Friday, July 23, 2004
Bugs and Me
07/23/04
Have I mentioned this yet? I have bites all over. Some just go away, but other linger, itching and looking bite-like for more than a week. I knew it would happen, but in the midst of the misery, I have to question my reasons for wanting to be outdoors at all, let alone living outside for 6 months.
At lunch, I killed 34 horse flies. If you don't know what these are, let me tell you. They are big, black and fly circles around you when you walk, buzzing your ear, then find a way to land on you, then take a big bite of flesh. They can even bite through my shirt, which is dotted with blood from bites. It hurts so much when they chomp, I usually kill them. The attacks are even worse when I sit down. They can land at will, not being bothered with swinging body parts.
It doesn't make for a very relaxing lunch to have to be alert for flying insects constantly, so, in these conditions, I usually put on my windshirt no matter how hot it is. The windshirt provides a great barrier. Sometimes my windpants go on too so I can relax.
Today had a lot of steep up and steep down. The trail that led us to where we are camped had three crossings of the North Fork of Sheep Creek. It all combined to make me grumpy about what seems to be poor trail design. I guess I'm grumpy all around.
Here's some good things to write about: I saw delphiniums today, the first on the trail, and these were beige with blue centers, a color combo I'd never seen.
I also got my first blueberry. It was close enough to ripe to enjoy. I also had a small handful of red huckleberries. Oh, and I heard no thunder all day, perhaps a first.
