Appalachian Trail

Been living here in the nc mtns for 11 years now. Hike and or ride daily in the woods. Sometimes w my 2 dogs. Ticks are always bad the first half of the summer..until this yr.Seen about 6-7 all season. Which is a tiny fraction of what I normally see. Just my personal observation.

The end

 

Regularly. Why?

 

Mtns of east TN here (AT runs right across the valley from us).

Bad year for ticks - really mild winter. Pull a couple off the dogs every day, one off me and the wife every other day or so. We're in the woods every day with the dogs and outside working around the farm all the time.

New neighbor is a city boy from MI - totally freaked out by ticks, poison ivy, snakes, bears....makes me laugh.

Oh and we check everybody every day. We were discussing this last night. A tick has to be on you for 24 hours before you're in danger.

 

Ny and Ct are really bad with ticks this year, I pulled 5 off me in one day a few weeks ago.
I did the Devil's Path portion of the AT here in NY last week.

 

That thinking is changing. It probably still holds true for Lyme, but not some of the new tick borne diseases. Seems to me the Permethrin really works, and you can get it at Walmart.

 

Same here in East Ky.

 

We moved out of Southern Indiana last month after being down there for almost 10 years. The ticks kept getting worse year after year.

The last time I went turkey hunting with dad in the spring, the bird he shot was covered with turkey ticks. It was awful. When I was a kid, they never bothered me. As an adult, if I have one that attaches itself, I'll have a sore for at least 2 months that eventually scars over.

 

Pete, did you transform like this guy?

https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/w...can-a-2000-mile-hike-on-the-appalachian-trail

 

Blimey, that bloke lost all that weight but his man-boobs got bigger.

 

Kinda, but I don't think I look like the before and after of that guy yet! I'm down 30 lbs. I may have been a little above my "fighting weight" when we started, but not 30 lbs! I think I have that downward slide stopped through judicious applications of M&M's, Nutter Butter cookies, etc. And off the trail, I never pass an ice cream shop...

 

I tried Permethrin a couple weeks ago while backpacking high in the Sierras. With the really wet winter this year in California the mosquitoes are pretty awful but the Permethrin worked incredibly well. I'm not sure I got a single bite and it definitely wasn't due to lack of biting bugs.

 

Just outside Roanoke VA. Planned the day off for the hurricane, but no hurricane...
1600 miles down, just 600 to go! Back on the trail at Pearisburg tomorrow.

 

P.S.
Just a reminder, sometime in early Oct. we'll be hiking the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, and they don't allow dogs, so if anyone's interested, or knows someone in the area who might be, in watching a very nice, but very shy, pup, for a few days, let me know?

 

You good in Roanoke?? My hometown!!

 

All good!

 

Is the pup good with other dogs?

 

He's fine. Excited for the first 5 minutes or so.

 

100 miles to go! Got pulled off the trail again for another family crisis. Gonna try to knock out the GSMNP tomorrow-Friday, then only have Fontana to NOC to finish!