[pct-l] ticks and the Sheltowee

[shon mcganty]

I got got back from hiking the Sheltowee Trail ("Trace" as they call it).
This was my first east coast hike, and ticks were everywhere.  I started counting the number of ticks I had to flick off me just to pass the time.  In the worse mile I flicked off 21 ticks.  Never seen so many ticks.
 
I had a system of walking and doing a tick check while walking.  The thing I learned was, when I look down for a quick tick check, is to learn where on your skin you have freckles, which do not flick off, no matter how hard you try.
 
About 90-95% of the time I found the tick before it bit me, but several had dug in.  A couple got me at night, so were in me for many hours.  I pulled them off with tweezers, but was left with a dot-sized red mark that in a few days began to itch.  It is now 1 1/2 weeks later and the red mark and itch is still there, but diminishing.  I was going to ask if this is par for the coarse, but I just read Diane's post, who said she still had the red mark 2 1/2 wks later.
 
If anyone wants to know about the Sheltowee Trace, feel free to pop my a questions.  It was an OK trail, good in places, lots and lots of road walking, made me realize just how great the PCT is.
 


________________________________
From: Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes <diane at santabarbarahikes.com>
To: pct-l at backcountry.net 
Sent: Wednesday, May 8, 2013 7:56 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] ticks


That's really the best way. All the other ways require you to leave  
the creepy little bugger in your skin while you fiddle with him. Once  
I see one, I just want him out NOW. Get him out before I get the  
heebeejeebees so bad I have to ask someone to do it for me.

I got a tick a couple weekends ago. One of those Western black legged  
ticks (Ixodes pacificus), the carriers for Lyme disease here in So  
Cal. I hope I didn't get Lyme disease. There wasn't a bulls-eye but  
two weeks and a half later there's still a red mark.