A new hobby, it's called hammocking

This summer I discovered a new hobby. Thanks to my older brother and his best friend, who is basically another brother, I was convinced to buy a hammock. Not the kind of hammock that you put in your backyard and leave it there for years because it is too heavy to move. This kind of hammock that I recently purchased is made out of parachute fabric and fits into a small bag about the size of a super gulp from speedway. This makes it light and convenient to carry around on any kind of adventure. All you need are two trees or branches the right distance apart to hang up the hammock.

My friends and I love to go hammock at what we call “The Nest”. It is a tree that is about a ¼ mile hike from the Tridge in downtown Midland. The Nest is not a normal tree. This tree has big and little branches that wine and twist directly above the Chippewa River. I have been there with 12 people and nice hammocks, and I have also been there with just one other person. It takes a little while to get set up, as we have to climb out onto the braches to rope the hammocks and get them secured. But once we are all set up we like to chill, listen to music, talk, and just enjoy each other’s company while being in nature. This location is our favorite because there is something thrilling about hanging over water, instead of grass. People are always surprised to walk by and see a dozen teenagers hanging out in a tree. We look like caterpillars in cocoons.

There are different varieties of hammocks. There are doubles, which hold up to two people, and single which obviously only holds one person. I have been told that there is also a size bigger than a double. It may not seem like they would be comfortable, but the way that they form and stretch around your body makes them so comfortable. Some of my friends have actually slept overnight in their hammocks.

With my new hobby of hammocking, I am reminded that it is always good to try something new. If I weren’t open to branching out (no pun intended) I would have missed out on some of my favorite memories from this past summer. Because of hammocking I have had so many fun times and adventures that I would not have had normally.