SMrAdventurer Angela Oliver and her husband enjoy a much needed break from the hustle and bustle of life while hammock-camping on a windy weekend at Sadler's Creek State Park, South Carolina.
We were excited as we headed toward Sadlers Creek State Park. After a week of work, there’s nothing like a weekend hanging out, playing games, and roasting marshmallows! My husband loves to make the fire and on this trip, he was excited because it was going to be the first cold night we’d camped out. He had brought out an entire truckload of wood! A weekend with family by the lake...how peaceful and relaxing!
Water, water everywhere but still no fires allowed!
There’s something to be said for hindsight … it gives you awareness into how the next trip could be planned better. In our case, we thought “Oh, we’re going to be next to the lake surely there won’t be a fire ban!” as we’re driving there after work with the sun quickly setting. Surprise!! We get there and the first sign we see is “Fire Ban in Affect” we looked back with dismay at the truck load of wood we’d brought (and not a single camping stove!) Too late to turn back now … let’s make the best of it!
Angela Oliver enjoys the beauty of the season at Sadler's Creek State Park in South Carolina.
We chose to go ahead, even with the darkness setting in, to set our camp up by headlamps & headlights! Thankfully the setup of my Nubé hammock shelter was easy, and in no-time I was ready to hang out for the weekend!
A view of the dazzling variety of colors offered by the foliage of Sadler's Creek State Park in South Carolina.
Testing the aerodynamics of our Nubé hammock fortress
The next morning started out peaceful albeit chilly and I was able to get out and explore the lakeshore while my hubby fished. As we started cooking breakfast and were looking forward to something hot on this chilly morning, the wind kicked in, in a big way! The breakfast rapidly cooled but at least we were full! Soon, our camping companions arrived. By this point, the wind was really picking up (25+ mph). It took all four of us to set up the 8-person tent plus the addition of a ratchet strap to keep the tent from blowing over!
A view of the dazzling variety of colors offered by the foliage of Sadler's Creek State Park in South Carolina.
Meanwhile, the Nubé was hanging on like a champ, even through the wind!
SMrAdventurer Angela Oliver enjoys the colors of the season from her wind-resistant Nubé.
I did get worried however about the unnecessary stress and wear the wind would cause on the cordage so I ended up re-orienting the Nubé so it wasn’t getting battered! Even in high winds, the Nubé wasn’t hard to move it was harder to keep everything else that was inside the gear storage, underquilt, etc. from blowing away!
Regardless of the wind, we still had fun exploring the park and watching the guys fish! We came back to camp and hung around for a little bit. The inside of the Nubé accommodated both me & my husband for the afternoon and even with the bug net I didn’t feel claustrophobic -- it provided us a much needed break from the wind!
With the extra room afforded by the larger bug net of the Nubé 2.0 we had no trouble relaxing.
As the sun settled onto the horizon, we enjoyed the last of the warmth from the sun's rays.
After a brisk, windy day there's nothing quite like watching the warm sun melt into the horizon.
We gathered in the tent for a few hours of playing games and lots of laughter. While the wind howled outside, I slept like a rock in my hammock fortress! Making memories and counting down the days until we could do it again is what camping is all about!
Angela Oliver and her husband at Sadler's Creek State Park, South Carolina.
A sunset proving that any day can end beautifully.
Adventure and Photos by Angela Oliver
SMrAdventurer, Hiker, Backpacker, Traveler, camping enthusiast and design drafter
SMr Hammock-Camping Gear used on this Adventure
