Blufton

The first part of the hike to Blufton was really nice. My feet finally stopped hurting about Mokane. Mokane is a very nice trailhead and a nice little town to wander around in. There was a Department of Natural Resources worker at the trailhead that was a nice, polite, funny guy. He warned me about possible mosquito issues down the trail and wanted to make sure I had water and bug spray.
You're right next to the river on the trail to Portland. Nice scenery and a very pleasant trip. There is a nice mowed field with benches as you arrive in Portland. The campground that's supposed to be in Portland looks like it's non-existent. The trailhead is nice but only has a restroom, no water. There's an old abandoned looking white building just up the hill. It looks boarded up from the trail head but isn't. Walk around the front and you'll see it's actually a bar and grill with coolers full of beer and soft drinks. The food selection is super and good. I talked to a guy whose chicken eggs just hatched. His kids thought it was great until they found a snake; now the chicks have taken a back seat to the snake. A really funny guy if you hear him tell the story. The road to Blufton was like something out of a Hitchcock movie. As I walked I noticed a few mosquito buzzing around. I bought some great bug repellant and it seemed to be working. I felt a bite on my back and took off my pack to spray myself back there. My back was black with mosquitoes biting me through my shirt. I looked at my legs. The bare legs were fine but my pants were almost black. The swarm grew with every mile. I had mosquitoes flying in my ears, up my nose, in my mouth, even into my eyes. I couldn't stop so I picked up the pace. I was almost at a jog the last 5 miles; they were relentless until I reached Highway 94. I called Jill on the way and asked her to please come and get me. I admit that I broke the cardinal rule of survival, I panicked. I was dead tired when I reached 94 when the mosquitoes stopped. They were all located at the low, damp portion of the leg from Portland to Blufton. Jill arrived after soon after as it was only hours drive from the house. I value my life so I didn't tell her I was okay and didn't need her to pick me up. Once indoors I wowed and amazed my son by q-tipping dead mosquitoes out of my ears and seeing more dead mosquitoes when I blew my nose. My back was covered with bites. I've camped a lot in the past, including a stint in Panama with the Army. I've never encountered anything like that.