Don’t worry! No cause for alarm. Just joy!
I’ve been playing around with my rope splicing skills some more and tonight I made a nice soft shackle. Using 30″ of 7/64″ orange Amsteel Blue rope I created a very lightweight (4g) shackle. I’ll probably make several of these to use as larger caribiner replacements (not load-bearing).
This is what the soft shackle looks like in the open position.
This is what the soft shackle looks like in the closed position.
I finally got around to officially changing out the stock suspension on my Hennessy hammock. Read about the conversion in the Gear/DIY section.
That’s right! I know some people may not want to talk about it in public but I have to say that I’m proud of myself! I had to get a little help along the way but tonight I made whoopie. Well, a whoopiesling, that is.
I’ve been waiting for the right time to play with the Amsteel Blue I picked up from Redden Marine last month and decided that today was the day. It took much pain (literally) and suffering before I was finally led to the Holy Grail of whoopie enlightenment but it finally happened.
It turns out I was making things harder than they needed to be. Like a cleanly hit golf shot (or so I’ve been told since I’m king of the duff) the task of making the bury, milking the bury, and everything else felt perfect when I learned what I was doing wrong and corrected it. Alas, I have marks on my hand and a few broken/damaged tools but that’s the price of learning.
Just look at this fixed eye. Ain’t it a thing of beauty? I’m very proud of my locked brummel.
Once I figured out why burying the tail wasn’t working right I quickly knocked out the compression sleeve. In this picture I realized it was too short so I actually removed the standing end and extended the compression by about 4″.
I didn’t want you to see the horrible mess on my work table but this shows the mostly completed whoopiesling. I didn’t take a picture of the backsplice on tail of the standing end but trust me when I say it’s a work of art. 🙂
I think it’s safe to say that I am now King of the Whoopie! Ok, maybe that’s a stretch but it works for me. 😉
Once I finish the next one I’ll be ready to swap out the ring/buckle suspension on the Hennessy hammock. You know you were dying to ask, “But why?” Now you know.
Happy Trails!
I hope that you and yours have a safe and happy 4th of July. Don’t forget to remember our service members!
I’m an amateur radio operator and this past weekend the Amateur Radio Relay League held its annual Field Day. It’s an opportunity for people around the country to try out their equipment, test their antennas, etc. Typically we operate off-grid using generators, solar, battery, or a combination. Since I’m in Florida this is an opportunity to find problems before the heart of hurricane season is upon us.
My church has 24 acres of beautifully wooded land on the marsh that they let us use so I took the opportunity to hang the hammock and left the tent at home. My buddy beat me to the spot I’d picked earlier and the trees I ended up with were at the extreme limit of my suspension (even with whoopie extensions) so it wasn’t optimal but based on the reports of my snoring (which I don’t believe) I slept very well.
I set my MacCat Deluxe tarp up in porch mode using my trekking poles as supports. This worked very well and was the first time I’d tried it. The hammock became my very comfortable chair and I could sit the netbook on my lap and relax in relative luxury while operating. It was nice to not have to be hunched over the radio.
I prefer to use the newer digital radio modes since they require less power and there are some very excellent weak signal modes. In some cases the software can pull out a signal that you can’t even hear is present. This is the view from my hammock. I’m using an Icom IC-7000 transceiver, a LDG AT-7000 autotuner, and a Signalink USB soundcard interface with my Acer netbook.
In addition to everything else that was going on, a surprise party was thrown for me. My boss almost blew it when he forwarded the invite to me and scared the hell out of me on Fri. I was blocked by a co-worker from going to my desk and then he called my boss who proceeded to get on my PC and into my email. Then he said it was nothing to worry about. Of course I did until I realized what had happened when everyone appeared. My friend (pictured) help facilitate my latest goody. Now I have a new gas/charcoal dual grill for the 4th!
I managed to knock the show down from just over 30 min to just over 11. I hope you enjoy it and appreciate the sites as much as I did.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIlSrCT7vII
Check out the review of this week’s AT hike from Deep Gap to the Nantahala Outdoor Center. It’s located under Trip Reports for North Carolina.
Blogging not working so well. Might have to wait for a post trip report.
Looks like I’ll be solo, at least to start this hike. My buddy has a project he’s got to finish and after long hours still has a way to go. We’re going to try to meet up on Wed at Winding Stair Gap. Until then just call me Solo. Han Solo.
I’m outa here everyone. Hitting the road in about an hour or so. Have a great Memorial Day!
Well, I’m all packed and with the exception of cleaning the back seat of my truck I’m ready to go. My average pack weight is 35 pounds (wet) for a 3-day AT hike. I’m weighing in at 30 now so I’ve managed to shave 5 pounds. My dry weight was a very nice 26 pounds.
I can hardly wait to leave town in the morning. The plan is to hit the road at 9 and be in Atlanta between 2-3.
AT here I come!