By now, you probably know that Penn State has requested that students refrain from hanging hammocks or slack lines from the 17,000 trees that dot the campus. That said, I’ve seen a few students sticking it to the man and setting up anyway, which got me thinking. “How can I actually enjoy relaxing in my hammock without landscapers yelling at me?”

The quest was on. I grabbed my hammock and straps and a few fellow tree huggers and we started to scope out locations.

Old Main

This location was maybe a bit frightening and a little challenging. We had to toss the straps up and loop them through the window guards since the columns were too close together. We also began to notice that we were hanging very close to the wall and it wasn’t overly comfortable. Oh well, on to the next one…

Willard Building

What better way to relax than to listen to the soothing sounds of being told you’re going to Hell? It seemed like a natural progression to move to Willard from Old Main, and it kept us close for when we had to go to class (just kidding, seniors don’t go to class). The Preacher seemed convinced we were going to let people have sex in the hammock or something, however, and he chased us away.

A Residence Hall

Setting up camp at a residence hall seemed like a natural idea to us, with so many of the dorms having columns of various shapes around them. This time, we chose Ewing Hall, as it was relatively close to McLanahans, and we gotta have our Meatball Monday. It’s in the middle of South Halls, so it tends to get a little loud as crowds move in and out between classes. Still, it’s not the worst place to be.

The Beaver Stadium Uprights

Our fourth stop of the day was probably the trickiest — Beaver Stadium! We’ve had Blue-White on our minds since the football season ended, so what better way to keep the hype train going than to get the best seats in the house? We were hoping to snag a chicken basket since it will be our last game as students, but apparently the concessions stands aren’t open yet.

A CATA Bus

There’s no photo for this one, but come on — it’s tough to take a picture on a moving bus. That said, the bus was probably the easiest place for us to set up since there are so many hand holds. You can hang from the upright poles, the poles that run the length of the bus, even the loops on the backs of the chairs!

I think we had a successful day of hammocking, but its up to you to decide what place works best for you. Send us photos of your best hammock setup!