Tick Season!

Share your tips for safe hiking, surviving in the wild and managing hiking injuries!
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Splintercat
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Tick Season!

Post by Splintercat » March 8th, 2014, 10:34 am

I generally don't promote posts on my blog here (well, except for that pesky WyEast Blog link on my signature... ahem...), but it's tick season, so I thought I'd post a link to what has continued to be the No. 2 post since I started the blog in 2008:

Ticks! Ticks! (10 Common Myths)

There are some interesting comments below the article, too, from people who've contracted Lyme disease from ticks in the Gorge -- a good reminder that this is something all hikers should take seriously! :?

But don't let this stop you from enjoying the Gorge -- I wrote the article for just the opposite reason: to help people ensure that people DO visit the Gorge, but with the safety that knowledge brings.

Tom :)

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retired jerry
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Re: Tick Season!

Post by retired jerry » March 8th, 2014, 11:55 am

I appreciate the links to your website you post here. Good info.

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BrianEdwards
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Re: Tick Season!

Post by BrianEdwards » March 8th, 2014, 12:15 pm

Rain gear has been a good deterrent to ticks when hiking through the brush. Seems to seal them out. Back when I just wore jeans and a long sleeve t shirt, I would come home with several on me at times.
Clackamas River Waterfall Project - 95 Documented, 18 to go.

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Grannyhiker
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Re: Tick Season!

Post by Grannyhiker » March 8th, 2014, 2:33 pm

Good writeup, Tom! I especially appreciated "The Scream"!

Back when I was a kid in Wyoming, Lyme disease was unknown, but there was lots of concern about Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, which could kill you. I had to get shots, 4 per year, a month apart, for the first three years; then three per year, offered in the public schools. In college, I got them for free at the student health service. By the late 1950's antibiotics were developed that would knock it, so no more feeling like a human pincushion.

In health classes we got to see movies featuring greatly enlarged crawling ticks (itch, itch) (no, not horror movies, just documentaries) which included clothing advice that is still applicable--wear long sleeves, long pants, tuck pants in socks, tuck shirt in pants. Today we have gaiters which are far better than trying to keep pant legs tucked into socks. We also now have permethrin to spray on our clothing. Be sure to follow the directions on the label carefully--it is a pesticide and, especially when still liquid, is not exactly harmless. As Tom says, keep the spray and anything treated with it well away from your cats.

For your dog, I've read reports that Frontline is not as effective as it used to be--fleas, at least, are becoming resistant to it. I don't know about ticks. BTW, Frontline's active ingredient is not permethrin but another chemical (fipronil). The latest batch I used on my daughter's dog (still staying with me) did not work for fleas, so I got him K9 Advantix (not Advantage). The cheap brands don't work! If you're not sure, if your dog uses another product (which may not work for ticks) or your dog is sensitive to such products, please ask your veterinarian. It needs to be applied at least 24 hours before meeting ticks and must be renewed monthly. Note that this stuff isn't a repellent; it kills the ticks an hour or so after they bite, before the ticks release their stomach contents. That's why you'll often find ticks on your dog even when he's been treated. Be sure to check the dog before putting him in the car--a quick combing is a good idea, plus another one after you get home.

Oh, and if you itch (I'm itching now!), look before you scratch!

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Waffle Stomper
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Re: Tick Season!

Post by Waffle Stomper » March 8th, 2014, 3:12 pm

My vet told me the same about Frontline. K9 advantix is no good if you have cats and they might lick your dog's coat.
"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." - John Muir

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kepPNW
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Re: Tick Season!

Post by kepPNW » March 8th, 2014, 3:24 pm

I think the worst part is, dealing with the "phantom" sensation of them crawling on you long after the hike is over. I was just fine, until I pulled an embedded one out of me yesterday on the way home. (Yeah, while driving down SR-14, I could totally feel him dig in!) Today, I'm still getting that nasty feeling of hosting hitchhikers. :? :lol:
Karl
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VanMarmot
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Re: Tick Season!

Post by VanMarmot » March 8th, 2014, 3:47 pm

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Waffle Stomper
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Re: Tick Season!

Post by Waffle Stomper » March 8th, 2014, 4:50 pm

kepPNW wrote:I think the worst part is, dealing with the "phantom" sensation of them crawling on you long after the hike is over. I was just fine, until I pulled an embedded one out of me yesterday on the way home. (Yeah, while driving down SR-14, I could totally feel him dig in!) Today, I'm still getting that nasty feeling of hosting hitchhikers. :? :lol:
I hate that feeling too.
"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." - John Muir

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Splintercat
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Re: Tick Season!

Post by Splintercat » March 8th, 2014, 10:01 pm

I think the worst part is, dealing with the "phantom" sensation of them crawling on you long after the hike is over.
Uh-huh! I've posted this before, but it bears repeating: a couple years ago, I came home from McCall Point and pulled a tick from my shoulder before getting into the shower -- I'm pretty good with a mirror doing a tick check, plus I always take a shower and wash all my clothes immediately after coming home from tick/PO country.

So... I got out of the shower and was sitting at my desk in shorts/flip-flops downloading photos from the day, and scratched my chin and *felt* something drop from my beard (which is very short -- I can definitely spot ticks there with a mirror). I looked around on the floor a bit, thought it was my creepy crawly imagination... then felt something crawling on my ankle..! Ack! Sure enough, it was a tick and I watched him VERY quickly march right up my calf..! So, grabbed a piece of Scotch tape and now he's hanging on my bulletin board, entombed in plastic tape forever.

So... this episode tightened up my mirror/self-check routine a lot, as this tick also manage to survive a shower & shampoo... and STILL come back for more! Not that I can find it in myself to admire a tick, but you do have to give them high marks for determination!

I'm a tick magnet, BTW. Never have had a PO reaction, but I've brought home numerous ticks, despite following all of the basic protocols. Must be all that extra CO2 from my huffing and puffing that makes me glow like Chernobyl on their little tick radar...

:lol:

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Crusak
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Re: Tick Season!

Post by Crusak » March 9th, 2014, 10:51 am

Thanks for reposting this information, Splintercat. I'm not exactly sure but it seems like the ticks are more numerous around here than they used to be.
kepPNW wrote:I think the worst part is, dealing with the "phantom" sensation of them crawling on you long after the hike is over. I was just fine, until I pulled an embedded one out of me yesterday on the way home. (Yeah, while driving down SR-14, I could totally feel him dig in!) Today, I'm still getting that nasty feeling of hosting hitchhikers. :? :lol:
Karl! You got bit? Oh noes. The tick bites I got last year left lasting sores that took forever to heal.
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