I visited the Ouachita Mountains and all I got were these lousy chiggers!

I got back from my trip to the Ouachita mountians on Saturday. The field work we did was much harder than I anticipated. The first and last days were probably the easiest. We were there for four days. Each day we visited a new site and at the end of the day we stayed at the Ouachita Mountains Biological Station. I will attempt to tell you why the work was so hard but I am sure you will still have NO idea what we dealt with since you were not there. We hiked up steep hills on loose footing through thick foliage some of which consisted of briars and poison ivy. It was very hot outside, in the 100s, and humid. Because of the humidity, even when we were sitting in the shade, it was STILL hot. Not only that but there were bugs snacking on us while we hiked. I didn't realise this until I got back to our cabin and saw red bumps all over my ankles and legs. It looks like I have a rash. I won't be able to wear shorts for a while.
When I got back I had several people ask me if I had FUN on my trip. I honestly responded, "No, I actually got my butt kicked." I'm not saying that it was a bad experience, it wasn't. Thanks to this trip I found out how hard I can actually push myself. I went running for an hour on Tuesday. I don't think I've ever run that long.