Fantastic story! All the more so because you were on something of an inaugural climb. So many reasons to quit before you’d started. I would have been done after the ants. Or would I?
This triggered a long forgotten memory of a 7- day canoe trip into the wilds where I was swarmed by thousands of black flies because I’d purchased a brand new forest green backpack for the adventure. Their favorite colour! A nightmare until I was back on the water. I remember silent tears of frustration and soldiering on and briefly, wanting to be anywhere else.
Oh the lessons we learn. The first time I went to Tanzania, I found out the hard way that tsetse flies are drawn to black and blue. Well, crap. That's why it pays to do our research beforehand!
I love your bravado and sense of adventure, Julia. Find your funny is such sage advice. I am here in Costa Rica with an old junior high school friend of mine, two women in their early 60s adventuring. Tomorrow, snorkeling with dolphins....later this week hiking and hoping to spot sloths. This trip is a lovely break after the intensity of a grieving period. We bring all of our ourselves to these adventures, and the adventure gets under our skin and becomes part of us.
Amy, thanks. Nothing negotiates terms with grief so well as something which allows us to experience ourselves very differently. Enjoy CR, it's fabulous there. A real RX for the soul.
It was hilarious. While I wouldn’t wish this on anyone else except a certain Orange pumpkin, let’;s just say that you pays your money and you takes your chances. I have twelve years of similar stories- I’ve been doing adventure travel for a long time. These are just some of the stories that can come from such excursions.
Great job, Julia! From ant removal to writing this account of the adventure. I’ve learned to “Empty Bladder Before Reading.” Lowa boots are the bees’ knees. I bought a pair of their mountaineering boots in 1977 and still have them today. Indestructible. From crossing chest deep freezing mountain streams, to climbing steep slopes oozing mud, not one stitch has failed. Your essay has me hunting down the saddle soap for a quick cleaning followed by a wipe down with mink oil! The Gore-Tex never failed me. There was none. In water to your chest, how could it be of any value??
You know there’s a point, Gary, when even the best of Goretex will fail. The boots, though…the Lowas worked just fine, that dense, heavy leather doing exactly the job designed. The others I donated. I will buy another Merrell again. That kind of failure in conditions like that can be deadly in some cases. In ours, not so much. But since I review gear, that wasn’t a good thing to happen on that trip.
Very impressive. So glad you did the trip so we armchair adventurers can enjoy it without any danger of ants, water or mud.
You are most welcome! Glad to provide the entertainment!
You all say it much better than I can. So just a thanks from me for a great start to my day. More please.
Plenty more coming. twelve years of such adventures and counting, so plenty more to come!
Fantastic story! All the more so because you were on something of an inaugural climb. So many reasons to quit before you’d started. I would have been done after the ants. Or would I?
This triggered a long forgotten memory of a 7- day canoe trip into the wilds where I was swarmed by thousands of black flies because I’d purchased a brand new forest green backpack for the adventure. Their favorite colour! A nightmare until I was back on the water. I remember silent tears of frustration and soldiering on and briefly, wanting to be anywhere else.
I love your indomitable spirit.
Oh the lessons we learn. The first time I went to Tanzania, I found out the hard way that tsetse flies are drawn to black and blue. Well, crap. That's why it pays to do our research beforehand!
I love your bravado and sense of adventure, Julia. Find your funny is such sage advice. I am here in Costa Rica with an old junior high school friend of mine, two women in their early 60s adventuring. Tomorrow, snorkeling with dolphins....later this week hiking and hoping to spot sloths. This trip is a lovely break after the intensity of a grieving period. We bring all of our ourselves to these adventures, and the adventure gets under our skin and becomes part of us.
Amy, thanks. Nothing negotiates terms with grief so well as something which allows us to experience ourselves very differently. Enjoy CR, it's fabulous there. A real RX for the soul.
Boy does this not sound like my idea of fun!
It was hilarious. While I wouldn’t wish this on anyone else except a certain Orange pumpkin, let’;s just say that you pays your money and you takes your chances. I have twelve years of similar stories- I’ve been doing adventure travel for a long time. These are just some of the stories that can come from such excursions.
Great job, Julia! From ant removal to writing this account of the adventure. I’ve learned to “Empty Bladder Before Reading.” Lowa boots are the bees’ knees. I bought a pair of their mountaineering boots in 1977 and still have them today. Indestructible. From crossing chest deep freezing mountain streams, to climbing steep slopes oozing mud, not one stitch has failed. Your essay has me hunting down the saddle soap for a quick cleaning followed by a wipe down with mink oil! The Gore-Tex never failed me. There was none. In water to your chest, how could it be of any value??
You know there’s a point, Gary, when even the best of Goretex will fail. The boots, though…the Lowas worked just fine, that dense, heavy leather doing exactly the job designed. The others I donated. I will buy another Merrell again. That kind of failure in conditions like that can be deadly in some cases. In ours, not so much. But since I review gear, that wasn’t a good thing to happen on that trip.
I would not be able to sleep for days after that ant attack! Great story.
I slept the sleep of the dead that night. We were beat!
Brillant! Ants in your pants 🙈 you poor crazy woman 😂
I'll take it! Should have had those undies bronzed.
You should have a statue at the top 😂
What a great story, you’re an inspiration!
Thank you Alice!