right on the Chipola river/Dead Lakes. We were shark fishing all last week, just west of St. George. I'd been more than happy to show you around a bit. Great pics and a fantastic commentary. Taking the boat up the Apalachicola river this weekend for some shore camping/hog hunting on some of my buddy's hunting property. Good stuff KGD!

 

[kgd]

Fishshooter - Thats cool. Too bad we didn't get to meet up. Maybe next time!

 

[ROCK6]

CRAP KEN! We just missed each other. We headed down to Panama City on the 18th and then headed on down to Central Florida for a family reunion on my wife’s side and then spent a week at the Bahia Honda State Park…about the center of the Florida Keys. My waterproof camera didn’t have a good seal and my wife’s camera was dropped; she still has the cards and we’re hoping to recover all the pictures as she’s staying an additional week in Panama City (I had to rent a car and drive back for work).

Sorry to hear about your foiled plans, but glad you really made the most of it and explored the area. I really wish I could have hung my hammocks in the Keys…it would have made the nights much more tolerable.

I’m going to shoot this link to my wife. We usually drive along HW20 to Panama City. My wife has camped at Camel Lake several times with her sister (and her kids) and their parents; she knows that area quite well. Too bad our timing wasn’t better, we could have linked up! Torreya State Park would be a great detour on our next trip down.

Well, we had a blast despite the warm nights in the tents…snorkeling the reef and the kayaking tour was worth the mosquitos! Also, we hit local eateries in the afternoon, so plenty of excellent seafood! Hopefully I’ll get the pictures to post up next week.

Thanks for sharing Ken and if you make it down again, let me know the dates!

ROCK6

 

[kgd]

Too bad Rock6, it really would have been great to meet you. Sounds like you had a great time. I only managed to gobble down a could dozen oysters on the half shell, they were so cheap and delicious! I think you will love Torreya, quite close to Camel Lake, if you get a chance to go there. The terrain and flora is really unique, seemed almost bug free and lots of shade to keep you cool. Next time I'll get in touch with you ahead of time.

 

[kgd]

Ken how was the heat/ condensation in the hammock with the tarp that close? I have camped in driving rain and set the tarp up real close to my hammock to ensure I was completely dry, but I remember it was hot as hell under there..

Hard to say Tony. I was always wet and never dry. I sort of slid my way up into my hammock from the bottom hole entry, aided I'm sure from a billion bacteria eating the sweat off my back. The nights did usually cool down. When I could, I tossed the tarp to one side before getting in leaving it open to the breeze, but the last few days I had to keep it closed for the constant rain. Two weeks later and I kind of feel dry now although the remnants of poison ivy still got me a scratching.

In the end - yeah, keeping that tarp a few feet above your tie off points is a better idea. But it wasn't the worst to have it the way it was. A hammock is still comfy and it was always tougher waking up that falling asleep