At the end of the previous post, I wrote I wouldn’t be adding any more foodie pieces for the next little while. So, how to explain the title for this week? It’s even less interesting than you might imagine, and came to me as I sat here, itching.
Itching and scratching at the many, many mosquito bites I received on our recent trip to the backcountry. It was delightful to get far, far away from the business of summer season, but it was far, far less delightful to be the blood host for so many mosquitoes. They really liked me, and they seemed to enjoy the brand of bug repellent I used to little effect.
After a long dry spell, particularly dry for the PNW, it rained the day and night we set off. I think I made a brief reference to the rain last week? I don’t mind the rain, but this time it created lovely extra humid conditions, and so the lovely extra hungry mosquitoes popped out to greet us. What a lovely welcome! Lovely.
As well as learning that particular brand of DEET-free repellent is ineffective, I also learned that I’m not as good at putting up a tent in the dark as I thought I was. I slipped and bent one of the two important tent poles (one of only two tent poles), when my knee and overall body weight combined to crush one of the ends. Lovely.
With the mosquitoes buzzing encouragement in both my ears, and the rain falling oh so gently in the fading light, I believe I must have looked a picture of complete happiness. Being an independent minded sort – that’s code for bloodyminded and too stubborn to ask for help at that moment – I managed to push the broken end of the pole into a soft bank of earth, sorted the tent fly (fly? FLY?! I think they mean tent mosquito sheet I might have been heard muttering, serenity personified…) and pegged everything down. A job well done, OldPlaidCheerful having fun floating on a cloud of happiness and bug spray, desperately hoping the makeshift solution would keep out the rain.
It did. I stayed wonderfully dry, and stayed wonderfully entertained trying to track down the mosquito that also wanted to stay wonderfully dry. It was wonderfully well fed, taking another bite or two. Wonderful.
Anyway, not a food piece this week, more a return to being an almost outdoorsman, and I do believe I’m wiser for all the stumbling about in near darkness. I certainly won’t be buying that bug friendly spray again. So yes, very much wiser.
I think I’d best stop now. I enjoyed this minor rant, but all whining (like a mosquito) aside, I did genuinely enjoy being in a tent after far too long not camping. Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
OldPlaidCamper 
Muskol 100% DEEThttps://www.ebay.com/itm/184052007548
It’ll keep the gators at bay but the price will make you faint!
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Thanks, Wayne! Less expensive to suffer a few bites…
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I thought they stopped making that stuff years ago? Maybe that’s why it’s so expensive? It’s more a collector’s item than useful?
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Nice photos! I hear ya.. as much as I don’t want to use DEET, it seems like the only thing that really makes a difference.
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Thank you! Yup, it’s easy to say I’ll avoid a DEET based repellent until you’re out there – if someone had offered me some, I’d have used it!
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Thank you, I am going camping next week and will remember the mosquito repellent. The last time I set up a tent in the dark, I pitched it on top of an ant hill. Relocated early in the morning. Is it a long weekend for you as well? We have the heritage festival, although slightly cut back, plus a Taste of Edmonton, so it looks to be a good weekend.
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Fingers crossed your camping trip is ant and mosquito free! We had an ants in the tent experience many many years ago, on a cycling trip. Our first morning we woke up to ants everywhere! We were finding them and tipping them out of various bags etc for days…
Hope you’re enjoying the long weekend!
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Absolutely enjoyed your latest outdoor adventure, as I am definitely more of a fan of ranting and whining than camping!! Wonderful that you were able to be out camping again, but it sounds like it’s possible the new spray actually attracted mosquitoes and your fellow campers were smart enough to pitch their tents at a safe distance from the “cloud of happiness and bug spray.” I’ve spent more time on the wooded trails this summer than ever before and while the bug spray appears to be working, I’ve suffered a few welts from my niece slapping the bothersome deer flies when they land on me. Hope you have plans for more camping trips this summer and I’ll be sure to send some sunshine vibes! The boat photos are delightful and I hope you have a great week!
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Thank you! I’m beginning to think I bought mosquito attractant…
It’s been relatively bug free, perhaps due to less rainfall for here than usual? Deer flies are no fun, nor your niece slapping you when she sees one!
I hope your week is off to a sunny start?!
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