more articles like this

Ticks
updated: May 07, 2012, 8:36 PM

By Edhat Subscriber

I'm thinking about backpacking from Cold Springs to Forbush but I am hearing there are a lot of ticks. Whats the deal, are they avoidable?

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 277803	2012-05-07 08:58 PM
Cover your limbs and wear substantial socks. In short, leave very little skin exposed. Rub "Off" on the exposed skin. Be sure to inspect your clothing thoroughly at the end of hike. Do both of you a favour and don't take your dog with you!
COMMENT 277818P	2012-05-08 06:30 AM
Cover up as much as possible, i.e. long pants tucked into socks and long-sleeved shirt tucked into pants. A scarf tied around your neck. They are more visible on lighter colored clothing. They're there, the trick is to keep them off your body.
COMMENT 277826	2012-05-08 07:22 AM
No
COMMENT 277828	2012-05-08 07:27 AM
A number of insect repellants are partially effective with ticks. If you do not like to put the stuff on your skin, put it on your outer clothing, especially on pants and socks. Pemethrin is especially good at repelling ticks and it should not be applied directly to skin.
COMMENT 277844	2012-05-08 08:16 AM
Does anyone know if there have been cases of Lyme Disease in the area?
COMMENT 277859	2012-05-08 08:35 AM
644 Yes.
COMMENT 277866	2012-05-08 08:40 AM
Is there more ticks than normal? Does it get worse every year regardless? Are there tick predators? Even the hills at Ellings Park are COVERED with ticks. Guranteed you'll get one or seven on any trip. Whasup!
COMMENT 277875P	2012-05-08 08:51 AM
Avoiding ticks requires that you avoid contact with vegetation. Unless you stay 100% on fire roads, that will prove impossible in the backcountry. The good thing about ticks is that it takes them awhile before they burrow into their host. Just stop periodically to remove them before they burrow. Ticks don't take heat very well, so you can hold a lighter or a match near them and they will be destroyed.
COMMENT 277877	2012-05-08 08:56 AM
What is the best way to remove ticks, once they have attached to you? I generally pull them off in a panic, but I know that's not the best way. I've heard you can smother them with petroleum jelly to make them let go...any better ideas?
DILLYDALLY	2012-05-08 09:02 AM
I am also very interested in tick removal. I dont get them often but I would like to know what works.
COMMENT 277889	2012-05-08 09:37 AM
Place tweezers at the base of the ticks body and pull straight out. Do not twist or turn the body when pulling out. You can apply an antibacterial cream (like neosporan) or natural antibacterial oil (like tea tree oil) to the area once the tick is removed.
COMMENT 277918	2012-05-08 11:05 AM
7866... I used to hike the front and back country on a regular basis 10+ years ago, always in shorts and never met any ticks. Today I wouldn't even consider hiking in shorts. Yes.... preponderance of ticks and abundance of poison oak is a newish phenomenon.... from my experience.
COMMENT 277935P	2012-05-08 11:47 AM
I set my one-day personal record of 74 ticks in March, 1996 while mountain biking the Camuesa Connector Trail. I was wearing shorts. I removed them all without having any of the critters burrow into me by stopping periodically and holding a lighter near them. As mentioned previously, they don't take heat well. My experience is that the ticks are always present in the springtime.
LUCKY 777	2012-05-08 12:59 PM
I rode Gaviota Peak last week and my companion had 4 ticks in her hair and took 25 off her quarter horse. Neither my mule nor I had any. Dumb luck, I guess. Fellow equestrians are saying it is a particularly bad year for them.
COMMENT 277975	2012-05-08 02:21 PM
OR pull them off with your fingernails acting as the tweezers. Much better control. The trick is to grab the tick at your skin level and pull slowly and steadily so that the head doesn't break off in your skin. You may have to twist a little. Petroleum jelly doesn't work quickly. Don't try the lighter to get crawling ticks off you. Just pick them off and throw them (off the trail). Yes there is Lyme disease here.
COMMENT 278014	2012-05-08 04:13 PM
The only thing that works for me is to slather on Quantum Health Buzz Away Extreme. It's deet-free and is non-greasy. It claims to keep ticks away for 2 1/2 hours. For me it works longer than this. Does anyone know of supplements that may help?
AQUAHOLIC	2012-05-08 05:09 PM
Most of the above are good suggestions. This definitely is a 'bad' year for ticks...a lot more than I normally encounter, both on my dog and myself. On Sunday, up at Arroyo Hondo, I went off trail a few times for photography's sake. When I got home and was processing my photos I felt crawlies in my shirt and pants...found 8 of them! None had attached. You will need to inspect yourself and strip off clothing and inspect there too...not much else you can do. I wouldn't let ticks stop me from hiking. Cold Springs trail is well maintained to the top of Camino Cielo...not sure about down the other side into Forbush. Have fun!

35% of comments on this page were made by Edhat Community Members.