Clotheslines in National Parks

Discussion in 'Campground & Park Reviews' started by 1Door, Jun 2, 2014.

  1. 1Door

    1Door Novice

    Here in the Florida State Parks campers are not allowed to tie up to vegetation (your clothesline). Is it not against the rules in National Parks?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 15, 2016
  2. Mick'nSarah

    Mick'nSarah Junior Ranger

    In the NPs we have been in, there was no rule about it that I saw/read. Only that you couldn't leave things out when you were gone (bears). You had to put EVERYTHING away. I was given a warning for trenching, which I didn't understand and asked the ranger about. He said I had left a nifty square in the tent area. When I explained I have a trailer and no tent had been pitched on my watch he apologized. I think it must have been there from the people before me (they were there for some rain). I guess I will find out more about clotheslines in a few weeks at some different parks.
     
  3. PlasticsMan

    PlasticsMan Novice

    As Sarah notes, we've not seen any regs in the national parks stating no clothesline and have never been asked to take one down. The big thing is locking up in the car (or in a bear box) all food and any thing that remotely smells of food (like toothpaste) . This keeps the bears and skunks away... We're very careful about dishwater as well (it gets poured down a toilet or dump station) as dishwater is a big pest attractant.

    Our last day we came across a black bear cub and momma bear while hiking. Fortunately Jr bear ran toward momma, she stood still, and we went on our way making lots of noise. Good bear....

    Our last trip I tied the clothesline between the poles of (and under) the REI canopy which, in my opinion, looked better than our hillbilly line strung between two trees. Hammocks look much better tied to trees....
     
  4. fpoole

    fpoole Junior Ranger Donating Member

    Tying up trees...

    I haven't seen any regs prohibiting it and I see it all the time up here, especially in the Olympic Peninsula... it's just flat ugly, 3rd world country to be sure with the big Blue tarps randomly tied to trees.. Some use the tree protectors, most 95% do not so you can see the scars in the bark.

    I wish they would ban it..
    Unfortunately, Divers are a big group that does it. To dry their gear...

    Sad...
     
  5. dhutchin

    dhutchin Novice

     
  6. Mick'nSarah

    Mick'nSarah Junior Ranger

    Ashe, you beat me to it! That's what I call them too! My ancestors came west from Tennessee (and a few other places), so I must have some of that Hill-American DNA.

    I hang lots of things up in my alcove, but for bigger loads I have a line. Only leave it out while I need it. Take it down when I don't.
     
  7. Pick

    Pick Novice

    Hill-Americans, the original environmentalist using solar and wind power for their clean energy needs!
    MDP
    Mike & Denita
     
  8. pbaker2225

    pbaker2225 Junior Ranger Donating Member

    you guys are all so funny. Hill Americans, that's good. I always wondered where that Billys came form. Where did the name HillBillys come from?
     
  9. Mick'nSarah

    Mick'nSarah Junior Ranger

    Google will answer every question you have. It might not be correct, but you will get an answer. Here is what came back on my search:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillbilly

    "Origins of the term "hillbilly" are obscure. According to Anthony Harkins in Hillbilly: A Cultural History of an American Icon, the term first appeared in print in a 1900 New York Journal article, with the definition: "a Hill-Billie is a free and untrammeled white citizen of Alabama, who lives in the hills, has no means to speak of, dresses as he can, talks as he pleases, drinks whiskey when he gets it, and fires off his revolver as the fancy takes him."

    The Appalachian region was largely settled in the 18th century by the Ulster Scots, Protestants who migrated to the Irish province of Ulster during the Plantation of Ulster in the 17th century. The majority of these people originated in the lowlands of Scotland. In America, the Ulster Scots became known as the Scotch-Irish. Harkins believes the most credible theory to the origin of the term "hillbilly" is that it derives from the linkage of two older Scottish expressions, "hill-folk" and "billie" which was a synonym for "fellow", similar to "guy" or "bloke"."
     
  10. PlasticsMan

    PlasticsMan Novice

    Howdy Ashe & Sarah,

    Regarding hillbillies, I am a hillbilly's hillbilly, raised in the North Carolina mountains and an Appalachian State University graduate (go Mountaineers!). So when I say hillbilly clothesline, its with fond memories of wood stoves, dogs under the porch, grits, and green beans seasoned with fatback... The nearest town to home was Boone, named after Dan'l Boone. Yep, trips to the big town of Boone were a might excit'n.

    Ya'll come see us-ins sum time, yah hear?
     
    Mark & Mel likes this.
  11. 1Door

    1Door Novice

    Well,
    Just so y'all no...
    some of my "immediate" family came from Elliot County, Kentucky...
    They (my grandma, pa, aunts and uncles) ALL had bowed legs from the lack of sunshine 'cause they were so far back in the woods...
    :whistle:
    But they still turned out good- lookin'
     
  12. 1Door

    1Door Novice

    Alan here;

    Being from Ky I know a bit about hilly-folk, but I ain't one. Now for them there bow legged people here is the real scoop. They got that way by riding the family mule up and down the holler, to and from the whiskey still. Now for us web footed river folk from the other end of the state, we measure depth, etc by the words "mark twain". We ain't hill folk we be water and mud folk.

    now you know the rest of the story....
     
  13. Little Patriot

    Little Patriot Junior Ranger Donating Member

    For real, my hillbilly mama said you can always tell a genuine hillbilly 'cause they've got one leg shorter than the other. You know, from walking and standing on all them hills.;)
     
  14. Pick

    Pick Novice

    I was waiting for that one. Father-in-law is from Pikeville Ky. That was the tease we always gave him. He didn't git to "ride" the mule. Now not to cause any problems but what is the difference between a Hill-American i.e.Hillbilly and Rednecks?
    MDP
    Mike & Denita
     
  15. dhutchin

    dhutchin Novice


    And her name is Eileen?
     
  16. PlasticsMan

    PlasticsMan Novice

    Many years ago when I was young and single I was driving in the mountains with a girlfriend from the flatlands. I noticed several cows walking on a hill side and they were all headed in the same direction. They were probably headed for the barn in anticipation of feed time. I told my friend that the cows up here in the mountains always walked in the same direction around the mountain because their legs were longer on the downhill side. She looked out the window at the cows for a few seconds with a puzzled look on her face.... Then she slugged me on the shoulder. Some folks have no sense of humor...

    Eric
     
  17. Little Patriot

    Little Patriot Junior Ranger Donating Member

    Her name was Lucille Virginia Mason
     
  18. dhutchin

    dhutchin Novice

    I hope you got my play on words….Eileen….I lean.
     
  19. dhutchin

    dhutchin Novice

    Eric,

    You claim to be a hill-American but you list your location as something called Havre de Grace. No offense, but no self-respecting billy would live in a place called that. What, is it French or something? Yikes.

    As you can see from my profile, I'm from Creston which is in Ashe County. Our farm is about 35 miles from Boone as the crow flies. It's about an hours drive. Actually Mountain City, TN is the closest town.

    My Dad taught at App State and my brother and his wife are grads as well as my son and his wife. My son and his wife met at Woodlands BBQ where they both worked for several years.

    If you ever get back home and need a place to park your camper, come on down. We have a meadow that has long range views all the way to Grandfather Mountain.
     
  20. dhutchin

    dhutchin Novice

    There is a lot of interesting history about these hills and the people. As was mentioned it was settled by quite a few "Scots-Irish" folks. In this area, many of the Irish that came over were dark complexioned as well as having jet black hair and dark eyes. They can be mistaken for Native-Americans quite often. We also have a decent number of Mennonites in the area.

    During the um…War of Northern Aggression, these mountains remained neutral. Most of the people around here had immigrated into New York and headed west until they hit the mountains and then south until they found the best place in America to live. These rolling green hills and mountains have a very similar look and climate to the old country. But many of the locals had and still have a lot of kinfolk from up north. Specifically, Pennsylvania. When summer rolls around, this place is inundated with PA tagged cars carrying folks to all the big family reunions. The fact that these mountain people had so many kin and connections to up north and that the small farms up here didn't use slaves kept the interest very low in going to war. Mount Jefferson State Park near here has some caves at their base where escaped slaves from down east were kept safely until they could make their way north on the Underground railroad.

    The great book "Cold Mountain" (also a pretty good movie) tells the story of those days. It's parallel stories about a man from the mountains who was grabbed by the Rebel raiders and hauled off to fight. After he was wounded, he decided to desert and walk back home from a hospital In Raleigh. The other side of the story was the hardships suffered by his wife as she tried to keep their farm going.

    The funny thing about knowing this history is that there are probably more confederate flags and teeshirts and bumper stickers around here per capita than anywhere.
     
Loading...

Share This Page