Not Nice Memories

Trail Wood #69 Earl Plato

We stood in Edwin Teale’s screened in little writing cabin. No mosquitoes the day we were there. Good. But Teale had another pest earlier in the season. In fact in his April log he describes these vicious little guys. First let me describe some of my personal horrors.
It was a May 24th weekend on the fast flowing Mattawa River in Ontario. We had camped in The Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park. We trekked up to a lookout over the river. Son Paul was only five then many years ago. The walk up had tired him. “Dad, I’m tired can you carry me down the trail?” I hoisted him on my shoulder while little flies buzzed around. Down we descended the path. “Squish, squish” a sound from my shoes. At he bottom I set him down and looked at my shoes. Blood! There were many bites on both legs with blood oozing out. The black flies had attacked me.
Over the years I have suffered from black fly bites - several painful memories of an itching head and bumps on my scalp.
I have been to Algonquin Park many times bit only once in the spring. July and August on seem to be free of the little devils. I was curious about these insects that had caused me so much itching and yes, infection. I went to Whiskey Rapids waterway at Algomquin Park. It was still blackfly time. I was protected by Deep Woods Off that has ample Deet. I had the Park pamphlet that told about black flies and how they must live in the fast flowing waters of Whiskey Run, Edwin Tealem a true scientist wrote about black flies. I will share a portion of his log next.