Moeskitoes

(Saturday August 4, 2008)
Normally the mosquito population of Oregon is dead around August 1. This year they had a late winter and a wet spring so the hellspawn are just getting started.

We camped at Summit Lake near Shelter Cove Resort (absolutely gorgeous, blue as can be, great for swimming even though we saw a couple dead fish but whatever) and we quickly discovered that The Hatch has begun.

Basically that means if you're anywhere near water when that happens, you're hanging out in rain gear and a headnet, in your tent, or fucked. These bastards (we call them every name under the sun - bastards, little bastards, stupid motherfuckers, pieces of shit, grandmotherless dregs of a bankrupt society - basically combine cursewords and it's an acceptable expletive) swarmed, and by swarmed I mean like a cartoon swarm of bugs chasing Goofy or Donald. Just on me there were 30 or more and buzzing overhead were hundreds more. Killing them does nothing. Like zombies and guidos, there are always more waiting in line.

The only relief comes from your tent, the wind or a resort area of National Forest where the Forest Service sprays chemicals to kill them and keep tourist dollars coming in.

It's not so bad when you're walking. You get the occasional ones that land on your shoulders, hands and face, but you swat and life goes on. Stopping...forget it. Seemingly out of nowhere these soulless creatures appear to probe you without consent. And they never ever stop. They'd suck the oceans dry if they were made of blood.

The worst is they make the trail not enjoyable. They ruined a great campsite yesterday, and then to avoid them today we got up at 4:00am, started hiking by 5:00am and blasted 15+ in five and a half hours with one break to take off jackets because we were getting hot. Makes you forget to look around and enjoy the fact that you're out hiking in the wilderness instead of sitting in a cubicle