My friend...the Grampus...

So you've been in your tent all night listening to the rain tap on the outside of your rain fly. You check the sides and bottom of your tent now and then to make sure there isn't any rain pouring in. You have to do this by 'feel' since you can't actually see anything unless you turn you headlamp on. And at some point in the morning, the rain subsides, you realize you aren't going to drown or succumb to a flash of killer lightning and you fall asleep.

As the birds begin their chirping around 5:30AM, you awaken gently to the realization that you aren't home, you are in your tent on the A.T. and you now have a soaking wet tent to pack. You'd love to sleep a little longer but realize you have a long day ahead. You roll over onto your back, twisting your sleeping back as you do and open your eyes to find about 15-20 4-5 inch long cigar shaped things on the outside of your tents netting. Then you notice that these things are moving and snapping these large claws on their heads. Their bodies wriggle around and their legs propel them around the netting on your tent and you are sure they are trying to find some way to chew through, enter your ear canals and take control over your body.

You have met the "Grampus" or Hellgrammite.

These local things are relatives of the scorpion family and come out after rain storms, obviously to take control over the minds of hapless hikers who dared to camp on their feeding ground. These things actually turn into giant flies at some point, but not at this point. They are a favorite with fishermen who use them as bait.

But I'm from Florida and I've not seen these "minions of hell" before.

So you begin tapping your tent to get them off and just know that the mother of these beasts is standing outside your tent, 10 feet tall waiting to grab you around the neck with her giant snapping jaws, ending your hike right then and there. But after a bit, you get up the courage to pop outside, quickly gather your tent up, hopefully without any of these creatures, and get on your way.

Thus, that is one more bug you never would have met if you had not made this journey.

MuddyShoes