🇱🇹 Aukštaitija National Park – Beautiful nature and some very annoying little critters
Finally, the weather was on our side again! After several grey and rainy days, Lithuania decided to show us its sunnier side. Perfect timing for our next stop: Aukštaitija National Park.
A friend had recommended the area for hiking, and she was absolutely right. Lithuania’s oldest national park, with its dense forests, rolling hills and more than a hundred lakes, is a little slice of paradise for nature lovers.
We found a fantastic spot right by a lake. Wilma was practically in the front row, with uninterrupted views across the water. Lovely!
We’d picked out three hikes, the weather was glorious, and we were full of enthusiasm.
What could possibly go wrong?
Our first hike took us through beautiful forests, past little lakes and through a handful of tiny villages. From a viewing platform, we had stunning views across the landscape: nothing but water and woodland as far as the eye could see.
The little villages were just as fascinating. In some of them, it felt as though time had stood still.
Old wooden houses, private wells, enormous vegetable gardens and electrical wiring that would probably have given a German electrician a heart attack.
Some houses looked so run-down that we genuinely wondered whether anyone still lived in them.
Double glazing? What’s that, then?
Judging by some of the windows and roofs, keeping the rain out seemed ambitious enough.
We couldn’t help wondering how people managed during Lithuania’s bitterly cold winters. Of course, it’s impossible to know what life inside these houses is really like just by looking from the outside. But the contrast with what we’re used to back home was striking.
Along the way, we also spotted numerous small religious shrines, wooden crosses and statues of Mary, Jesus and various saints. Lithuania’s Catholic traditions are still very visible, particularly in rural areas.
All in all, it was a wonderfully relaxing walk, with plenty to discover about rural Lithuanian life along the way.
We were already looking forward to our next hikes.
Unfortunately, a rather unpleasant little forest resident had other plans.
Who on earth invented this horrible little creature?
During our next attempts at hiking, we suddenly found ourselves surrounded by strange-looking little flying insects.
Imagine a cross between a fly, a tick and a spider.
At least, that’s what they looked like.
One of the little horrors crawled into my hair. Another disappeared underneath my shirt.
UNDER MY SHIRT!
And just like that, my love of being at one with nature came to a rather abrupt end.
After a bit of research, I discovered that these charming creatures were deer keds.
These four-to-six-millimetre-long pests have a rather peculiar lifestyle. They fly around looking for deer, roe deer and other wild animals. Once they’ve landed on a suitable host, they shed their wings and crawl through the animal’s fur to feed on its blood.
They shed their wings!
Just like that!
As if to say, “Yep, I like it here. Think I’ll stay.”
Unfortunately, they occasionally land on humans too. They particularly enjoy crawling into your hair or around your neck, and they can even bite.
Oh, marvellous.
Do I Look Like a Deer to You?
While researching these little horrors, I also came across suggestions that light-coloured clothing might influence who deer keds decide to land on.
Well, that would explain a few things.
Because my entire outdoor wardrobe consists almost exclusively of light-coloured jackets and jumpers.
Perhaps these little pests spotted me from a distance and thought:
“Look! There’s a deer!”
Admittedly, a slightly unusual deer. Walking on two legs, wearing hiking boots and carrying a rucksack.
But apparently, these creatures aren’t particularly fussy.
What I found even worse, though, was the constant feeling I had afterwards, even when we were back in the van.
Was something still crawling around in my hair?
Was that something moving on my neck?
Or was I just imagining it?
Eventually, I felt itchy absolutely everywhere.
And what had started as a lovely, relaxing hiking experience gradually turned into a routine of checking my hair, shaking out my clothes and frantically flapping my arms about like a complete lunatic.
Three hikes planned, one completed
In the end, we only managed to complete one of our three planned hikes.
Not because we were exhausted or because the weather had turned nasty.
We simply couldn’t face another walk through the forest while serving as an all-you-can-eat buffet for deer keds.
Well, I couldn’t, anyway. Stefan was rather less bothered than I was …
Which was a real shame, because Aukštaitija National Park had genuinely won us over with its beautiful scenery and charming, traditional villages.
We also absolutely loved our days parked right beside the lake. Even the mosquitoes buzzing around seemed harmless in comparison, and we were perfectly happy to put up with those.
We would have loved to stay a little longer.
But frankly, I’d had quite enough of things crawling all over me.
There’s only so much closeness to nature a girl can take!