We had been watching the weather forecasts all week in hopes of finding ideal timing for a family adventure to Antelope Island.  The cooperative clouds seen in the above image were just what I had hoped for, and there was a slight breeze at 50°F.  It seemed like ideal conditions for both the family experience and photography.  After the obligatory start at the very nice Visitors Center, we drove on to a trail head at Buffalo Point.  The trail was a little rocky, and a bit steep, but very compelling.  Ready for the adventure, we sprung out of the car and I put on my backpack full of camera gear.  It took only a couple of minutes on the trail for me to encounter the enemy’s brazen scouts.  There was nothing subtle about their approach; they got up-close and personal, right in my face.  With a reflexive swat, I dispatched one of the scouts, but made the mistake of allowing the other one to escape and thus deliver some very encouraging reconnaissance to his action-ready battalion.

 

The first wave of the assault engaged me as I stopped to capture my first image.  To his credit, that first scout gathered amazingly accurate tactical information; they knew just where to hit me.  As my years march forward, I find that the hair on my head is providing decreasing levels of protection to my scalp; I’ve known about this vulnerability to sunburn, but I had not considered today’s threat.  This was an easy first target for the enemy.  Then, while I was distracted on that battle front, second and third teams targeted my ears and nose.  Quickly I had more battle fronts than hands available to fight back.  Fortunately, a slight breeze came my way and provided enough relief to allow me to regroup.  Determined to achieve my objective, I resumed my march on the trail.  I was sure that there were even better sights to see and photograph just a little further on.  And, expecting that there would be more wind as I got higher on the trail, I thought the enemy would be subdued.

 

By this time, other members of my family had become serendipitous alternative targets for the enemy.  I don’t know what makes me so attractive to insects, but I remained their primary target for the subsequent waves of attack.  Perhaps it is blood type, or diet, or perhaps my spasms, twitches, shakes, and slapping made me the most entertaining and satisfying target for their perverse sense of humor.  I’m sure the enemy recognized my facial expression of defeat when I saw small streaks of red on my hands after I ran my fingers through my hair in a futile attempt to thwart the enemy.  My defeat in this battle was a fact that I could accept and recover from without too much difficulty, but that the rest of my family had to do battle with (and eventually succumb to) this overwhelming air force was a more discouraging reality that slowly grew on me.  With all the grace of a school of fish flopping on dry land, we eventually made it to the top of the trail.  We lingered long enough to capture the image shown above, and then quickly retreated back down the trail and to the car.

 

I wanted my family to have a great experience of seeing something new and beautiful, and sharing a good time together, but I fear that their lasting memories from this event will be of their humbling defeat to the insects.

 

After coming home and showering, I was most curious to learn more about my new enemy, and thus did some reading up on the indigenous insects of the Great Salt Lake.  With reputed populations (along the shores of Antelope Island) of 100 billion, the Brine Fly was certainly a candidate.  However, the descriptions I read suggested that they were harmless to people (and, more specifically, that they would not bite).  Unless they were so bored with the monotony of eating algae that our family provided a spicy deviation from their normal diet, the Brine Fly was not the enemy we encountered.

 

I will go back.  The sights I saw were truly beautiful, and I think I should be able to get more than 5 images from my next visit.  I may never fully understand the finer inner workings of the sinister collective mind of this enemy, but I understand enough to know how to be better prepared next time.  I’m much more cold-tolerant than they are, so I may go on a colder day (perhaps below freezing).  I will also wear more battle-worthy clothing, including a hat.  I may even bring along an unfair advantage: insect repellant.