Motorcycle Hammock-Camping

And eagles in the trees! Plus almost all the weather you could think would ever happen in March.

This weekend marked our first overnight trip of the year. We were invited to go camping at Porteau Cove Provincial Park with our neighbour and her four year old son, so of course we said yes. It’s a quick jaunt from home so we didn’t have to push ourselves through bad weather and, if the elements got really nasty, it was only one night.

We got our gear ready the night before with a limited setup as our friend has a cute little egg trailer and a big Coleman stove to go with. She’s a bit more of a glamper than us and has this amazing kitchen stand thing that takes the stove, has some prep space, stores her pots, and all folds down into a rectangle that goes into a bag. Incredible! It also made cooking a breeze.

Saturday morning we loaded up the bikes, crossed the Lions Gate bridge and made our way to the Sea to Sky highway. It’s one of my favourite rides but I never had a chance to ride it before it was upgraded. Still, it’s some of the most scenic highway around, with beautiful views of Howe Sound, snow capped mountains, and multi-million dollar homes around Horseshoe Bay. It’s a well known ride for bikers all over the Lower Mainland. We just did it a bit early in the season.

NMBL and I left a bit early because we had to pick up our new bike covers from Canadian Tire in Squamish. Our “secure” underground was broken into and the thieves took our bike covers. As our local Canadian Tire didn’t have the covers in stock, NMBL bought them online for pick up in the Squamish store. It was a good excuse to stretch out the ride and stop for brunch. I was a little surprised to see no bikes at all in the parking lot by the Starbucks. It’s a usual gathering place for riders heading up the Sea to Sky but it is a bit early and it was cold, wet, and windy. Anyway, brunch was had, covers bought, and it was back south to Porteau Cove.

We got to Porteau Cove and our friend was there with her trailer all set up, tarp ready, and firewood prepped. All we had to do was hang our hammocks. Done! She had also picked up a hammock, a cotton Brazilian made lounger that her son took to as only four year old boys can. For adults hammocks represent enthusiastic relaxation; for children hammocks represent enthusiastic recreation. That kid fell out of the hammock at least a dozen times, bounced right back up, and climbed right back in. We had to teach him the “bum first” approach to getting in. He picked it up pretty quick but it was the lively swinging that put him back on the ground.

As it is still early season, I ran into the same problem I’d had last year in cooler weather: an underquilt that has insufficient coverage. This is not just a minor thing. Having a bad night’s sleep because some part of you is cold sucks. You can take a look at my ENO underquilt review in our reviews section. I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to the Loco Libre underquilts that NMBL and I have on order.

We packed up slowly on Sunday, having a yummy bacon and egg breakfast with a couple pots of coffee (I needed it after that non-sleep), and made our way back south to Vancouver. In all it was a good weekend of camping even with the cold night. The scenery was wonderful. The company was great. The ride was fantastic. I call that a win.

DES out.