Sunday, July 14, 2013

The Minnesota Mosquito Swarm

The Minnesota Mosquito Swarm


Here they come in one giant screaming mass
flying into camp to bite me on the ass.

Wing movements create an intimidating sound 
as they approach from the sky and forested ground.

Their bite is sharp like a needle piercing skin
that makes me curse and commit a verbal sin.

These little creatures fly both day and night
only to return tomorrow with an even more vicious bite.

Pain of a portage

Pain of a portage



Mosquitos crawling all over the place
from the tip of my toes to the front of my face

Sweat's pouring down my aching back
that is exhausted from carrying a canoe and 60 lb. pack

The twisting densely forested trail 
creates unwavering determination for me to not fail

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Unsuspected Mosquito Ambush




Wingbeat frequency resonates in exhausted ears as her body bangs against a fortress of nylon-tented walls

Like a hunter, she uses chemical, visual, and heat detecting weapons to stalk her exhausted, sweating prey

Her compound eyes and antennae sense exhaled carbon dioxide and muscles laden by lactic acid

Palpus and proboscis work together like a fine tuned machine to pierce skin and suck 5 mL of luscious blood needed to increase her species army

The victim fights back in a sleepy yet earnest effort to swat away additional potential enemies in the dark of night

The distressed camper restlessly sleeps as an itchy immune response is evoked by her anticoagulant rich saliva left by the unsuspected ambush


Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Exploring the Boundary Waters



Over the next week my dad and I will be naturalists exploring the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). We will be experiencing environmental conditions that support and make the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness unique by paddling, fishing, and camping along a route from Ely Minnesota to Lac La Croix Canada.   Want to learn more about the outfitting company who we hired to field our expedition: http://elyoutfittingcompany.com