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!

Went to check on Creeky today, more so because I wanted to get out today than because I’m impatient… It turns out that Creeky has finally emerged! I was starting to think it would be September before I got into this hole.  Even more, I can get across the trail bit I need to to access the boggy part of the area that I found late last year. I’m anxious to check on it again this coming week!

I have never been eaten by mosquitoes as bad as I did today. I am really glad to not be allergic to them, or else I could have been in real trouble. Layer upon layer of spray didn’t do squat.  I don’t know if any mosquito repellent would’ve stood a chance. I’m also considering just getting some regular mosquito coils, which burn for hours. My concern there becomes the wafting smell around the area. But I am pretty well hidden so maybe it’s not a problem…

After the seemingly longest winter and spring ever, I’m finally getting out for weekly treks. I’ve been exploring the tiny creek a bit more and I’ve identified at least 3 nice deep spots… There’s still lots of water but there’s also lots more flat low land poking through.  I may abandon the area once some other areas become accessible again, since there’s an over-abundance of jagged rocks around here. There’s also a little tiny pond I found, with lots of soggy soft ground around it. I am hoping for a good time here later in the season when these little ponds start to dry up.

To get to any of this year’s explored area I have to take a mile long walk down a public side road. Fortunately it’s a pretty quiet road that doesn’t really lead anywhere. There are at most 3 dwellings along the stretch of road. So far I’ve gone down the road and back at least 4 times and I haven’t encountered a single vehicle. This is great because the fewer locals who know of my travels, the more comfortable I feel exploring the surrounding area.

The other day I checked out last year’s spots again. They’re still quite under water but I think in a few weeks Creeky will poke out.  I am happy that I will be able to return there soon.  I’m also happy and excited because now that I know where Creeky Bog is and I will hopefully get access to it much earlier this year.

So the water levels continue to drop. Seasonal creeks are already starting to slow down, and this means lots of nice muddy spots to find. For example:

This hole ended up being pretty deep and mushy. I was able to get rid of a lot of the surface junk, like leaves and twigs, quickly.  A few more sticks and twigs got thrown out as I was playing around. About 2 feet or so down I encountered a layer of rocks, but there were still bits of extra deep stuff. I did manage a nice bruise on my knee when I inadvertently hit the bottom.

The bruise, however, was the least of the problems. I swear I used up half a can of mosquito repellent trying to keep the little fuckers away. I’m definitely going to have to consider shelling out the money for a set of refills for my favourite bug repeller.  And I’m also considering looking around for my mosquito net hat.

But… At the end of it all, I slept so very well that night. I think I’ll return to that area soon. There’s lots of flat ground around that creek, and it’s pretty well hidden from the abundance of nosy people around here.  Also, there’s a pond nearby that’s still trickling away and the flat area it’s trickling over is pretty soft.  I am having fun exploring the area. There’s tons of potential that’s still under water, but every week a little more comes to the surface. Maybe it will be an OK season after all!

I’m guessing at least another month before any of last year’s spots become available again. I took a hike through that area again and there’s still too much water, although some of the surrounding area is starting to poke through and show some spring greening. I’m looking forward to visiting Creeky sometime in late June, since I really enjoyed the clay that’s there.

Well it’s been a fun week so far. I went and got some new hiking shoes. Of course I bought them and then realized that they’re probably not the best shoe for my type of hiking. They’re more suited to staying on the trail. So I’ve decided to use them for hikes where I am not sloshing through mud pits and stuff.  This works out well because now I can use the old ones for my mud hunting adventures and don’t have to worry so much about keeping them overly clean.

But yeah, there’s a few issues with this approach. Most notably are the gaping holes in the side of the shoes which make for soggy feet. The second problem, less obvious but more troubling, is that the soles are pretty much worn out and when I’m carrying 15 lb of stuff on my back the extra weight on those worn out soles makes for really sore feet. By the time I walk 3 or 4 km (my typical hikes are 6-8 km long, and much of that is spent navigating the messy forest), my feet hurt and the resulting fatigue makes exploring even more difficult.

The Season (Finally) Has Arrived!

Despite the muscular difficulties, I did find a couple spots to get dirty in. One is beside a creek and is nice and mushy but full of sticks and roots… The other is right in the middle of a rocky trail, and I spent more time removing rocks and sticks than I did actually playing. But hey, I’m not going to complain because I am finally getting my feet dirty and it’s feeling great.

I spent quite a while exploring a pretty big soggy area. There’s two spots I had marked out on my GPS and I was able to reach them both, while encountering a few mushy spots along a creek. I even made it to the power line trail although I was too tired to climb the hills to reach the other mushy sections of that trail. Despite this, I did find some nice places to play around in. Since the water levels are dropping everywhere, I expect another week or two and I’ll have a nice muddy bank to enjoy. 

I’m excited to return to this area again in a week or two. The hike is a little longer than it was to reach the spots I used last year, but this new area has an abundance of muddy creeks and mushy banks. And it’s far enough away from trails that I feel pretty confident that I won’t get noticed.  The entrance to the area is along a relatively quiet road. In fact, I’ve made three trips there and not once did I encounter a vehicle along the road. 

Bug Hell!

OK So the big problem this year seems to be bugs. The blackflies are out in force now. With the extra water pools everywhere, they’re breeding at an insane rate. Mosquitos, too! OMG I couldn’t breath without inhaling a blackfly.  I couldn’t get away from the thick cloud of the little fuckers. It certainly made cleanup a nasty unfun chore. I ended up just brushing some mud off, throwing my normal clothes back on and getting the fuck out of there as fast as I could. Thankfully a nice shower when I got home really made my whole day.