"Tick magnet"-Freaked out by ticks

[Grampahawk]

The ticks are really bad this season in the Northeast. I went out last week and here's what happened: I tucked my pants into my socks, and used a tick repellant with Deet. I think it was "Deep woods tick repellent" but am not totally sure since I was so pissed that it didn't work that I threw it out. Anyway, I looked down after a mile and I had about 12 ticks crawling up my legs. There were another 5 working their way through my socks. 3 Had gotten through my socks and were on my skin at the ankles. I had to go into a stream and sit on a rock to get them off me. Does anyone have a similar story? Am I a "tick magnet". I've never experienced anything like this before, but ticks freak me out.

[rpc]

that's why I started using this on myself:



seeing how well it worked on our dog and all (have not had any heartworm problems either since then)...on the downside, I seem to enjoy licking myself more than usual and can't pass a hydrant w/o pissing on it or a leg without giving it the ol' dry quick one.

[MoapaPk]

permethrin treatment on clothes is probably much more effective than DEET. You can still put DEET on the exposed parts of your body.

[Dingus Milktoast]

Tick weenies make me laugh. When a Californian spots a tick they go apeshit and call in a Hazmat crew. Its EMBARRASSING.

BOO!

hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Those of us who grew up in the south are like... what EVER.

DMT

[Dow Williams]

[Grampahawk]

[cp0915]

Granted, they're not anywhere near as creepy as ticks, but how about those effin' biting gnats??? I'm currently covered in itchy, strawberry-red welts.

[Dingus Milktoast]

[jspeigl]

Until I saw this article I didn't care about ticks and Lyme disease. I brushed one off me last time I was climbing in Joshua Tree. Then I read this story, I guess it can get pretty bad.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30725967/

[John Duffield]

I picked up about 200 of them plunging into the jungle to get a Scarlet Macaw photo in Belize. Didn't notice for a day or so. About 30 were clustered in one armpit. That joint hurt for about 6 months and then went away. Had them in places too sensitive too mention. They do fall out after a few weeks.

[MoapaPk]

[rasgoat]

Ticks are no joke. It's not funny. Try dealing with Lyme disease. It is an elusive, hard to diagnose disease that can really affect ones whole life. It is far worse a problem in the Northeast than anywhere else.

And yes to answer the question, I have noticed alot of ticks this year, much more than normal although I have not had a similar experience with so many at the same time.

[Dow Williams]

[1000Pks]

I've hiked in places on trails (or not) where I have picked up hundreds of them. Good to have a companion behind you to spot them and pick them off. I avoid some trails with histories of them, and pass the info on.

I did get bit three times, and while it turned out to be O.K., I did have to have a Lyme titer (diagnostic) done the last couple times, and that's a bit expensive (about $70 in 2000). The tick biting into you hurts a bit, and there's mental distress knowing you might be infected with a terrible disease.

From what I was told, a former companion died since he thought nothing of the bite and refused to get it checked out. He might still be around climbing hundreds more peaks, but so many hikers trivialize what is extremely serious.

Though I refrain lately from High Sierra trips when mosquitoes abound, due to West Nile Virus, I might start doing that again. It turned out that the mass death didn't happen, so better safe than sorry.

[Dow Williams]