Bugger Off!

Going out on a limb with bug patrol.

Maine is wet, boggy, and infested with bugs...but spirits are high because I am actually following my 2,181 mile goal.The day of my departure, several hours before my parents drove me up to Maine to be released into the wild, Drew Blood and Scout came over to bid farewell, stuff me with calories and give me last minute tips...I have awesome friends.

"Now don't take offense to this but you know not to sleep with any food in your tent, right?"

"Yes."

"Are your belongings in waterproof stuff sacks?"

"Errr...compression sacks."

"Line your bag with a trash bag...it's the old-school way."

"What are you doing about bugs?"

"I have a bug net."

"No bug spray?!"

Scout gave me a little mercy bottle of DEET and told me I may need it.

See, I have this thing against bug spray. Not only do I doubt it's claim, I also think it's bad for the skin to be absorbing all those harmful chemicals. After all, I have been called Jilly-Bug by those who love me and so it makes sense I stray away from the spray.

Well I took the bottle anyways, just like I stowed the bottle of motrin in my first aid just to appease the ones who care. I try not to take even the legal drugs so that they will really work when I absolutely need their assistance.

So back to the muck, I have tried everything for the past week to keep the blood suckers from snacking without a squirt from the DEET. I may have lost some blood but I have not lost my will power.

Day 1 I used my head net which I soon found out was a mosquito net after I noticed the black flies coming in for a lunch hour special of neck and ear flesh.

I then took the net off and waved it back-and-forth in front of my face and this worked but I was only able to use one hiking pole. I must have looked funny, picture me fanning my face with a net, stabilizing myself with one hand gripping a pole, spitting the bugs out that slipped passed and slapping the ones that bit my neck, while balancing myself on a puncheon.

Next...don't laugh...I secured a pine branch to my head with a bandanna because my little brother told me once that bugs tend to feed at the highest point. The branch stemmed about a foot above my head and it seemed to work but it was kind of uncomfortable.

Finally, on day 5 I was able to get a new net of finer mesh at a place called White House Landing, a privately owned camp run by Bill and Linda Ware, found in the middle of the 100 miles of wilderness. You hike 1.2 miles off the AT to a boat dock, sound the air horn one short blast and wait for your pick-up by Bill and his son for a ride to a microcosm of civilization. Along with the bug net, I stocked up of Mac'n'Cheese, a block of cheddar and Knor meals.

I was incredibly happy with my purchases until a few miles back on the white blaze corridor I noticed the black flies still slipping though to snack on my flesh. I was frustrated but at least the mosquitoes were not able to attack; I saw their stingers poking and prodding unable to fit their fat bodies through the portals.

They were able to draw blood from my hands like a hundred tiny syringes but I wrapped my hands with bandannas and this seemed to work.

The bugs should be dissipating in July.

That bottle of DEET weighs as much as it did the day I left.