Tag Archives: ultralight backpacking

Hammock Camping the Sipsey Wilderness | When the GPS Dies, the Adventure Begins

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3 Days of Hammock Camping and Solo Backpacking in Alabama’s Sipsey Wilderness.

For this 3 day, 2 night backpacking trip, I headed out to the Sipsey Wilderness within the greater Bankhead National Forest.  Located in Alabama’s upper northwest corner, this wilderness area is true hidden gem, decorated with sandstone canyons, high bluffs, meandering creeks, and waterfall-studded hollows.

Starting from the Borden Trailhead, I stitched together a loop using some more well known trails to get started on day one.  For the second and third days, I gradually moved into some of the more remote and rugged hollows in the area, with a mix of unofficial trails, river crossings, and unmarked shortcuts that are par for the course in Sipsey. Along the way I would find plentiful water sources, creek side views, and  campsite opportunities.

The partially cloudy spring forecast gave me a moderate temp range in the upper 70’s down to the low 40’s at night.  This gave me a break from the daytime and heat and the temp drop at night was welcomed, as it kept the bugs away during sleeping hours in my hammock.  There was a chance of rain in the forecast as well, so I packed a lightweight rain jacket, but not much else in terms of raingear due to the warmer daytime temps.

For shelter, I packed in my DutchWare Chameleon hammock with integrated insulation, paired with an ultralight Hammock Gear Dyneema Hex tarp. This provided a lightweight, fast setup.  A 40 degree underquilt paired with a 40 degree top quilt provided me with decent warmth while keeping the weight down as well.

As for the terrain, elevation gain isn’t much of an issue in the Sipsey Wilderness, but it does have it’s share of sections where the trail system that feels more like a riddle than a map. There are no trail blazes and many of the intersections are unsigned.  I also learned the hard way that when there are trail signs, they are labeled with numbers, not names, so keep that in mind when choosing your map to go off of. It’s easy to miss a turn and end up at an unexpected bluff edge, but that’s kind of the fun part, right?

Geologically, the Sipsey Wilderness is located on the southern rim of the Appalachian Plateau, where layers of 300 million year old sandstone have been carved out by the flowing creeks and streams. The result is one of the most waterfall-rich regions in the eastern US.  I only had a chance to see a handful of them on this trip, so there’s plenty more to see on future trips.

Native American tribes like the Yuchi and Cherokee traveled and lived among these same hills and waterways for centuries before the area was later logged, mined, and eventually protected under the Wilderness Act in 1975. Today, remnants of old wagon roads, homesteads, and mill sites can still be found in parts of the Sipsey Wilderness and Bankhead National Forest.

Sintax77 Sipsey Wilderness Backpacking Loop Route Overview

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Hammock Camping in a Flooded Forest

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Join me for 3 days of Hammock Camping, Backpacking and Camp Cooking in the Wetlands of South Carolina.

For this off the beaten path backpacking trip, I headed down to South Carolina’s lone National Park. Located roughly 100 miles west of coastal Charleston, South Carolina, Congaree National Park is a dense wetland providing a rich habitat for dwarf palmettos, towering loblolly pines, cypress trees, wild hogs, owls, bobcats, and even the occasional alligator.

While often referred to as a swamp, Congaree National Park is actually a floodplain old growth bottomland hardwood forest.  With an average canopy height in excess of 100 feet, it’s the tallest deciduous forest in the world.  To put that in perspective, that’s taller than even the Amazon Rainforest.

For sleep and shelter I packed in a new hammock with integrated bottom insulation, a 40 degree top quilt to deal with the unseasonably cold winter temps, and my ultralight backpacking tarp. According to the forecast, I would most likely be able to skip the tarp, but I still brought it along as a backup, just in case some rain popped up at night.

My backpacking food consisted of some “real” food for camp cooking, a handful of typical backpacking snacks, and a military issued surplus MRE (meal ready to eat) for a little variety and fun.

A free permit is required for backcountry camping in Congaree National Forest, and you must specify a specific zone for each night.  To keep things interesting, I chose Zone 9 for both nights. In addition to being the largest zone, a unique thing about Zone 9 is that it has no actual trails.  This allowed be to do a bit of a “choose your own adventure” experience.  I could explore and navigate freely based on the everchanging flood zones in Congaree NP as came across them.

I had a rough plan to set up camp at a historical site know as Cooner’s Cattle Mount if I could find it.  I saw this listed on an old map, but information was scarce online. In fact,  the South Carolina Department of Archives and History report actually redacted the actual site location.  Luckily, I could simply camp wherever else I saw fit if I didn’t manage to find it.

I also used some LIDAR maps (also known as “Shaded Relief Maps” on Caltopo) to do a little historical scavenger hunting on this trip.  LIDAR is a form of ground penetrating radar that allows you to see through the trees to identify anomalies on the ground such as water flows, unnamed trails, and even the remnants of long forgotten structures.

Trailhead Used
Kingsnake Trailhead
Gadsden, SC 29052
33°49’09.7″N 80°47’16.2″W

While not actually located in Zone 9, the Kingsnake trail offers a gravel parking area and convenient access to Zone 9 after hiking south for a couple of miles or so.

Season / Time of Year
Winter – February

FTC Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through some of my links.

Notable Backpacking Gear Used on this Trip

How to Hammock Camp – From Basics to Pro Tips

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How to to Hammock Camp for Backpacking and other Adventures

Topics Covered

   Hammock Camping Basic Components and Setup

Hammock Suspension Systems – Tree Straps, Whoopie Hooks , Daisy Chain Webbing , Cinch Buckles , Climbing Carabiners , Dutch Clips, Tree Strap Length Selection

Hammock Hang Angle – The Magic 30 Degree Angle , Structural Ridge Line Advantages

Hammock Tree Selection – Tree Distance vs Strap Height , Safe site selection

Tarps for Hammock Camping – Cuben Fiber / Dyneema , Nylon / Polyester tarps , Budget Hammock Camping Tarps , Continuous Ridgeline , Tarp Side Pull-Outs , Tarp Guy Line Hardware , Tarp Snakeskins ,

Camping Hammock Body – Hammock Length , Budget Hammocks , Ultralight Hammocks , Hammock Bugnets , Modular Hammock Camping Systems , Hammock Fabric Choices and Weight Ratings , Double Ended Stuff Sack , Knotty Mod Foot Box ,

Hammock Lay Direction – Feet Right vs Feet Left , Symetrical vs Asymetrical Hammocks ,

Hammock Insulation – Budget Insulation Options , Hammock Sleeping Pads , Underquilts , 3/4 Length Underquilt vs Full Length Underquilt, Down vs Synthetic , Symmetrical vs Asymmetrical Underquilts , Using a Sleeping Bag in a Hammock , Top Quilts , Open vs Sewn Foot Box

   Advanced Hammock Camping Tips and Tricks

Hammock Camping in Bad Weather – Hammock Camping in the Rain , Hammock Camping in Winter, Cold Weather, Snow, and Ice , Stacking Underquilts vs Dedicated Winter Underquilt , Boosting your Top Quilt Rating , Solid Top Cover , Hammock Sock for Winter Hammock Camping , Winter Hammock Camping Tarp , Tarp with Doors , Hammock Setup Tips for Blowing Rain and Snow , Underquilt Protector , Tarp Porch Mode for Cooking and Camp Chores

Unusual Hammock Camping Setups – Two Hammocks on One Tree , Two Hammocks Under One Tarp , Flat Lay Hammocks

My Favorite Cottage Vendors used to create my Ultralight Hammock Camping Setup, as seen in the video:  Dutchware Gear and Hammock Gear

 

High Desert Backpacking – 3 Day Camping Adventure in Northern Utah

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3 Days of Hiking, Backpacking, and Camping in Northern Utah’s Stansbury Mountain Range.

For the adventure, Kyle and I decided to do a fall backpacking loop just outside of Salt Lake City, with the 11,000 foot Deseret Peak as our main focal point.

Located about 20 miles west of Salt Lake City, the Stansbury Mountains are a 28-mile long range with an average elevation of around 8,000 feet or so.   It is named for U.S. Army Major Howard Stansbury, a topographical engineer, who led an expedition that surveyed the region back in the 1860’s.

For sleep and shelter I packed in my trusty trekking pole tent, a three-season inflatable sleeping pad, and a 30 degree sleeping bag for the expected lows going down to just above freezing or so.  Kyle went with similar setup, swapping the 20 degree sleeping bag for a warmer 15 degree quilt, and a lighter trekking pole tent made of Dyneema fiber.

Standing at 11,022 feet, Deseret Peak the tallest peak on the Stansbury Range, and offers stunning 360 degree views of the surrounding Great Salt Lake and the Bonneville Salt Flats.  There’s also a nearby Air Force Base, as well some U.S. Army proving grounds nearby.  The latter made for some interesting sights on day two, to say the least…

Check out Kyle’s Channels on YouTube

Kyle Hates Hiking – for Spooky Scary Outdoor Stories
Trail Tales Podcast – For fun and in depth backpacking talk

Trailhead Used
Stansbury Front Trail – OP Miller Campground
Forest Rd 001, Dugway, UT 84022
40.52799098486984, -112.5918796076991

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Camping in Bigfoot Territory – Exploring the Dark Forests of Oregon

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3 Days of Backpacking in the Pacific Northwest Wilderness.

For this late summer adventure, I packed up my gear and headed out for three days of camping, hiking and backpacking deep in the woods of Oregon’s Mount Hood National Forest.  Utilizing a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) along with some other lesser used trails, I routed out a backpacking loop that would climb about 2,700 feet up onto the shoulder of Mount Hood.  The focal point of this loop is an alpine meadow area known as Paradise Park.

Because the total mileage of the loop was a relatively short distance of only 16 miles, I decided to do a base camping approach for this trip.  The plan was to camp both nights at Paradise Park at around 6,000 feet, with side trips further up Mount Hood on day two.

For sleep and shelter I packed in my trusty trekking pole tent, a three-season inflatable sleeping pad, and a 30 degree sleeping bag for the expected lows going down to just above freezing or so.

Standing at 11,249 feet, Mount Hood the tallest peak in Oregon and one of the highest  mountains in the nation based in terms of prominence (peak height relative to surroundings).  Starting at around 5,500 feet or so, the mountain begins to transition to a windswept landscape akin to the surface of Mars.  It’s truly an amazing place.

The approach from down below is an entirely different experience though. The environment prior to tree line is a dense, quite, almost eerie forest with thick foliage and towering pines trees.  The stuff that bigfoot legends are made of, from what the locals tell me.  I didn’t believe in any of that though…

Trailhead Used
Paradise Park Trailhead
Mt Hood Village, Oregon 97049
45.31218941983911, -121.81907830291594

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Backpacking in Grizzly Country …and Tales of Close Encounters

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3 Days of Backpacking, Hiking and Camping in Idaho’s Teton Valley.

For this late spring adventure, I decided to do my first backpacking trip in Grizzly Bear Country.  My chosen area was a corner of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest with the goal of solo camping on the banks of Upper Palisades lake, a remote alpine lake in southern Idaho situated at an elevation of 6,700 feet.

Located just 25 miles southwest of Wyoming’s famed Grand Teton National Park, this corner of Idaho offers some extra solitude, less red-tape, spectacular mountain views and plenty of wildlife, including a variety of waterfowl, moose, and yes – Grizzly Bears. With this in mind, I picked up a fresh can of bear spray, packed my ultralight backpack, and hit the trail for 3 days of adventure.

For sleep and shelter I packed in my trusty trekking pole tent, a three-season inflatable sleeping pad, and a 30 degree sleeping bag for the expected lows going down to just above freezing or so. While there was still plenty of snow pack at the elevations just above the lake, I decided to take my chances with some lightweight trail runners instead of boots.

Along the way I’ll tell you some tales of various grizzly bear encounters I’ve had in Tetons, the recent Teton bear attack that another gentleman was thankfully able to survive relatively unscathed, and some fun facts about moose and beavers too.  So grab your pack, let’s go!

Trailhead Used
Palisades Creek Trailhead
Irwin, Idaho 83428
43°23’53.5″N 111°12’44.8″W

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