I’ve got to be honest, it wasn’t just assessment nerves that made me twitchy as I went through class on Tuesday – ridiculous as it sounds, I was convinced there was a spider in my exercise pants. There wasn’t of course, but I swear I could feel something tickling me as I worked my way around. There’s not a whole lot of room inside those pants for stray threads so I pretty much convinced myself that a spider must have crawled inside them in my drawer before I put them on.
The whole time I was obsessing about the non-existent spider in my pants, I was working my way around a circuit training session and for once I didn’t think too much about how much it was hurting because my head had found something new to worry about. My mind joined the dots between the imagined spider in my pants and my forthcoming trek, where the spiders and bugs will be mahoosive. Before I knew it I was obsessing over what would happen if something really did get in my pants, like when we’re camping, you know?
I’m going to be a complete basket case in that jungle, I just know I am. Even in my post-assessment euphoria, as soon as I got home the first thing I did was to run upstairs and make utterly certain that all my walking pants have ties around the ankles so nothing can shimmy up my trouser leg when I’m not looking. I’ve spent hours scouring the internet for deet-infused accessories, and as well as bug spray and bite cream I’ve bought wristbands and anklets which allegedly keep bugs away, and even a mosquito net tailored to fit over my head. Yes, really.
Thing is, to biting insects I’m seemingly very tasty. I don’t know what I’ve got that other folk haven’t – well, apart from considerably more flesh to go at – but they make a beeline for me. None of my fellow trekkers will need to worry about getting bitten because even surrounded by a fog of deet I’ll still be the decoy of the group…mozzies form an orderly queue, your fine dining experience starts here.
I had a very weird dream when I went to bed on Tuesday, about needing a wee in the jungle in the middle of the night, and getting attacked by a legion of bugs when I switch my head torch on and emerge from the sleeping bag. I imagine this marauding band of flying teeth just waiting for me to drop my pants before going in for the kill. I know I’m being a bit of a drama queen but even so…I’m dreading that.
Shall I tell you what I’m not obsessing about though..? The physical elements of the actual trek itself. I’m totally cool with that, in fact I’d go so far as to say I’m not really thinking about it much at all. I mean, of course it’s going to be challenging, and I’m sure there will be plenty of times over the five trekking days when I’m hot and knackered and out of breath with sore feet and aching limbs but you know what, it’s going to be fine. I’ve worked hard and I’m ready. Let’s be honest, in every Fat Furnace class there are moments where I feel like chucking the towel in.
But I never have. As God of Pain would say, going for another second in those moments where you think you can’t is what gives you the shape. It’s every bit as much about mental resilience as it is about physical ability, and I’d like to think that I’ve developed my mental muscles a little bit over the last few months.
We’ve got a practise walk this weekend up in the Lake District…I’m going all out with my new rucksack and my walking poles, not to mention my new Tilley hat which is awesome…two weeks today I’ll be in the air and heading out for the adventure of a lifetime. I can’t wait.
Sod the bugs, right?
Start taking vitamin B1(thiamin) – preferably 50mg plus, with a meal for a week before you go and whilst travelling. It changes how you “smell” to insects. I am always the first to be bitten but, remembering an article about it on holiday in greece when coming up in massive 1 inch plus mosquito bites (with an unbitten and very unsympathetic boyfriend)! I had the last laugh as once I got hold of some and started taking it suddenly his bites were the worst ever and I was left alone.
Rightio that’s good enough for me…found some on line and they’re in my shopping basket ? Thanks here’s hoping they have the same effect on me as they did on you!
LOL, some good tips… I agree about the bugs AND other aspects of ‘roughing it:’ we are all going to find that they weren’t worth worrying about!
The People, the natural beauty, food, friendships, adventures and hospitality will be priceless. Start getting excited! Fleury
I really am Fleury, I’m very excited now ???
When I was a girl at a state fair, I drank a spider that was in my Fanta Grape soda can. I had to pull it off my tongue. I’ve never been the same since.
But, Dee–while I haven’t been trekking in Cuba–I have been all over the Caribbean and I think you may have Cuba confused with the Amazon rainforest. Yes, there are mosquitos, but they’re not that bad. Nothing like Michigan or upstate NY after it rains and people actually live there. I predict you’ll be just fine. xoMarg
Oh my days Margaret that spider story just made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end! And I hope you’re right about the mozzies…I think because on our kit list they recommended bug spray that was 97% deet in my mind they’ve taken on elephantic proportions!!
Also Vegemite / Marmite can help repel mozzies – something to do with vitamin B. To eat I mean – I wouldn’t recommend smearing it on your skin, although granted that would repel most life forms. But vitamin B tablets supposedly help too. If you want to take your mind off spiders, we could talk about snakes?
Ha ha very funny! I’m nowhere near as worried about snakes (watch me bloody go and get bitten by one now, right?) because I’m less likely to just glance down and realise I’ve got one crawling on me, if you know what I mean. I’ve heard that, about Marmite…consider it packed 🙂
Have fun on your practice walk this weekend. Pictures we want pictures of your whole outfit. I am trying to figure out what a “tilley hat” is. I’ll check Facebook for pictures:)
Ha, okay I’ll make sure I post something!
My Little Girl is also a mosquito magnet, and in my research i’ve heard evidence that what they are attracted to is the smell of certain people’s feet. Yes, really. Some people’s genetics makes them the perfect home for a specific class of microbes on the skin of their feet (we don’t like to think about it, we all know we have microbes that live on our skin, we can’t live without many of them) which give off a specific odor that attracts the little buggers.
Using a product on your feet that kills off a lot of the microbes and keeps the odor down does help keep the mosquitoes from targeting you as much. The two things i’ve used to kill microbes on the skin are grapefruit seed extract and colloidal silver. Neither can hurt you if you are just using them on your skin, since i’m not a doctor i don’t want to go into the internal uses they might have.
Interesting and useful Mimi, thanks 🙂
Many years ago I dropped my shorts in the bathroom and some squashed pieces of cockroach fell out. I’ve never got over it.
OMG I think I’d have had an actual heart attack!!! If anything falls out of my pants when I’m in Cuba I can pretty much guarantee you’ll hear the screams all the way over in Oz!