Day 71: Eaten Alive

(Seavey Pass, 976 to 996 =  20 miles)

Yes, I was so preoccupied by and miserable because of the biting
mosquitoes, flies and ants today that this is the ONLY photo I took.
This is the first time I have only taken a single picture!

Today felt like a ridiculously long day even though we were to camp by 7:20 p.m.  The morning was a series of climbs and descents, though none apparently worthy of calling a "pass".  (What IS the determining factor, anyway?)  The afternoon was hot with a good handful of wet creek crossings. 

And mosquitoes swarmed all day long.  It was maddening.  We had our headnets on by second breakfast, and we kept those and our long sleeves and our long pants on throughout the broiling mid-morning climbs and the afternoon sun.  By 3:30, we were shocked it wasn't time to stop for dinner yet, and we started getting restless and crabby.  Fortunately, dinner is always a happy-maker, and tonight's was made happier by a post-dinner dip in the creek.  Cooling down and washing off deet and mosquito carcasses made us new women.  Refreshed and relaxed, we sauntered another couple of miles to this bug-infested, sure-to-be-wet-in-the-morning site.  But we were smiling as we raced through our nightly chores and leapt into our tents, mosquitoes trailing.  We'd done an easy 19 miles.  And had a long lunch, a long dinner, and a dip.  It is remarkable how a good meal and a little water fun can make one forget the hardships of the day. 

Tomorrow, on to my lake!  Dorothy Lake!  And my pass!  And the thousand-mile mark.  We should hit them all before noon.  We are e-x-c-i-t-e-d.  Hopefully enough to help us forget the fact that we are still being eaten alive.