Day 28: Marshes, and Midges, and Mosquitos. Oh My!

Since the hobbits are wading through the Midgewater Marshes at this point in their journey, I decided to join them and headed to some marshy trails in a nearby state park. When all was said and done I had walked 9.02 miles (14.5 km), my shoes were soaked through, my feet had even more blisters, and my bug spray proved inadequate against the onslaught of gnats and mosquitos. I’m still wondering why thought walking in a marsh would be a good idea.

The hobbits were also having such a wonderful time slogging through the wetlands outside of Bree. The constant chirping of the NeekerBreekers (as Sam had dubbed them) drove them almost frantic. The path through the marshes was treacherous and almost nonexistent, even to a ranger of Aragorn’s caliber. Midges constantly plagued the party, gorging themselves on the feast of hobbits and making sure sleep was out of the questions.

I feel the hobbit’s pain. The only thing that managed to salvage this walk for me was the fact that I had brought my MP3 player and newly acquired “How to Train Your Dragon” soundtrack. Because nothing helps you trudge through ankle deep sludge and a cloud of gnats quite like Celtic sounding animated movie soundtracks about dragons.

The Road Goes Ever On and On,
~ Daisy Buttons