Hiking

[Catrin]

I was in Ft Benjamin Harris State Park which is nice (and local) as long as you stick with the mtb trails, but I strongly suggest you hit Brown County State Park (mtb trails as the normal hiking trails have lots of steps), and McCormick's Creek State Park. Much more variety and better scenery.

I'm happy to show you whichever or both. The former has many more miles of trails and thus more variety of trails to choose. The latter is smaller, far less busy, a beautiful fall and different types of scenery. Both are in southern Indiana. There are others to choose from but they feature more aggressive terrain, ladders, scrambling, etc. Too much for my knees. I've been told that Clifty Falls State Park is also a good option for me but I've not yet been there. It's further from Indy than the other two.

I don't mess around with ticks, it's something with DEET for me.

[Pax]

Thanks, I've been to Brown County many many times and LOVE it. We were considering a Fall amble there this year, just not sure if we'll make it over with having to run to Chicago to see the new great niece. Right now I can't do much with steep sections, hopefully that will improve over time, but my right leg is just super weak right now.

Do you just spray around your ankles or do you have to do a full body spray? Hate using the stuff, but surely don't want a tick bite.

[Catrin]

Thanks, I've been to Brown County many many times and LOVE it. We were considering a Fall amble there this year, just not sure if we'll make it over with having to run to Chicago to see the new great niece. Right now I can't do much with steep sections, hopefully that will improve over time, but my right leg is just super weak right now.

Do you just spray around your ankles or do you have to do a full body spray? Hate using the stuff, but surely don't want a tick bite.

The mountain bike trails at the park varies Pax, I could recommend a couple of mtb trails that do not have long steep sections. There are some shorter sections that are a little steep but not bad at all - the switchbacks really help with that. Let me know if you plan on going this year, shin splints, schedule, and weather permitting I wouldn't mind joining you. I don't know anything about the parks in the northern part of the state so I can't advise there.

I am just as concerned with mosquitoes as I am ticks, so when I spray I pretty much hit all over. I don't ALWAYS spray however, only when it's hot and humid. I am a bit unclear when ticks are active, so I should perhaps reconsider. The few times I've found ticks they have been on my throat, and they DO fall out of the trees...

[Pax]

I'll definitely let you know if we head over!

Same here, not sure when they're active. I did find one on my head years ago, so now I try to wear a hat. Guess some tick research is in order.

[Pax]

So, a quick look around the net revealed this about ticks:

Adult ticks, which are approximately the size of sesame seeds, are most active from March to mid-May and from mid-August to November. Both nymphs and adults can transmit Lyme disease. Ticks can be active any time the temperature is above freezing.

As for prevention:

The best way to protect yourself against tickborne illness is to avoid tick bites. This includes avoiding known tick- infested areas. However, if you live in or visit wooded areas or areas with tall grass and weeds, follow these precautions to help prevent tick bites and decrease the risk of disease:

Wear protective clothing such as long-sleeved shirts, long trousers, boots or sturdy shoes and a head covering. (Ticks are easier to detect on light-colored clothing.) Tuck trouser cuffs in socks. Tape the area where pants and socks meet so ticks cannot crawl under clothing.

Apply insect repellent containing 10 percent to 30 percent DEET primarily to clothes. Apply sparingly to exposed skin. Do not spray directly to the face; spray the repellent onto hands and then apply to face. Avoid sensitive areas like the eyes, mouth and nasal membranes. Be sure to wash treated skin after coming indoors. Use repellents containing permethrin to treat clothes (especially pants, socks and shoes) but not skin. Always follow label directions; do not misuse or overuse repellents. Always supervise children in the use of repellents.

Walk in the center of trails so weeds do not brush against you. In camping areas, individuals who sit on the ground or disturb leaf litter on the forest floor may encounter ticks.

Check yourself, children and other family members every two to three hours for ticks. Most ticks seldom attach quickly and rarely transmit disease organisms until they have been attached four or more hours. If your pets spend time outdoors, check them for ticks, too.

If ticks are crawling on the outside of clothes, they can be removed with masking tape or cellophane tape. A ring of tape can be made around the hand by leaving the sticky side out and attaching the two ends. Ticks will stick to the tape which can then be folded over and then placed in the trash.

Gross!! Makes me itch just reading it.

[Catrin]

Pax, that is awesome! So nice you found that kind of facility. Walking is good, however we can do it, but that sounds better than having to stick to a treadmill + earplugs!

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[Pax]

I know you'll get this Catrin, I just love being able to walk and swing my arms and take bigger strides, seems we don't get to do that much around here until summer otherwise.

[Crankin]

I'd like watching those people, too. I used to walk or run with music, but I stopped and focus more on looking at my surroundings if I am outside. If I have to use the TM, it's usually not for more than a 5 min. warm up, so I just stare into space. I don't even have headphones to plug into the TVs! I do notice the people, though. I had a 6 year hiatus from my gym, and it kills me that the same people are on the same machines, doing the same thing. That would drive me nuts. Then there's the head shakers. They are moving to the music they have and it drives me nuts. One of them does this in spin. She obviously doesn't know about keeping your upper body still when you ride, so you don't waste energy. I can't look at her! I know this is weird. I think it comes from when I was teaching and you would notice every participant and their little "things." We had names for everyone. My favorite was the woman who came to class with her own headphones/music, stood in the corner, did her own moves, and sang *out loud* to her own music.The fitness director finally had to talk to her. Then there were the smelly people, the people who always went opposite of whatever direction you were going, the guys who had running shorts that, ah, showed too much when we would get on the floor (before spandex type shorts), and the ones who be in your face and think they were teaching.

[emily_in_nc]

LOL, Crankin! Your post reminded me of a guy who used to come to our Pilates classes at work (2x a week at lunchtime, taught by an excellent certified Pilates instructor) who was apt to let out a fart at any time.

He was a super nice guy, but really!?!

[Crankin]

That, too. I mean, sometimes people get what is euphemistically referred to as runner's diarrhea when they first start exercising, as it shocks their gut, which is not used to motility. DH and I have a joke that even looking at our cycling shoes causes the need to go! For me, it's more the anxiety of starting a ride.
I could go on and on, but it's no different than types of riders. There was this well known man named Ken Alan who taught workshops for instructors. One of the funniest things I heard him, say was a categorization of group fitness clients; The A's, B's, C's, and D's. He said what everyone thought. I correctly classified myself as a "B" and I continue to find the "A's" as distasteful as I did in 1987.

[Catrin]

Crankin, that sounds just plain wonderful! So.glad you got to do that, and I understand being nervous about leaving the marked trails.

It's a quagmire around here again...sigh.

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[Pax]

Crankin, that sounds just plain wonderful! So.glad you got to do that, and I understand being nervous about leaving the marked trails.

It's a quagmire around here again...sigh.

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Ditto, stepped off the path for a second yesterday and both boots caked up with mud. And I wasn't even going for a real hike, just a short walk and it's a bog again.

[north woods gal]

Crankin', I don't blame you a bit about getting nervous about leaving marked trails. I, for one, have an almost non-existent sense of direction, so getting turned around and lost is usually an ongoing nightmare for me. I just dread it. Haven't met too many people with worse. Then, too, you always hear about reports of people getting lost in parks and so on. This year, no way am I going into our backwoods without a GPS.

[emily_in_nc]

Crankin, your hike sounds like one that we did in the mountains in TN back in the fall -- lots of uphill hiking to a summit, then all the way back down. Definitely a challenge! It sounded very pretty.

BTW, in NC we lived on Monadnock Ridge Road for 10 years. It was a private road, named by the first landowner on it who hailed from New Hampshire. There was an old, unpaved rocky trail on the back of the property lines that used to be an actual road in the days when roads were used by horses only. There were remains of several old cabins on it, and it was informally called Ridge Road, so I guess that helped him name our actual road. Whenever I hear about Mount Monadnock, I think of our place in the beautiful hardwoods of North Carolina's Piedmont!

[Crankin]

That is so cool, Emily. Sounds like areas of central and western MA.
Northwoods, using the All trails app is like having GPS, you follow a "line" of a route that is already recorded, and you can see the other stuff around you, to take alternates. I have a good sense of direction, but not when I get in the woods. I just get anxious, even when we have the tools. DH has a horrible sense of direction and relies on technology for everything. I once (many years ago) let him take the wrong turn out of a theatre in downtown Phoenix when we were going home. For a second, I thought we might be going out for dessert, but no, we were heading toward north Phoenix, when we lived south, in Tempe, and had for many years. He just kept driving and I waited to see how long it took it to realize it! He is much better now, since living in MA forces you to work on this, with rambling country roads and names of streets that do not make sense.