Friday’s forecast keeps improving for our hike in the Hot Springs area. This is a new hike for the Hoofers, starting at Tanyard Gap and hiking the AT southbound to Lovers Leap before completing the loop back to our cars. I will continue to monitor weather and if the hike location needs to be changed or canceled, I will post an update as early as tomorrow evening or around 7:00 am Friday morning. Meeting place and time: Walmart 8:00 or MR Ingles 8:15. We will depart Ingles once the Brevard hikers arrive. Please RSVP victor.zona@sbcglobal.net and include your meeting location.

Weather: Cloudy with rain chances around 45%. Temperature at the start around 73° to 75° by early afternoon. Winds light and variable.

Yellow Jacket Season is upon us. Yellow jacket season runs through October. Visitors at the Ranger Station/Visitor Center have reported getting stung at the entrance to the Moore Cove trai. Yellow jackets are known to attack hikers stinging multiple times. Fortunately there is a cheap and effective treatment. Here is an article from The National Gardening Association:

When you get stung by a bee, hornet, wasp, yellow jacket, or stinging caterpillar, you can relieve the pain almost instantly and greatly lessen the effects of swelling by pouring ammonia on the sting. The ammonia breaks down the protein in the poison. You can pour ammonia into small containers, such as plastic lemon squeezers, and keep them handy in your gardening areas so that you can get to them quickly. The sooner you use the ammonia, the less pain, heat, and swelling you will experience.

I have used this treatment for many years. It works! Ammonia doesn’t burn the skin. I carry a small containter (contact lens cleaning solution bottle) of household ammonia in my pocket during a hike. If I get stung, I instantly (if not sooner) pour the ammonia over the affected area. Instant relief; no pain. Hopefully none of us will need it this yellow jacket season.

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