Hammocking the Larapinta

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Hammocking the Larapinta

Postby ChrisJHC » Sat 15 Jun, 2019 9:06 pm

Just letting all the “hangers” out there know that you can sling your hammock pretty much everywhere that you would want to camp along the Larapinta Trail. In some cases you might have to move a few hundred metres but you’ll find suitable places.

Definitely every trailhead and intermediate campsite had plenty of options. The worst two were Standley Chasm (not a lot of options in the designated campground) and Hugh Gorge (mainly due to the recent fires).

The only places I couldn’t hang were the hilltops - Brinkley Bluff, Counts Point and Hilltop Lookout. I expected that and took a sleeping mat and forced myself to go to ground in order to experience the sunrises.
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Re: Hammocking the Larapinta

Postby Baggage » Tue 16 Jul, 2019 11:58 am

Thanks Chris, Good to Know. I'll put Larapinta on my list of confirmed "Hammockable" trails.

As a solo hammock camper who sometimes walks with tent/tarp/hut users I often have to search around a bit to find out whether I can hang a hammock or not.

Obviously you can manage it or adapt to ground almost everywhere when you walk on your own or with other hammock users.

However when I am with a group that is committed to a given campsite or hut then I like to know if there are good hanging spots within reasonable walking distance of that campsite/hut. Otherwise shared meals and shared evenings can be a bit of a hassle.

I don't know if there is a thread here (or a resource elsewhere) that gives an idea of which Australian trails are "Hammockable". (It saves me carrying extra stuff that I don't really want like pads and ground sheets.) I shall keep an eye out for people on here that hang out and about. perhaps you know a few? Hopefully I can get a long list of good trails that work for hammocks and tent/tarp/hut users. For example; I'd like to know if anyone has walked the AAWT in a hammock and if so which seasons?

I totally agree about the ridges and the peaks, I want to see those sunrises and sunsets too. I like it above the treeline but up there a shelter has to not only be possible but also be genuinely practical, I've certainly found myself trying to set up my hammock tarp as a ground shelter in extreme conditions and it was not that straightforward. Lesson learned. My plan for something like the AAWT is to make a 2 dimensional hammock tarp of my own design that actually works well as a 3 dimensional and 4 season ground shelter but weighs only a few grams more than a hex tarp would.

Last year I went up Frenchmans Cap in Tassie in late autumn/winter with a small group that were always planning to use the huts so I was committed to hanging my hammock near them. I took notes as I went:

https://lessbaggage.org/2018/06/03/hamm ... a-hammock/

It will be fun to "collect" notes like this. Next time I might bring a GPS thingy and mark spots that I use or that look real nice.

But here is a question for you; do the Australian for NZ National Parks rangers consider putting up some poles built for hammocks in and around high use huts? A bit like the tent pads? The obvious thing would be to have some higher poles around the tent pads which would allow hammock users to set up on (on over) the pad. 30 years ago I saw entire sections of organised commercial campsites in Mexico that had areas set aside with poles for hammock users.

Even though there are only a few of us in Australia we don't want to be contributing to campsite degradation. It is one of the reasons I started using hammocks.

I should be writing this in a letter to the National Parks people shouldn't I?

Ho Hum.

Take Care.
Less Baggage (physical or metaphysical.)

Solo Hammocking, Hammocking with my kids and Hammocking in silly places.
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Re: Hammocking the Larapinta

Postby ChrisJHC » Tue 16 Jul, 2019 1:06 pm

I think that the number of hammockers in ANZ is still too small for them to be given special consideration (eg erecting poles just for hanging).


Re sites to hang, its pretty rare that you can’t find somewhere suitable, particularly if you’re prepared to move a little bit away from the designated campsite.

The main areas where I would be wary of are above the treeline and in desert areas. These are not places that I typically hike! Google Maps (satellite view) is great for viewing these areas to check them out.
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