[pct-l] Mosquitos

[Jerry Goller]

You *wash* on the trail??? What a concept....   ;o)

The accumulating stink just helps keep them away......   =o)

Jerry


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-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
On Behalf Of t.n. turner
Sent: Monday, October 06, 2008 10:50 AM
To: Paul Cronshaw; pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Mosquitos


So I've seen here in this thread lots of folks saying that DEET is a last
resort for many reasons. It isn't a resort at all for me as I, too, have a
severe reaction to it when I apply it to my skin and a lesser one in sinus
headache, when I apply it to my clothes or smell it on others. The headache
is almost as bad as I get with some of the perfumes I get a whiff of from
day hikers and tourists in towns (I get them in my regular life too). 

Regardless of all this, my concern continues to be; do any of the people who
wear DEET, or even sunblock, do you wash it off before you put your
hands/body in the water sources?? I asked that of a group of boy scouts that
were foul with DEET and sunblock, and their 'leader' smiled ruefully at them
and said "See? I'm not the only one." (or words to that effect) So, do you?
do you even remember that you've put something on your hands and body that
might harm the water source and hence the little creatures, frogs, water
bugs, fish?? 

Okay, sorry but that has bugged me for years!!! And just in case someone is
going to ask me, yes I do remember, I wash each night and if I'm going to
use sunblock, I try to get my water before the need of sunblock has arisen,
if not, I clean my hands, away from the water source, then get the water.
Yep, pretty much a weird human about this one. I also only used sunblock in
SoCal last year for the first week or so and the first few days this year in
NoCal! (I know I can still get skin cancer, but. . .)

Have a great Monday all!! Thanks for letting me vent on DEET and water
sources!
tammy t.