Hiking

[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.

[Crankin]

I also use Deet. I found a tic on my back 5 years ago, so i don't mess around.

[Pax]

We were hiking through ankle deep leaves and narrow trails with weeds on either side this weekend. I think when my wife gets home we'l be doing a full body check for hitchhikers.

[Catrin]

Thanks for the information, I never seem to think about checking their active season when I'm actually around an internet-connected device. I've always been a bit nervous about ticks since I don't have someone around to help me check. Even the mere thought makes my head itch It's been a couple years since I last found one on me, and that's when I gave up and went back to DEET.

[emily_in_nc]

Ticks, ugh! I picked a couple off earlier this year -- and off our dog as well. They were much prevalent in the southeast in the early summer, then we got out west and never saw another for the rest of the summer/early fall. By the time we got back to the midwest/east, the season seems to be over. When we lived in NC full-time, we always noticed them most from March through August and very seldom after that.

For those who are interested, I just posted a blog from our time at Natural Tunnel State Park in southwestern Virginia that features a bit of hiking. We were there in mid-October:

http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/t...rk-in-virginia

[Helene2013]

I found a few on my dogs over the years but mostly while traveling in the States. The worst place we found them by the dozens was in Missouri. A tornado was on its way and if we did not see 50-60 at once (they were everywhere around our little camper - trashcan, etc) we did not see one.

This season was a first for us to have our motorhome parked on a campground site in the Eastern townships. Lots of woods, walking trails on the campground itself. I checked the dogs almost daily...no ticks. And the veterinarian map said this area had a lot. I count myself lucky but we did avoid having the dogs (which means us too) walk on the sides of trails and in knee high weeds, just in case. Not tempting the devil. hihi

At home, in the yard, we try to make sure we trim our grass low enough, and the plants get trimmed and shaken often to make sure nothing clamps to it. We do what we can for our pets as I don't want them with lyme disease. And I'm not a fan of giving them chemicals just to kill a possible tick bite. And my 3 dogs are american eskimos...so very long double-coated fur. At least being white, I could see easily the tick if it hopped on them.

[Crankin]

The tic I found was in March, after a warm winter/early spring.
My toe/foot is better today. Not all better, but after coming home from spin early this morning and getting ready for work, I iced it for the 3d time in about 16 hours. Then, when I walked out the door, I realized I was not walking funny and I don't feel so much pain. I even walked to another building across the street, about 1/4 mile, to buy my lunch.
I am cancelling the group hike, but not because of the foot. We had to reschedule our theatre night to a Sunday matinee, and that was the day of the hike. Now I don't feel so stressed. If it is really better, I can hike that Saturday, but right now, I am focusing on riding.

[emily_in_nc]

Just published a blog post with photos/info from a lovely hike to waterfalls we took in Tennessee in mid-late Oct. Scroll past the campground info to find it:

http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/t...ational-forest

The center/top of the photos is washed out because I had a scratch on my camera lens -- terrible timing for that. It is out for repair now.

[Crankin]

Beautiful place, Emily.

[Catrin]

Emily - thanks for the great pictures in your blog! How aggressive was the trail? Is this the one you mentioned a couple weeks back, or am I confusing this with another hike?

[emily_in_nc]

Emily - thanks for the great pictures in your blog! How aggressive was the trail? Is this the one you mentioned a couple weeks back, or am I confusing this with another hike?

I think the one you're thinking about will be featured in my next blog post (Rattlesnake Ridge). That's the one that had over 2500' of climbing in a little over 4 miles and was tough! This one was around 1000' of climbing in a little less than a mile, so I guess that makes it a bit steeper, but I didn't find it aggressive since it was manageable in length. At least for me, the climbing that goes on and on and on is more difficult. This one had a few rocky bits here and there and a couple of stepped areas with rocks, along with a couple of rocky but not difficult creek crossings. I don't think you'd find it too tough. It seemed like a breeze after Rattlesnake Ridge!

[Catrin]

They both sound like fun! I tend to prefer trails that were designed with switchbacks rather that straight ups and downs, or at least my knees prefer that.Looking forward to seeing your next blog post!

[emily_in_nc]

Here's the post on the Rattlesnake Ridge hike that was so amazing, Catrin et al:

http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/t...g-fall-foliage

This will likely be our last real hike of the year since we're with my family now (busy with projects) and heading to Florida on Sunday for the winter. We sure had some great hikes this year, though!

[Crankin]

Did 6 miles on the Metacomet-Monadonock trail in Pelham, MA. It was really pretty, but the weather is foggy and gray. My foot survived, but nowhere near healed. Wearing boots actually made it feel better.

[emily_in_nc]

Well, I'll eat my words in my previous post...we ended up finding one more spot to hike on the way south from visiting my family. This was not strenuous hiking in the least but was gorgeous, and we had the trails to ourselves:

http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/t...ngs-state-park

I'd say we walked/hiked about 3.5 miles total. We had fun, and so did Paisley. She rarely gets to go on our hikes because of trail regulations or it just being too long/strenuous for her. This was just right.