"I wish I was a day hiker." - Boom
Hey there podcast listeners. Yes, I've been listening to a ton of This American Life, and Ira Glass is my hero. If anyone can get me a job working for Ira, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Little Boom Boom woke up with the aches and the fever... I guess he got what Jetpack had. We still managed to hike eleven miles with 2700 feet of climbing, stopping midday at a lake where the mosquitoes are having their family reunions and 4th of July parties. They're the worst I've seen; literally hundreds of them sit on our tent netting and at least 100 wish they never flew into our tent - their bodies litter the floor.
Cooking dinner and filtering water were like torture. I wore two pairs of pants, heavy socks, my down jacket, a mosquito net... And they still bit my hands! Oof.
We developed a sort of frantic strategy to keep the mosquitoes out when one of us unzipped the tent to come inside. The person already in the tent waves frantically at the air with a sitting pad, batting at any rogue mosquito who comes via a shirt or pants. I'd say it reduces the number of mosquitoes by 80%. If 40 come in without the technique, about 8 or so get by with the mad waving method.
It was so difficult for me to sleep that night. I felt sticky from sweat, and my entire body itched from dozens of fresh bites, not to mention the psychological effect of 200 mosquitos gazing hungrily upon you from a few inches away, rubbing their hands together and straightening their beaks. The morning was just as bad; we exited our tent into swarms of them, bringing me to tears first thing.
