[pct-l] Mosquitoes 3 weeks before we get there

[Kenneth Bingham]

    Re: [pct-l] Mosquitoes‏
    
        
        
        
            From:
            
                
                    
                    
                    pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net on behalf of Jeffrey Olson (jolson at olc.edu)
                
            
            
        
        
            

            
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        Sent:
        Fri 8/28/09 7:13 PM
    
    
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        Cc: 
        Pacific Crest Trail List (pct-l at backcountry.net)
        




    
            I spent the night at Sisters Mirror Lake on one of my trips.  It was 
about an hour before dark and the skeeters were thick.  I got that 
"frantic feeling" of being unable to get away from them as I set up the 
tent.  I slapped and swore and yanked on my loose clothes and rubbed my 
hands up and down my bare legs and arms, which were lathered with DEET.  
Hundreds upon hundreds of mosquitos, coming within inches of my face - 
buzzing, buzzing, landing on my clothes. 
 
 
I got the tent up and threw my pack inside and got in myself.  Being 
that it was August, it was 80 degrees outside and quickly way more than 
that inside.  I spent five minutes killing skeeters and developing a 
heat-on, panting when I had most of them. 
 
 
I needed to cook and eat dinner and I was flat out miserable.  I lay 
back on the blue foam pad, quickly soaking its surface with sweat - just 
panting and feeling trapped.  In a real act of will I got out the stove 
and rice and bean soup and parmesian and spent 20 minutes setting up the 
stove just outside the netting and heating water.  I sat in the front of 
the tent, just dripping sweat, watching the water heat. 
 
 
Finally, the water seemed hot enough and I threw in the ingredients.  I 
couldn't take being in the tent anymore and grabbed my spoon and the pot 
and started walking around the lake, eating dinner as I walked.  I moved 
at at least three miles an hour, maybe faster.  I ate and walked and 
tried to stay ahead of the buzzing...