How to deal with TICKS on the Appalachian Trail
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- Опубликовано: 17 июл 2024
- The biggest threat on the Appalachian Trail comes in at the size of a poppy seed. These small insects carry a disease that not only will force you off the Trail, but will likely cause you muscle and joint problems the rest of your life.
Luckily, there are some great ways to prevent these blood suckers from even coming into contact with you. Don't miss this episode on "How I dealt with Ticks on the A.T."
Sawyer Permethrin: amzn.to/2kOjBBY
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Excellent video, as always!
And here's the crazy thing - Lyme disease is not the only infectious disease spread by ticks. Here in upstate NY, ticks also carry the vectors for anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, and babesiosis. Babesia is more common in Connecticut, but I've seen cases of anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis. By report, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Powassan Virus have also been detected, but these are significantly rarer events.
My first autopsy was a patient who died of overwhelming Babesia infection. I have a few friends who have been disabled for years due to chronic Lyme disease. You gotta take this stuff seriously. Good prevention is critical.
Stay safe!
Again, many thanks!
Wow, so scary 😧
I watched this video before my 2017 AT thru hike. I made it a key element to check for ticks every night. Sure enough i found ticks all the time even in areas of my body that are difficult to check for. Never gave it much thought until this video. Thanks for this video. Very informative and helpful.
Permethrin is actually supposed to kill them on contact, not just repel them. Sawyer is supposed to be "better" than generics because it supposedly has binding agents that make it bind to your clothing and outlast more washing cycles than plain mixes. Gaiters can also help, they prevent ticks from jumping onto your leg and crawling up.
I'm in the midwest and ticks are horrible. I now buy the concentrate and just mix it in a 2 gallon garden sprayer and douse everything I have. Even with all the treatment I was hiking in northern Wisconsin and every few hundred yards I'd look at my pants and there would be a bunch of them scrambling up. Most would fall off after a while but I was amazed how far up some of them get. Of course even after all that I found dead ticks in my pockets and in my shoes. I was wearing the zip off pants and I found a bunch of dead ones in the fold over the zipper. What's funny is if you strip down to your underwear in the trailhead parking lot people know why. Really I have no idea how the animals out there can stand that.
I believe only deer ticks carry Lyme disease and they are so small you will never see them. I am from the midwest I have had plenty of ticks on me and my dogs. Brown ticks, wood ticks, they are not fun, but I am pretty sure they are not carriers of Lyme.
That's right.
Really useful info, thanks a ton.
amazing stories and the channel!!!!!!!!!!!
This is serious. Thanks for posting. I had Lyme disease and i had to quit my job. 100% now
Thanks a lot...very good info.
Thanks Bigfoot Good info, Starting a section hike in July
Very good especially for a newbie like me.
Thx
good job a good dose of common sense goes a long way
Watched your video. I am a hunter in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey which is infested with ticks and chiggers. Bought the sawyers permethrin and wow! Its a miracle. we have found no ticks on us at all. Thanks brother!! Now I got to stock up so I always have it
+BigWillyDawg 👍
Thanks for this valuable information. I will use the solution to treat my clothes and gear for some of my upcoming hikes, and one of them is in Northern Wisconsin! Yikes!
Great info Bigfoot, I agree that they like to get aboard on your shoes or socks. I hadn't heard of permetherin during my hike so I used what was available at Walmart which was Cutter (95% deet) and sprayed my boots, sock tops and pant legs every morning. I understood how effective this was in Virginia when everyone in my group stopped for lunch and I was the only person not to have a tick on me, the rest had several, all in their socks. I hate those darn things!
the trek/applachian trials has a survey about what people used on trail.(deet,promethrin,insect sprayy,etc..great video by the way....I already have it so for people that don't plan too or hate ticks this a great video..PA was the worst I've seen in the dead of summer..they were all over
Nice video! Thanks again for your good advices!
I would like to see how you dealt with rain. expecially in the morning, how you manage to pack all your stuff and your tent in the morning with the rain.
+Martin Auclair Great questions. Thank you!
Pack everything up in tent or better yet a tarp (you will be more dry in tarp) . Put on rain gear, unless very warm. Shake off tarp, roll it fast, and put it on pack. Commece to walking. When it rains your wet, can't be avoided. Just keep your bed roll dry at all cost. Packing in morning rain is when embracing the suck comes in. You will have good stories for the grand babies.
Bigfoot thanks for doing the video this will help a lot of us out. I will be starting my thru hike end of Feb. Thanks again...
+MTMike Very welcome Mike!
Thank you
im not a hiker, (yet) but I spend alot of time in the woods foraging wild mushrooms. and ticks are no joke! every single time I've gone out in the spring, I've found them on me. thanks for the info. i hope to get on the trail one day.
Another great video! I ordered two bottles of the stuff from Amazon. It was $31.48 with tax.
There are a lot of misconceptions that people have about how ticks get on a person (or animal) that I wish you could cover. For example -- Myth #1 is that they drop from trees. Other things like the temperature range in which they are active would be useful. Had an unpleasant surprise last year when I took my dog on a camping trip in early March in the Great Lakes area. Daytime temperatures barely touched 60F but my pup came back with 7 ticks on her and positive for lymes. Bummer. Nice work BTW. Subbed.
Tweezers are not recommended by medical professionals in the removal of ticks. They regurgitate the contents of their stomachs when squeezed. Medical personnel use what's called a tick twister to remove ticks. You can get them on Amazon or from most veterinarians as they're also used to remove ticks on pets.
Great video. Just a Little tip. When pulling tics off with tweezers do not pull hold tic with tweezers use rubbing alcohol and the tic will back out
Great video. I have chronic Lyme for 13 years. It changed and has affected my entire life. Please take ticks seriously, Lyme is much more dangerous than bears or anything else on the trail. One thing: The rash shows up only 50% of the time. So, please don't think that if you didn't have a rash you don't have Lyme, that is not true.
Thank you HRN for sharing your own experience on this matter. I couldn't agree with you more. Also, really appreciate the comment about the rash.
Thank you for your comment. I would recommend all AT thruhikers to periodically test for Lyme throughout their hike. Usually snap test can be performed in any walk-in clinic and takes few minutes. This is a good warranty in case you missed the symptoms or they did not appear. When you are out in the woods all the time and take showers only every 3-5 days, missing tick on your body is common.
Sorry about your illness. Just get off under 24 hours.
I would love to see a video on how you use permethrin on your clothes/tent
Thanks!
I was scratching during the entire video... :-) Great info, thanks!
+M A Walker 😊
Some Walmarts are carrying Sawyers. I use 10% permethrin concentrate, dilute to .05%, and soak clothing in one gallon freezer bag giving more thorough coverage than spraying, but same life span of six weeks/ 6 washings.
+airborneshodan Thanks for sharing!
The treatment for Lyme Disease is IV Doxycycline. After 3 or 4 days it starts to burn out the veins. Every time they came in my room with a other bag, I knew I would be in tears for the next four hours. After about 5 days in the hospital they switched me to an oral dosage of Doxycycline. After I was discharged the doctor said to keep taking for another six weeks to prevent any long term complications. I have had no after effects other than avoiding areas where ticks may be present.
Hi Bigfoot! I would love to hear from you about the packs and tents you see most on the trail and any feedback you get from their owners. I know your schedule didn't allow you to hang out with a lot of people, but any info is better than none. I'm in the process of going light or ultralight and it would add great value to hear from people who really used those brands/models on a long trail. Thank you!
+Endo Man Thanks for the idea Endo man. I will consider this. I will probably reach out to some hikers to solicit feedback before I do the video.
Excellent video! This is my greatest concern going into my thru-hike so I really appreciate hearing your tried and true advice. Question, the places that offer free shower showers along the way, do they provide soap/shampoo or did you carry that yourself? Thank you!!
Most do not. What I did was grab one of those free small viles of shampoo when I was at a motel for the mid-atlantic states that I came across this often. If I ran out, I would keep the vile and just pump hand soap from the sinks and use that. Hope that helps.
Follow Bigfoot thanks!!
Heat a needle red hot, hold it just above the ticks head, you don't actually want to burn him but heat up the area and he'll become uncomfortable and release his hold. Using tweezers can pull his head off, leaving it inside your skin and letting it continue transmitting infection. This works like a charm and is very effective, stop everything and do this correctly if you get a tick. Let him continue biting you and remain calm until you get something metal heated up to smoke him out of there, again... do not burn him, but heat up the area and he will become uncomfortable and release.
How did you resupply permethrin on the trail? Did you bounce a bottle ahead or just ship a new one?
thanks big foot. learned alot from this video. can u do how u bathe on the at or any hiking trail in short acting. do u collect water or go ibto a stream and wash?
Sure, I think this would make out for a great vid. What I personally did was use wet wipes. Usually because I was hiking into camp almost at dusk, I didn't really have time to go and wash up, so the wet wipes were instrumental in this. The further North you got, the more you saw wet wipes a part of many hikers resupplies.
If I didn't do that, I would use my UL towel to clean up using water from the stream. If there was a stream that was deep enough, some hikers would take a dip. I would usually just pour a bottle of water over my head and that would instantly refresh me.
If you are going to wash up though, do it down stream so other hikers are tasting your feet in their water. And make sure that you are not using any soap or suds near any water source. Thanks for the idea, I will put that one into my list.
I have Lyme, treated twice...looking to do the AT 2018, its been said that 24 hr time slot is bogus now...
Out west here, my motto is always, if you are in Oak tree type country there are ticks. I've never had a tick above 3000 ft elevation. My dog had a tick attach near where the PCT crosses I-5 in northern Ca, and I bet the Columbia River gorge has ticks. Nearly every time I have got a tick, it was always noticed after detouring around downfall. April and May can be bad in western Oregon low elevation river bottoms.
+Mt Thielsen thanks for sharing Mt!
Do you treat your sleeping clothes with permethrin or just your hiking clothes?
One additional question, did you buy a new bottle every month or shared it from someone ??
Might want to consider picaridin instead of deet. Just google is and you'll see it's been shown to be as effective as deet vs. mosquitos (perhaps even more effective vs. flies and ticks), but it doesn't dissolve plastics. Deet affects some plastics but not others. Nylon and polyester are safe but deet will weaken or dissolve urethanes. Urethanes are part of a lot of waterproofing (anything with a PU coating) and are used to makes clothes stretchy (spandex/lycra). A lot of hiking gear and clothing has urethane! Did a 1-week trek through the White Mountains last year and picaridin + permethrin worked great!
I have heard some good things about picaridin too. I actually suggested this in the video that I released today. Thanks!
Very good video with one caveat: The 24 hour reference is not backed by any clinical studies. It is true that the longer a tick is attached, the rick of transmission of any Tick-Borne Disease (TBD) increases. My point is simply this, TBD's can be transmitted in less than 24 hours and most folks will not know how long a tick has been attached anyway (unless they follow your very good advice about thorough tick checks daily), so be aware of the signs and symptoms of infection after any tick bite, no matter the duration of attachment. One other minor correction, a nymph is a stage in the life cycle of most ticks (larva, nymph, adult), not a reference to a specific variety of tick such as the Black Legged Tick (commonly known as the Deer Tick). But it is a fact that most TBD's are transmitted by the nymphs of many species because they are so tiny and go unnoticed. Great job with your videos!
Here is a link to the ATC website that includes a couple of good videos we recorded in and around Harpers Ferry in May of 2016. That's me at around the 4:40 mark in the first video demonstrating proper tick removal.
www.appalachiantrail.org/home/explore-the-trail/hiking-basics/health
+Trek For Truth Thanks for the facts on this important subject Trek!
My brother made me a believer in this stuff. He had treated his pants with it. We went fishing and I found a tick on my tackle box. He was bent down with his knee and leg out parallel to the ground. He said "watch this" and he scooped it up with his knife blade and dropped it on his pants leg on his thigh. That thing did back flips to get off his pants! I am not even kidding. Turned me into a believer.
+Greg Macklem It's works so well you would think its witch craft 😊
Growing up in Maine I had ticks on me when I was younger. I would disagree that gouging ticks out is the best way to deal with them. When I was little my mom would heat up the end of the tweezers with a lighter and then just grasp the body of the tick with the red hot tweezers. They die from the heat and loosen up, and basically just fall out. That's just my personal experience!
how did you reapply Permethrin while on the trail?
did you recheck yourself in the morning before packing up just in case a tick was somehow in the tent and attached while sleeping?
A topic i would like to see is dealing with sickness on the trail
+Stanley Sutter Yep. I probably checked myself 2-3 times a day.
Thanks for the Topic for discussion Stanley.
Hi,How do you check places that are not easy to reach, such as your back, backs of your legs, etc.? Lyme Disease is the most concerning thing for me regarding the AT. I'm almost about to give up and try another thru-hike like PCT. I understand that there are precautions, but am still scared, considering the disease symptoms can be very similar to common hiker ailments and it can lie dormant many years, going undiagnosed.
+Endo Man Some hikes would take a picture of their back with their phone and do that for any other hard to reach areas. I did this a few times.
Question about the permethrin. I got some off of amazon but do the stores along the trail have it or will I need to ship to myself along the way?
Outfitter will have it as well as Walmart. I wouldn't ship it. I just bought it from one of those places while on the Trail.
I live and hike in Southern Indiana, we have A LOT of ticks. I wouldn't advise trying to PULL a tick off of your body, if you leave the head or any skin cells of the tick, you run the risk of being infected. Two methods work really well for removing a tick. The first one is, you can use a lit cigarette and hold it close enough to the tick that it starts squirming and moving its legs, the extreme heat will make it back out on its own, it may take a minute or two, but THE WHOLE TICK comes out. Method No. 2 Is to use a knife blade or something similar and slide it underneath the tick and make it flip over on it's back. Then gently press down on the ticks body, and hold it like that for ten to 20 seconds, then release the tick, so its legs can help it back out of your skin. This in effect bends its neck at such a sharp angle, that it starts suffocating the tick, which makes it back out. There are other ways as well, but the point is to make the tick come out, on its own, if at all possible. Basically anything that threatens the ticks exoskeleton or air supply will make it want to back out of you. Hope this helps any of you, safe hiking, and leave it like you found it.
The Lit cigarette/match is NOT the way to remove, this will cause them to regurgitate then to drop off. This will ensure if tick had Lyme or other diesease that you will be infected, even if attached less than 24hr. Fine tip tweezers make sure to dig in and grab complete head then pull out and inspect
I have pulled off thousands of ticks with my fingers and don't remember ever leaving the head . Usually a little skin comes off with the ticks.
did you carry the tick spray with you to reapply or pick more up along the trail?
+Ken Bayard No. I had my parents bring me a bottle when I met them in Waynesboro, VA. I then bought another bottle sometime after PA of my mind serves me right
A Q-tip soaked in hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol robbed onto a tick will usually cause they tick to turn loose, so when you pulling it off your body, you don't break its head off and leave it buried into0 your skin. In rural Mississippi, deer tick and seed ticks are all over the woods, but you rarely hear of someone getting Lyme disease from them.
+Mulys Cousin Fantastic advice, haven't heard of this. I will have to try this one
Question, how did get a hold of Permethrin when you needed it? I can't imagine you carried any with you because it takes a lot just to cover clothing.
+Sam Smith Just bought it at an outfitter, or Walmart likely, every about 4 weeks.
ok, thanks
I really wouldn't mind maybe seeing a video on how you applied that on the go. Did you take a zero day to let it dry out of the sun or what? I'm just looking at a thru (or partitional thru-hike) and I think that's really important. I use it all the time but I do the gloves and the mask and everything. I know a several people with lyme and I'm a sort of paranoid. One tick though... impressive
...isnt that spray bottle heavy to carry?
Did you spray the tent inside and out? What about the sleeping bag? Seems strange to be sleeping in poison nightly. Did you spray your pack too?
+hidden75 I only sprayed the outside of my tent. I did not spray my sleeping bag. And I sprayed all of the exterior of my pack.
Thanks. Do you think that the poison is an issue with it touching your hands and then you touch your food? For instance, folding up your tent or touching your bag, then touching food? I doubt everyone would wash their hands every time.
As long as you follow the directions and allow the time for the permethrin to dry, I think you are fine. I have not heard of any issue of this and never thought about it myself. I did always apply it in town where I had he space to separate everything so I am not spraying it and getting the mist from the spray on my food or anything else
If you do find a tick attached to your body how would know if it has been attached for 24 hours?
Pull em off daily. They of course swell.
Where should you spray your gear with permethrin while on the trail?
+Nathan Bogart I would set it out at whatever hostel/motel/hotel I was staying at in their grass and apply everything and let it dry. I didn't carry any of this on the trail so I always bought it when I was in town. It didn't make sense for me to bring it back out and carry it and the empty bottle afterwards so it made the most sense to apply it when I was in town.
On the permethrin, did you send the same bottle to yourself? Or just buy a new bottle?
+Anthony Matthews Bought another one each time except when my folks met me in Waybesboro and brought me a bottle
Are bears and other animals attracted to prometherine and other bug sprays?
I really don't know, but I have never noticed that out in the backcountry. They say anything with an odor bears can be attracted to. I am sure that bug spray tastes just as horrible to them too.
About how many got you when you hiked the trail? (10 a day, etc)
+Will G I only had 2-3 ticks that I pulled off the entire time I was on the AT.
Alright thank you. And did you reapply it along the trail? If so did you buy more of the stuff at stops or did you just carry some?
Tick removal kits are a good option.
Was a week long enough before going back to work?
+Matt Radford No, wish I had at least 2 weeks
Did you get any ticks on the AT?
+Calico Jack I got one tick the entire time on the Trail
Nice! I've got one so far. Treated everything permethrin now, hopefully no more. I caught the one before it buried.
I guess pinching them with fingernails or tweezers is now a no-no as it causes them to excrete saliva into their host. I need to get one of those tick tools I guess, and scrap the tweezers from my pack.
+Calico Jack Very true. I didn't know that until i researched the A.T. The permethrin is AMAZING. Make sure you apply it no less frequent then once a month assuming you'll most likely be doing laundry every time you stay in town.
I'd appreciate seeing a video about how to properly hang a bear bag!
This is a great idea!
I would as well! Thanks for all the info!
Happy Hikers I think you make a bowline around the bag through the rope over a branch tie a rack on the other end and then you have safe food
What about lice and bed bugs? Good job.
+Gary Ford Never had any problems with those. I showered more often than most hikers. But I have never heard of these beings issues from other hikers
Ur hair tho lol :)
I know, it was a little crazy haha.
Your hair looks likes its from Something About Mary.
+HelplmAlive Haha....okay
I enjoy your videos though. Good quality audio and video. :)
Pull them off if you find them. That's all. I have had literally thousands on me in my life, so too my. Not one has gotten sick. Right, less than 24 hours and your good. Hell I have had 5 already this year. Use your fingers don't need. I would rather have ticks than chemicals. Mainly don't worry about ticks. People freak out and there's no reason. Deet a drop on hat brim and shoulders keeps gnats away. Short socks is best, because you can feel the ticks crawling. This is crazy, I lay ground. Pull up panties and stop worrying. I once got 142 ticks in one night and my friends had similar, not sick. Dehydration is much more serious. As well tree limb falling on you. I know city folks worry about ticks, but no need. Just pull em with your fingers. Apologize about panties remarks ,just joking. I have learned a lot from your videos about the AT itself and when to start. Not dissing on you. Just a lifetime of experience with ticks. Live in a field surrounded by woods with four dogs so I constantly deal with large amounts of ticks every year. Happy hiking everyone!
Forget the tweezers... Get the "Pro Tick Remover"......... Best remover I have found... super light weight,,,
Seen one made in Europe that looks promising, but have never tried it. And looks like it weighs 30 times or more than that of the "Pro Tick Remover" I am not associated with Pro Tick Remover" besides a customer...
DO NOT!!! DO NOT!!! get the WalMart type that has a big gap that would squeeze tick juice into you..
And pay attention to them itchy itches.
Your fingers will be fine. Don't over think a bug. Much more to worry than ticks.
Doctor wouldn’t listen wouldn’t treat so I had to fight for treatment. This is the typical experience when you are trying to get Lyme treatment. Doxy did not work for me, dose too low and too many days late. Very sick for years now. You should be aware all ticks carry disease, mosquitoes and biting flies are implicated too. It is very important not to squeeze the tick, bring the fine point tweezer and grab the head close to the skin and pull straight out. MOST PEOPLE WITH LYME NEVER EXPERIENCE A BULLSEYE RASH so stop saying that. Permethrin is great. I put it on my clothes just to go out to the car. Prevention is everything because once you have Lyme chances for a cure are pretty low.
I'm sorry for your suffering 😔.