[at-l] Thinking About Ticks - Long

[shane@theplacewithnoname.com (Shane Steinkamp)]

I thought I'd take a shot at this...

> I started thinking about this and this process
> and how it differs when under...less than ideal
> conditions (in a shelter on week 12 of your thru
> hike attempt).

This is where a deeply ingrained 'ritual' is handy.  Lepers
are taught to do body checks, because they have no nerve
endings and can't tell if they are hurt.  I do the same
thing, since I am unusually pie-in-the-sky daydreaming, and
any number of things might attach themselves to me while I
am in this state.  Stop, look, feel.  Do it often.

> In order to do an effective tick check, you will
> have to disrobe and will
> probably be in your tent or under your tarp.  If
> you are particularly modest
> or staying in a shelter, you are likely to be
> trying to do this inside your
> bag, right?

NO!  NO!  NO!  NEVER!  You'll just wind up with ticks in
your bag!

Modesty, in the modern sense, has very little value on the
trail.  Would you rather get a nasty disease that have
someone else possibly see your naked butt?

I've never had difficulty, even in well traveled areas,
finding a nice little place to bathe and do a check.

> Problem one - these insects are really tiny.
> Conclusion one - if any of these
> guys are on me, it will just
> be happenstance that I spot them, even when I am
> looking.

Agreed.

> Problem two - How to remove what I can't see.
> Using my hands I check my
> body, hoping to feel the little guys.

> Only if I am Shane will I be cavorting
> around outside nekkid and
> inspecting the most private areas of my body.

See above...  Remember.  The enemy WANTS you to wear
clothes.  He LIKES clothes.  Finds nice little folds and...

> This is getting too long.  I think you get the
> picture. So, is there a
> better way?  I don't think what we have been
> telling people is particularly
> effective.

> Thoughts??  Advice?

I think about bugs like I think about war.  Removing a
wandering tick is your LAST line of defense.  If the tick
imbeds, you have lost the battle, and now you're just
performing damage control.  The KEY is to keep them off of
you in the first place.

This means DEET.  I know the ultralighters will go light
headed, and lots of people will tell me I am wrong, but
aerosol spray is really the only way to go for me.  Sure,
you can rub the little bottle of stuff on your skin, and I
use that too, but you need to do better than that for your
boots, gaiters, socks, and other clothing.  DEET doesn't
dissolve plastic, but the alcohol it's suspended in does -
so be careful.  The alcohol will destroy leather too, just
not as fast.  If you're using wooden hiking poles, put DEET
on the pole half-way up.  Keep the buggers from climbing to
your hand.  Personally, I hose myself down regularly.
Practically bathe in the stuff.

Down here in the DEEP south, ticks aren't such a bother.
Chiggers, what we call 'red bugs', however, are the bane of
your existence right after mosquitoes.  The remedy?  DEET.

OK, so you are a chemical war zone, reeking of something
that no bug can stand.  (If you spray a bug with DEET, does
he hate himself?)  Even this will not keep the enemy away.
There are special agents that have been trained to
infiltrate your defenses and have been genetically altered
to be immune to DEET.  What, then, is your next option?  A
blow torch?

No... SOAP!  Actually wash with soap.  Real soap.  Ivory.
Weary and I have stood on the soap box before, so you've
heard it all already...

Another friend of mine uses the soap you use for lice to get
rid of bugs, but I don't know how effective that is, or how
good it is for you, so I don't recommend it...

Next method:  Carry enough alcohol to give yourself an
alcohol bath.  A really good one.  Unfortunately four or
five ounces of alcohol for every day is a bit much to carry,
so I don't like it.  During high red-bug season, however, I
can be found with quite a lot of it...

Another method:  Smoke your clothes.  Get a nice smoky fire
and hang your clothes in the smoke.  Sure you reek, but the
bugs can't stand it.  Not recommended for synthetics.

Yet another method:  Scrape yourself with a knife.  Careful
around the good parts...  A nice long knife comes in handy
here.  I can't reach the middle of my back, but I can reach
it with the knife.  SCCCRRRAAPPE!

Remember:  Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is
to repel the enemy.  Failing that, you must remove the
enemy.  Start clean, stay clean.  That is all!  Carry on
soldier!

If someone would be so kind as to stop my rambling and pick
up with all the methods of tick removal, I would sure
appreciate it...

Shane