Summer is here!

In case you haven’t been paying attention, SUMMER IS HERE!  Summer officially begins June 21, 12:24 A.M. EDT so the first full day of summer this year is June 21.  That’s right, tomorrow is the longest day of the year.  We are looking at a full fourteen hours and thirty minutes of daylight tomorrow.  In the Chattanooga area, we will be having sunrise at around 6:30 AM and sunset around 9:00 PM.  That gives us a whole lot of time for enjoying nature even if you have to work for eight of those hours.

I have been preparing for summer for the last few months, but if you are waiting until the last minute, summer is here!  And here are a few tips from Crazy Dave’s Crew to get you caught up quickly.

Staying Cool

Pioneer Week at Ooltewah Church of Christ

One item the Crew highly recommends is the Neck Cooling Bandana. Last week, the week before summer, the Crew took part in the Pioneer Week at Ooltewah Church of Christ.  Somehow the heat got here slightly before summer and these bandannas were a true blessing.  All you have to do is soak the bandanna in water for 3-5 minutes and wear around neck, forehead, or wrist.  They will keep you cool until all of the water is evaporated.  Then you just soak them in water again.  For an extra cooling affect, you can place them in the freezer for 5 minutes.  Last week Crazy Dave’s Crew wore them all week and managed to survive the heat.

Protect Yourself

Summer is here and so are the bugs, tick, and mosquitoes.  Normally the freezing temperatures of the winter season helps kill off some other more annoying critters, but this year most of us had a very short, mild winter.  In fact, I can’t remember more than one or two day of below freezing temperature in the Chattanooga area. We hardly ever have a severe winter, but we usually will spend at least a few weeks with temperatures in the teens and twenties.  Not this year!  That means the ticks and mosquitoes are worse than ever this year.

Knowing how bad it was going to be, I did some research and found two of the most awesome products made by Sawyer.

Permethrin 

Permethrin is used on your clothing and gear.  Permethrin not only repels insects, it actually kill mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers, mites, and more than 55 other kinds of insects on contact.  It takes a little planning ahead, but it is definitely worth the effort.  You carefully spray it liberally on your clothing and gear and allow it to air dry.  Yes, it has a strong smell.  Just stand upwind from it and you’ll be okay.  It is odorless once it is dry.  It is effective for 42 days of sun exposure, or 6 washings.

Crazy Dave’s Crew with Signal at GeoWoodstockXV

Picaridin

Picaridin is a insect repellent lotion to apply to the exposed skin.  It repels a wide variety of pests including mosquitoes, ticks, biting flies, sand flies, gnats, chiggers, and midges. One of the longest lasting repellents available, it provides up to 14 hours of protection against mosquitoes and ticks.

Using these two products together has been awesome.  The entire Crew managed to avoid a single mosquito bite or a single tick when we used them before a recent hike.  That is unheard of this year.

Have Fun

Summer is here so have fun.  Whether you are working in the yard or the garden, camping, hiking or geocaching Crazy Dave’s Crew hopes you will follow or suggestions for staying cool and protecting yourself from all the insects and ticks.  Have a great summer!