The ticks of Sooma National Park

Each May I spent a week with my parents in Gaspe. My dad and I spend hours in the woods clearing brush, chopping tree and maintaining the wood road. We hike and get turn around and my Pa tells stories of what it was like growing up, one of 12 kids and having to work at a very young age. I tell this story because I want to show that I enjoy the woods, I have no fear of critters, banshees, ghosts or other forest elves. I do however hate bugs, I'm not afraid of them, they just drive me nuts. I head to Gaspe in May because the sand flies, black flies, deer flies, horse flies, and mosquitos are still sleeping, dreaming of the day they can buzz around my ears and cause me to run from the woods, screaming like a school girl. I take refuge and cower in the house behind the screen door.

You see, I also hate bug spray and well sun screen and any other cream or moisturizer. So I have no means of warding of those little blood suckers. I need to resort to wearing a full body bug net. I look like a freak but who cares, you all will never see me. Of all the bugs out there, the one I hate the most is the TICK. This small blood thirsty parasite waits in tall grass to attach itself to a poor unsuspecting host (i.e. me), they can detect heat and carbon dioxide so they know you are coming. They spread all sorts of diseases and they are ugly. Just writing this I feel sick.