In my vocabulary it already is one.
If you have been on a college campus or in a local park recently, it is likely that you have seen colorful hammocks hanging in trees with people sitting or laying in them enjoying the beautiful day.
The new trend of protable hammocks is a trend that I have fully embraced. Hammocks are extremely mobile. They squish into a pouch smaller than the size of a loaf of bread. Mine is always in the trunk of my car in case I am suddenly in a great place to hammock.
Hammocking involves picking a location, finding two sources that straps can be attached to, and then hanging the hammock from the straps and proceeding to lay in it.
Hammocking can be done almost anywhere. It can be done at your local park, in your backyard, at your campsite, during your hike through the woods, and even in your house. In my house here at school, we have found a way to hang them from the door hinges so that we don't have to drill into any wall. But you can buy special screws that screw into your walls so you always have a place to hammock rain or shine.
Hammocking can be done during any time of the year. I was actually introduced to hammocking when I went on a winter hike with friends. I thought they were crazy that we were going to be hammocking in the middle of winter, but it ended up being extremely fun.
Anyone can hammock. The hardest thing is to learn how to put the straps on the tree and even that is mastered in less than 2 minutes.
Sometimes searching for the right spot to hammock can be difficult, but that makes it all the more fun. You may be looking for a spot with the best view, a spot that you can fit multiple hammocks, or a spot with enough shade to block from the hot summer rays.
There are even festivals dedicated purely to hammocking where everyone brings their hammock and hundreds of people gather and hang up their hammocks, chill out, and enjoy the day.
So, I vote that we make hammocking a word so the next time someone asked me what I did over the weekend and I respond with “I went hammocking with my friends”, they won’t look at me like I’m crazy.
