Beware The Widow Maker

The rain had been falling all day, but began to taper off in the afternoon. I arrived at the New Hampshire state campground after 2pm, and surveyed the site to determine where to hang my hammock.

Choosing a site for a tent requires you to look for level ground. You don’t want to choose a spot that will collect water either. Finding a hammock location is much easier. You need two trees about 15 feet apart that are sturdy enough to support your weight. The trees should be strong and well rooted, as not to collapse on you. The next important step is to look up. A dead branch caught in the tree above could become your undoing. Should the wind begin to blow during the night and it become dislodged, it could mean serious injury or death.

Raindrops splattered on my face as I looked up for bombs that might drop on me in my sleep, but saw none. Once I had completed erecting the tarp, I set about hanging the hammock underneath. A large dead tree lay off to the right of the hammock, perhaps 10 feet away. I had attached a few lines from the tarp to it.

As I stepped over it and began to walk away, I heard a loud crack, and sudden thud just behind me. A branch, more than 5 inches in diameter and 3 feet long had fallen where I had stood minutes before. The branch was rotted, and the heavy rain from the night before must have been the final straw.

The log would have certainly killed me had it struck me. My hiking companions had yet to arrive and would not rendezvous with me here until evening. The campground was mostly empty. They probably would have located me hours later.

It would be hours before I could shake off that feeling you get when you have one of life’s close calls. I still look up, but now I look more closely.