We are planning a start date of June 10th for our SOBO thru hike in 2017. I have read everything I can find related to dealing with black flies, so we know to wear light colors, long sleeves and pants tucked into our socks, a head net, and use a repellent. Even with all of that, people still report being bitten and it seems like the hands would be an obvious exposed area. Does anyone wear light gloves when they are bad?
The thought of having to spend a week or two covered from head to toe is not something I'm excited about, but I've always been the guy who gets eaten alive and even a simple mosquito bite swells quite a bit...Strange thing is I'm from Northern Michigan originally and I know they exist up there, but I cannot remember ever having any problems with them.