I took a hike today, and came back frustrated, sore, itchy, and tired…
While I enjoyed the first few outings this year, it’s turning out that the extra wet spring we had is still creating problems. I went to the fun spot I found last time… Got all the way there and found it under water again from the rain we had on the weekend. So I trudged back to the original Creeky and got into it instead… It’s still nice and fun and mushy and it can handle a little bit of extra water, so that was going OK at least… Some kids came to play in the creek so I had to get out of the mud hole and go do something quieter. At least the bush is dense enough that there’s no way in hell you’re going to see me from the creek, so that was comforting at least.
Mosquito coils… I lit one and it helped a little bit. The air was pretty still so I’m certain that’s the only reason it helped at all. I still got chewed up by mosquitos, which seem, interestingly enough, to still be getting worse. I don’t know what I’m going to do. The specific mosquito species that are being the problem live for weeks instead of days. And with the little ponds and streams refusing to dry up from all the flooding and rain this year, the skitters just keep breeding and breeding… Did you know that each one of those little female nuisances will lay thousands of eggs? I’ve hardly seen any dragonflies this year, which is terrible! It’s a fricken all-you-can-eat buffet out there, guys!
I’m also frustrated by the forest itself, since it’s not drying up particularly well so the plants are extra tall and extra dense… Every where I go I leave this obvious trail of stamped-down plants… The last leg of the hike to this year’s new area is full of old half-dead trees. I can’t get anywhere without snapping a bunch of twigs… Scratch the shit out of my bare arms… Almost poke my eye out… And make a hell of a lot of noise… and then I finally get there and it’s all under water again…
So yeah, I’m frustrated. Thankfully, I’ll suck it up and be back out in among the trees and bugs again after I take a few days off to recover!
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