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[pct-l] Re: Skeeters and Skeeter Juice



It's elementary, I fully agree with Marion and Ryan regarding the
ferocity of our "Western Hybrid" mosuitoes. On one occasion a comical
struggle ensued I while dropped my pack and sought out the Deet pocket
while at the same time flailing at the swarm and swatting at tormented
skin. Deet may be the only dependable juice, and the lower-concentration
creme lotions or manual sprays seem to often be satisfactorily. I no
longer use a bug hat with net. I won't make a general recommendation,
but I have found a cream lotion to be ok on the face when applied thinly
and carefully around the eyes (deal with perspiration, blot it with a
cloth if it forms above the eyes). Include the neck and ears, and it has
to be reapplied at intervals.

Our hybrid skeeters can land on exposed skin totally undetected. They
possess the uncanny ability to match your limb motions, and on their
landling flare they can settle onto exposed skin while leaving you
completely unaware. In my experience skeeters found elsewhere are way
less tormenting; the much vaunted Alaska variety (the "Alaska State
Bird") are easy to deal with - they are larger and slower and you can
feel them clumsily skid to a landing. Through adaptation, you will
measure your slap response so as to neither underkill them, nor
disfigure your skin with a splattered and bloody residue.

Verily, I don't lightly dismiss the potential torment of a biting
rattlesnake, an angry bear or a charging deer in rut, nor our local
mosquitoes. For the latter threat, a bottle of Deet can be a thing of
beauty and a joy forever.
--
Campy
Central California Trail Coordinator
Pacific Crest Trail Association
Bishop CA Tel.: 760-872-2338
Email: tap "Reply"

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"Time spent doing trail work shall not be deducted from your life!"