Wasps on Trail

I was enjoying the moderate weather and cool forest conditions of the Michigan Expatriates Run. It was a nice day to be alive and I was following about 10 or 15 yards behind “Cums Happily” when I was suddenly ambushed by a bunch of yellow jacket wasps. The runners in front of me were not attacked, but I guess they annoyed the wasps just enough to put them on the warpath. It was amazing how coordinated the attack was, because a dozen or so wasps hit me simultaneously. I wasn’t sure whether it was bees or wasps, but I was certain that it was painful. I immediately picked up the pace to get away from them while yelling “bees, bees”.
“Momma’s Boy was the next runner behind me and he either didn’t hear my calls or he ignored them because he continued right into the middle of the swarm. I have only heard such swearing on trail once before when FMR was running down hill and suddenly found herself in the middle of acres of poison ivy. “Momma’s Boy” must have used the “F’ word 50 times as he was fighting off the wasps and telling the runners behind him to “go back”.
I ended up with about 8 stings. For the first 24 hours the stings were painful, but after 36 hours the pain had turned to just swelling and itching.
I once read an article that suggested that bee stings could cure arthritis. Between the bee stings that I got on trail a couple of years ago and the wasp stings that I got yesterday, I should now be immune to arthritis.