Unleech yourself- How to battle whilst leeches assault you?

After ample experience with the leeches during the Brahmagiri trek. (I have seen a leech masquerading as a mole on a girl’s face, slept in a guest house where leeches kept falling from the rooftop, removed leeches with panache with my bare hands. This is definitely going to add to my resume.) I have come up with some leech gyaan that I hope will be useful to anyone planning to embark upon a monsoon trek in the wilderness. So here it is:

Don’t under-estimate your enemy; load yourself with leech protection like chunna, salt, lemon, tobacco stick etc (All this to basically alleviate the aftermath). Wear long socks (preferably two, leech socks if you have them) and military shoes if you can. Tuck your pants inside the socks, its better to be prepared than being sorry. Daub your shoes with chunna and salt, but never put these on your bare feet, you would end up with painful blisters. And don’t be afraid as you start, leeches can’t kill you!


All tucked in!

As always ‘It is all in the mind’, if you think that leeches are disgusting creatures and have no business of sucking your blood. (I do agree with you whole-heartedly.) Sorry mate, the battle is half lost already, this attitude won’t take you far. If the idea of touching those slimy creatures seems revolting, forget the trek.

Playing with the enemy!

The ideal frame of mind amidst leeches is one of nonchalance. You maybe loaded with all sorts of leech repellant but you would not find time to use this protection, believe me. You stop to remove one leech from your shoes and lo! You end up with modest helpings of 10-15 more! (Endearing, isn’t it?!) So keep moving don’t stop ever so frequently, even if you loathe the sight of leeches on your shoes, ignore it with all your willpower. If you find a rock that looks leech free, you are lucky, get on it and put the battery of leech-protection to use.

Keep kicking and stamping your shoes, try to remove leeches on one foot by administering a kick with your other foot (ouch!). This method worked the best for me(The dreadful condition of the shoes after this exercise is a different story altogether) but don’t lose your balance in this attempt. And do I need to tell you what happens after you fall in an area brimming with leeches?

And finally its over, or you think it is! You have safely crossed the leech-ridden area, the trek is over, and now is the time for status-check, harden your heart for the gory sight that awaits you. Remove your shoes and socks; take care to remove the socks carefully because leeches don’t like to be forced when they are sucking blood. (You have to be considerate to your enemy, you see.) Don’t panic, the battle is over, you just need to polish off the leeches now. The leech protection will come handy now, put some salt, chunna etc on the leeches kissing your bare feet and derive some perverse pleasure watching them drop off. It’s always safe to check your pants and shirt to be sure that no leeches are sneaking in, and if you do find any, you know what to do by now.

Here are some innovative ways to unleech discovered during the Brahmagiri trek:

Wear socks that haven’t been washed for a month; the effectiveness of this method altogether depends on how appallingly your socks stink and how bravely your fellow trekkers bear the stink.

Be thin like me, the leeches will scatter away at the very sight of you in search of more gifted prey. (Proof: I ended up with a measly four leech bites from the trek.)

Disclaimer: It seemed to work during our trek, but I do not claim to have any idea about the whims and fancies of the adorable creature. May be from tomorrow it starts assaulting extra stinky and thin people with extra vengeance, who knows?!

And if nothing seems to work just lament, curse the person who forced you into this nightmare. And if no one forced you into this trek, you came on your own volition, simple; accept the fact that you have always been foolish. Feel the peace that sinks in after having done this.

P.S.- If I have scared the wits out of you, I am sorry, my sense of humor is awful at times. It’s not as bad as it looks though; I ended up enjoying the trek immensely in spite of the leeches. And All’s well that ends well, isn’t it?.