g00gle
07-26-2015, 17:08
Moderators: This doesn't seem like a "Wildlife" or "Safety" question and I don't know where else to put it...
So, I had somewhat of an adventure this weekend. Part of it found me crashing through the woods at night with a Petzl on my head and a Fenix in my hand. I believe I found most of the poison ivy in Ohio, but what was really annoying was the amount of mosquitoes I managed to attract. I should have dressed more appropriately but I was sort of in a hurry. Today I look like the neighborhood kids found a sale on surplus BB's.
I never really paid much attention to skeeters before I started to think about a long-distance hike. And now it seems like every time I go outside I find my level of awareness about some new issue amplified just a little more than what it used to be. (For the record, I am far more worried about blisters and bug bites than any snakes or bears.)
In the case of this weekend, I happened to notice the skeeters around here were most active around dusk and again at dawn. So, today (in between doses of Tecnu and Benadryl) I got to wondering if the skeeters and/or flies follow similar or different patterns along the trail in the south and especially up north.
This is more about curiosity than avoidance. I sort of expect to get bit, harassed, whatever. And I've read about some precautions and simple measures other hikers have used with some measure of success (head net, loose clothing, etc.) I've also read some interesting stories about how bad the black flies up in the New England area can get. But I don't recall reading much about the times of year or the time of day when flying pests were most active.
When are skeeters most active along the trail? Is it different between the south and the north? What about ticks? Do they have a time-period when they are more prevalent?
So, I had somewhat of an adventure this weekend. Part of it found me crashing through the woods at night with a Petzl on my head and a Fenix in my hand. I believe I found most of the poison ivy in Ohio, but what was really annoying was the amount of mosquitoes I managed to attract. I should have dressed more appropriately but I was sort of in a hurry. Today I look like the neighborhood kids found a sale on surplus BB's.
I never really paid much attention to skeeters before I started to think about a long-distance hike. And now it seems like every time I go outside I find my level of awareness about some new issue amplified just a little more than what it used to be. (For the record, I am far more worried about blisters and bug bites than any snakes or bears.)
In the case of this weekend, I happened to notice the skeeters around here were most active around dusk and again at dawn. So, today (in between doses of Tecnu and Benadryl) I got to wondering if the skeeters and/or flies follow similar or different patterns along the trail in the south and especially up north.
This is more about curiosity than avoidance. I sort of expect to get bit, harassed, whatever. And I've read about some precautions and simple measures other hikers have used with some measure of success (head net, loose clothing, etc.) I've also read some interesting stories about how bad the black flies up in the New England area can get. But I don't recall reading much about the times of year or the time of day when flying pests were most active.
When are skeeters most active along the trail? Is it different between the south and the north? What about ticks? Do they have a time-period when they are more prevalent?