BLOG #52 TICKS ARE IN OUR FUTURE

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