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As Spring grows warm around our region, TICKS come out to play. Tuesday, March 26th I did a training hike just north of Kellogg. Up near the top I stopped for a bite to eat. And there it was. Heading up my pant leg was, 2024’s first tick. I watched it until it got to my knee, then flicked it off. THIS IS AN UPDATE….since 4.2.24 (today is the 6th)I have picked off four ticks and extracted one from my chest. PLEASE examine your self and your clothes carefully. You might even have a change of clothes and a plastic bag to put your hiking clothes into before you get in your car. David and I have created a whole section on ticks, why they climb onto us, what they do once they have snagged your pant legs, and how to deal with an imbedded tick. Ticks climb up animals legs, heading for the back of the deer, elk or other critter’s necks to imbed. Why you ask? A deer, elk or most other large animals can’t scratch the back of their necks, to dislodge the ticks. Elk are huge and majestic animals, but an infection of many ticks can kill a deer, moose, or elk, painfully. That’s why they move up your body to imbed. Ticks can be temporary stopped under belts, elastic of underwear, bra straps, pant leg zipper flaps, or any other restriction. Washing machines do not kill ticks. It is your responsibility to carefully examine yourself or others. Examine your hiking clothes, seams, folds, and any place a tick can hide, or is restricted. PREVENTION Ticks climb up low laying grasses or twigs, and wait for something furry to snag onto. If you wear light colored pant and shirts, they become easier for you, or your hiking partners to spot them, and flick them off of you. If you tuck your pant legs into your socks, they don’t have an avenue to get to your skin. Same goes for your waist. During your hike, keep a close eye out for them anywhere on your body, clothes, or hair.  WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND AN IMBEDDED TICK
A tick takes about 24 to 36 hours to crawl up your body looking for a place to attach to you. In that period of time, have your self, spouse or others, examine every square inch of your skin, for ticks that can be the size of a pin head to about a quarter of an inch in diameter. They don’t lay flat on the skin necessarily but rather burry their heads, leaving their bodies sticking up. Check armpits and belly buttons. If a tick is found imbedded in your skin, follow the procedures listed in our WILDLIFE section. https://www.inlandnwroutes.com/wildlife1.html Basically, clean the area around the tick, with an alcohol wipe. Use a set of flat blade tweezers to gently but firmly extract the tick. The tweezers should come in from the side, and grasp the tick at your skins level. After ticks imbed in your skin, they have barbs and use a “glue” to anchor themselves. (So scratching won’t extract them, necessarily.) With the tweezers, keep them horizontal to your skin, and pull straight up. Because of how they attach to us, they are difficult to break loose of your skin. DO NOT squeeze to hard. It may cause them to vomit in your wound. DO NOT DISCARD A TICK THATS BEEN IMBEDDED. DO NOT THROW THEM AWAY! Once you get the tick out of your skin, examine it carefully. If the tick is missing any of its 8 legs, or mouth parts, YOU NEEED TO DEAL WITH IT IMMEDIATELY. Use alcohol wipes to sterilize the area. Then examine the wound for ANY, usually dark spots under your skin or in your wound. If you see a dark spot, use a fingernail to dig in the wound to get it cleaned out. If a tick part is left in your skin, it could infect the area, and cause greater issues. After all that, clean the area affected with alcohol wipes, and place a band aid over the wound. DO NOT DISCARD THE IMBEDDED TICK If by chance the affected area turns red, or proceeds to red target shaped circles, see your doctor IMMEDIATELY. The reason we want you to keep the extracted tick is simple. It may take days for your blood test to confirm a specific illness. But it may only take hours for medical personnel to confirm that the tick was infected. After extraction, I put them in a small jar and keep them in the freezer until I’m cleared of any infection. Date the jar, and discard after a year, just to be safe. TICKS ARE COOL LITTLE CRITTERS Did I just say they are “cool”? Yes, I did. Do you know a tick is actually an arachnid (spider). They have 8 legs. Did you know, you can not kill a tick with your bare hands? That is, until it’s engorged with blood. They are so well adapted to what they do, they are ballistic until engorged. If you find one on your clothes, put it on a finger and examine it as it walks around. IT WILL NOT BITE YOU. TICKS DO NOT BITE. PLEASE log onto the url above to read our thorough article on ticks and exactly how to safely extract them. There are illustrations on how to properly extract a tick. If you arm yourself with knowledge, the chances of getting infected are slim. While you are in the WILDLIFE section, read about bears, rattlesnakes, and Poison Ivy, and more. We are committed to keeping you up to date on all aspects of our website’s information. Thank You for using our website. If you have specific questions, please email me at……[email protected] Chic David InlandNWRoutes.com
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blog-51-2024-two-bear-air-rescue-info.htmlblog-51-2024-two-bear-air-rescue-info.html
BE SURE TO WATCH THIS VIDEO https://vimeo.com/921329656 Hi InlandNWRoutes Readers, Today I would like to tell you about a group of people from Montana that has rescued one of our own, at no cost. Two Bear Air video https://vimeo.com/921329656 TWO BEAR AIR RESCUE SERVICE TWO BEAR AIR flies out of the Kalispell area, all over Eastern Washington, all of Montana & Idaho and more. They are equipped with the latest helicopter technology and the most trained and extraction rescue personnel in the business. Early last year, a hiker was injured, and could not get out on their own or with the other hikers help. 911 was called, and within hours, a helicopter was hovering overhead. The injured hiker was hauled up to the helicopter thru the trees, and flown to Lookout Pass Ski Area, where there was an ambulance waiting. First the Shoshone County Sheriff’s office was called for help. They dispatched three rescue personnel to find us and evaluate the injuries. The SAR officer called TWO BEAR AIR and explained the circumstances. Within 1.5 hours, the helicopter was overhead, and the injured person was on the way to get medical help. Now let me explain something. When 911 is called, it take many hours to build a rescue team, get to the garage and trailer and snowmobiles, and get to a launch point for the rescue. If the terrain is rough, it take time to get to the victim on foot. In the above case, we were only 3 miles from Mullan, but it took over 5+ hours, before the injured party was extracted. During that time, the others on the hike need to attend to all the victims needs, making sure they don’t get cold or wet. Drink water if it’s not a hazard from the injury, treat for shock if needed, or stop any bleeding. If the victim is or goes unconscious, you need to know exactly what to do. First Aid & CPR may be needed. You and the others on the trip may need to administer CPR. David and I strongly encourage all of you to take a certified CPR and First Aid course. All hikers should know, what to do in an emergency. This scenario , although serious, was not a life threatening, and the victim is already back hiking. Below are several BLOGS that I have written, that relate to the above story. PLEASE, read all these url(s) to familiarize yourself with what is needed during a time of an emergency. They may save you or a hiking partner from undo stress and evacuation perils. Davis and my goal, is to inform our readers of what precautions that need to go into the planning phase, the actual hike, and any scenario that may arise. BLOG #27 CALL 911 ONLY IN AN EMERGENCY BLOG #9. AIRFLARE RESCUE APP FOR YOUR PHONE BLOG #13. THE IMPORTANCE OF CARRYING A PACK AND 13 ESSENTIALS BLOG #19 WHAT DOES A RESCUE LOOK LIKE? BLOG #23. MEDICAL INFORMATION CARD (MIC) BLOG #36. 13+ ESSENTIALS & MORE If you would like to contact me, David has placed an envelope link at the bottom of every page, or below. Or [email protected] THANK YOU, for reading our website and our BLOGS. Chic David https://www.inlandnwroutes.com A WAY TO SEE WHERE YOU ARE AT, IF UNCLEAR. In early March 2024, while skiing SOB at Silver Mt., I skied out of bounds because of the luscious fluff. (Powder) When I realized what I had done, I stopped and pulled out my phone. I accessed the app…Ski Tracker. This app is used by skiers, snowshoers, and more to track their day’s activities. I use it to record my ski day’s journey. One of the features is Apple Map. It shows you your days skiing stats.m What I did was start the app, ski hiked up a ways, and consulted the map. It showed me exactly where I was, and where the trail I missed was, in relation to me. This gave me the info I needed to get up to the ski trail in the shortest and easiest way. Because it was the last run of the day, and I was 444verts below the trail, I was very concerned. I texted my ski buddy to notify the Ski Patrol, and started my traverse up to the trail. When I got to the chair lift, I borrowed their radio, and let the Ski Patrol know I was out and okay. Ski Tracker Lite, is a free app that can do all I described above. If you download it, you can put it in a snowshoe mode, that will track you, and give you info on your day’s hike. The app shows you your distance walked, elevation gain or loss, length of time you were out, highest angle walked up and down, speed you were walking, and altitude.  What this app did for me, was set my mind at ease, and show me that my error wasn’t terminal.
With lots of effort, I ski climbed, without skins, up to the trail, and back to the Mountain House. This app can be a life saver, and it’s free. Download….ski tracker lite, and know you have an avenue to see where you are at, when needed. AIRFLARE https://airflare.com Also, since I’m on the topic of getting unlost, there is another rescue app that I have downloaded to my phone. When there is an emergency, push the SOS button and it sends authorities your exact co-ordinance. If you move, push the SOS button to show your new location. NOW THE COOL PART The AirFlare app only costs $4.99 per YEAR. Most of the area ski hills utilize AirFlare. Check it out. But like any rescue, it takes hours to form the search party, and eventually get to you. Be patient and make yourself or your victim as comfortable as possible. And keep the victim warm and hydrated if it’s safe to do so. Have way toooo much fun, and be safe, and PLEASE be prepared. Thank You for reading our website. Chic David https://www.inlandnwroutes.com PRAIRE STARS SPRING 2024 WILDFLOWER SEASON
When skiing is slushy, or come to an end, I drive west into the Washington Channeled Scablands. March and April are wildflower months in The Scabs. Below are hikes in The Scabs that are sure to impress you. HOG CANYON https://www.inlandnwroutes.com/hog-canyon--falls.html ESCURE RANCH & TOWELL FALLS https://www.inlandnwroutes.com/escure-ranch.html NORTHRUP CANYON https://www.inlandnwroutes.com/northrup-canyon.html These two hikes can be done in one day STEAMBOAT ROCK https://www.inlandnwroutes.com/steamboat-rock.html FISHTRAP LAKE https://www.inlandnwroutes.com/fishtrap-lake.html JUNIPER DUNES WILDERNESS https://www.inlandnwroutes.com/juniper-dunes-wilderness.html SUN LAKES S.P. & DRY FALLS https://www.inlandnwroutes.com/sun-lakes-s-p-dry-falls-area.html Keep in mind, the wildflowers only last a short time in the Spring heat. By the end of April, might be too late for flowers. To make sure your trip will be sunny and nice, log onto…. WEATHER.GOV. Skip the “DETAILED FORECAST” words. They don’t tell the whole story. Then scroll down until you see the HOURLY WEATHER FORECAST. Click on the graph and study the data supplied. Basically it spells out the days hour by hour. I have notice over the years that the timing of a storm or sunshine is more accurate than the quantity of possible precipitation. It would be wise to call the area you wish to visit, to see when prime wildflowers are present. You can find the managing agencies phone numbers in each hikes write up. Enjoy the Spring by taking a walk, and seeing for yourself. Chic David InlandNWRoutes.com Winter time activities have taken a hit because of too little snow, rain, and/or unsafe conditions.
So as Winter melts away and Spring springs, keep vigilant on making sure you take adequate warm clothes, food and water. Until you have done a hike or two in which all the extra supplies aren’t needed, take gear as if it’s Winter. You can always stow it away, but if you don’t have it, the hike will be less fun. In the old days, I was teased because I always had 2 or 3 of everything, if someone needed an item, I had it. Plan ahead. I have lists for each of my needed for each type of activity. This way, I rarely forget stuff. And as Winter melts, treating your technical gear and ski gear, is important to do right away. Don’t let them stay unwashed until next ski season. Our RESOURCE SECTION and the BLOG below has a method that I’ve used for decades. Time-to-treat-your-outdoor-gear.html The Durable Water Repellent from https://www.gearaid.com, is a good choice to waterproof your gear. It’s a non-PFAS waterproof spray that works great. The key to washing technical jackets and pants is to use the proper laundry soap. I suggest Arm & Hammer powder soap. Check out the BLOG above for cleaning instructions. While you are at it, treat all your gear, skis, goggles, gloves, etc. so they can be ready for use as needed. Chic Burge David Crafton InlandNWRoutes.com |
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