Need Advice about Ticks from those who live on the East Coast.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

My son will be hiking the Appalachian Trail for 6 months starting in April.  He has been warned on many of his research sites about ticks being a real problem.   From all of your posts over the years, I KNOW this is so true. But, we live in Ohio and do not have the severity as you have and we dont have that experience on a daily basis. 

What do you use on yourselves?  What works?  I read dryer sheets. True?  Any other natural remedies. Store bought solutions?

Being an outdoor person  myself, I dont know how you all manage day to day summer activities.  

What exactly do you do besides avoid the outdoors all together?

Thank you in advance!

 

[F, Calla & Luca]

The only guaranteed preventative is DEET. If you are hiking in a tick, mosquito etc. infested area wear long pants tucked into socks and long sleeves preferably. Then you can spray your clothing and just use small amounts of DEET on yor exposed skin. I have major reactions to mosquito bites so I often use a DEET product if I am spending time outside in good weather. Mosquitoes love me.
http://www.alpineinterface.com/blog/2013/05/14/hiking-season-how-to...

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Thank you, F.   DEET it is then.  

Mosquitoes and Me. We all love you

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Joanne -- My Brother is an Applachian Trail Walker as well.  He started out two years ago to walk straight through and ended up deciding to be a section hiker.  To date he has walked probably close to 1000 miles of it or more.  If your Son would like, my Brother kept a journal on TrailJournals.com.  His trail name is Bazinga.  He has a list of all his equipment and everything that he took and used.  He can also e-mail my Brother on there if he has any questions.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

L and A's Mom.  Really?  Seriously?  That is really awesome.

I have linked this discussion to him.  He is not a member but he will be able to get all the info and the link you provided.  Thank you so much

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

F is right. I trekked in Mosquito infested Brazil in an area with Dengue Fever  and was with a group most of whom used 'natural' remedies. I brought the highest concentration of Deet that I could find. I was accused of polluting the atmosphere with chemicals! I even got the nickname Napalm Nicky Lol I had the last laugh (not funny though) when several people got badly bitten and one ended up in serious trouble.  I was bite free. Ps I also got the job of removing ticks from the men after they swam in a river!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I did a quick search on Trailjournals.com for "ticks".   Here is a link to the responses. These are all from people who have either walked the trail or are planning to:  

 http://www.trailjournals.com/qsearch.cfm?domains=www.trailjournals....

[Sharon & Monty]

F has it right.  We live in the woods with the deer, bear and the like.  Our Monty year round will come in with deer ticks, very teeny, weeny specks. Easy to find on him because he is white, but also has tick preventative on him that should kill the buggers.  But us humans have to be much more vigilant. they can attach to you and you will never know till a few days pass when they bloat up with our blood.  

I have always did hair line checks, but be warned, when the first get hold, even running your fingers against your scalp does not mean a tick isnt there, you really cant feel them if they are small.  

Spray that crap on yourself,  I dont like using it, so I spray the stuff on my clothes instead of skin. But keep checking even days later. 

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

Is he walking with other people? I backpacked a 26 mile hike last summer in Southern Indiana and Northern KY (maybe someday the Appalachian!) I was with 3 other women and we would do tick checks for each other for places we couldn't see. We wore long pants, but it got hot, so we zipped the bottoms off. I feel that overheating is worse than a tick. ;)

I was in the back with one other lady and we got the least ticks. We figure it's because the other 2 got attacked first. Lol

Anyway, deet is really the only thing that will deter them, but they can still find their way on your body. I'm sure he already knows this, but to avoid them he should also wear light colored clothing - they are attracted to body heat. It's not going to prevent it totally, but they won't zone in on him as easily. He also will want to do a whole body check every evening for any that might have decided to cling on to him.

We went at the end of April and it was the beginning of tick season - so lots of tiny ticks all over! There they called them turkey ticks, but they are the same as deer ticks.

While backpacking there are a lot of different concerns, but the experience far outweighs the negative aspects. I lost 9 toenails and had blisters all over my feet (learned some lessons about foot care to avoid this the next time around). I'm going out the end of April for a 50 mile trek - this will be only my second long (for me) backpacking hike. When I finished the other one I said I might not ever do that again, but as soon as my friends planned another, I said I'm in!

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

Oh and have him leave his gear outside when he returns until he can take care of it. I got back late and the only thing I had energy for was to take a shower and then to bed. I don't think I got to my pack for two days after. The day after I think I barely moved from the couch. ;)

[Alex]

This seems right. I'm not sure there is really a good way to prevent getting *any* ticks unless someone is checking you at the end of the day and picking them off. Then with the combination of Deet, maybe. There are a *lot* of ticks out there, and the prevalence of Lymes is high.

When we first got Baci, we took him out for a hike in the woods in late October, after it was cooled down, and before he was on tick preventative. After a 2 hour jaunt, we found TWELVE tickets on him when we came home. We recently moved to California, and while it might sound crazy, one of the things I like most about it is no longer having to live in constant terror of ticks and Lymes (there are ticks, but fewer, and less diseased). I'd love to hike the Appalachian. But I'm not sure I would ever would (again), exactly for this reason.

[Anne & Mr. Haley]

From a person who avoids chemicals I do use DEET for ticks and mosquitoes with out hesitation. I do have the option of washing it off at the end of the day. It is impossible to wear long sleeves and pants in the summer where I live in Virginia.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

You all are so helpful  Thank YOU.

I am always amazed how much I learn about people from a post!  Who knew!

I have never used DEET.  

Shows you how much I know