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Ticks
The Story
One lovely June day, Ed and I decided to use the new tent we had purchased and go camping – for the first time. We thought we were extremely well prepared since we had brought everything we could think of - from sleeping bags to bug spray. After we arrived at our campsite, we applied that bug spray and decided to hike to the lake. We walked on a trail with grass that was in some places knee-high. The thought of attacking tics did not even enter our minds as we assumed that 1) we were protected with bug spray and 2) we were protected with the baseball caps that we were wearing. We later found out that the bug spray we had used was too weak and that ticks do not fall from trees!
When we got back to the campsite, I noticed that Ed had a tick on his shirt – where did that come from? I easily knocked it off and turned my thoughts to eating. We prepared and ate a lovely dinner of burgers and salads. After eating marshmallows, we decided to turn in. We got into the tent, turned on a light and decided to inspect each other. There were a few more ticks sucking on Ed’s back and one on mine! After suffering a mini-heart attack and trying to extract both the body and legs with a shaking hand, I had started feeling safe once again. We laid down in the sleeping bag, Ed put his hand around my waist and queried, “Is that a birthmark?” I threw off the sleeping bag in a panic, Ed pulled the tick off with his sock, and I declared that I would never, ever go camping again.
What we have learned since
Fortunately, after this somewhat traumatic trip, we learned enough to assuage our fears that ticks were taking over Earth.
So here are some interesting facts:
1) Ticks generally don’t fall off trees.
2) Ticks hang onto grasses and shrubs, waiting for the host (i.e. you) to walk by and drop onto.
3) Many ticks can carry Lyme Disease not just deer ticks. The disease is named after Lyme, Connecticut.
4) Interestingly, ticks move against gravity – so once they are on your body, they climb upwards. That means you need to spot check all over your body.
5) You’re not supposed to burn a tick’s head or put vaseline on it to remove it. If you do, the tic will vomit into your body.
6) If you become infected, you might feel like you have the flu.
Prevention
Bug sprays differ! We had unknowingly bought a weak spray for our first trip.
Bug sprays may use different “active” ingredients such as DEET or citronella and provide different concentrations of those ingredients as well. Permethrin is a substance that is applied to clothes rather than the skin. They’re all pretty easy to find.
Articles you may find interesting and helpful:
- Brief review of other promising repellents - picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/conditions/04/28/west.nile.ap/index.html
- Detailed, comparative review of various bug repellents on the market today:
- Guidelines on tick prevention:
- How to remove a tick and treatment of a bite:
Petite Power
I remember growing up as a teenager and having to buy clothes that were too long for me in every possible proportion. I would have to cuff pants and accept that the crotch sat below where it was supposed to, roll up sleeves and tuck in shirts that almost reached my knees. As an adult of 5’1” proportions, I will no longer tolerate this. I will not buy clothes that do not fit.
I am pleased to see that petite clothes have proliferated to the point that they are not so hard to find; however, I have found that it is impossible to find outdoor sports clothing for the petite figure at the usual outdoor sports retailers. Last week, I saw two young petite women leave a dressing room and when I entered, I saw the children’s-sized clothes that they had left behind. I had good faith that the pants I chose off the rack might fit because the leg lengths were an intentionally short style but the proportions were for the average-height woman. Of course, there should be clothes for the average woman but what about for us 5’4” and unders? And what about larger women who have an interest in outdoors sports? I hope that as with the clothes we wear daily, outdoor sports apparel will also evolve to fit all types of women.
I was able to find petite-sized clothes that
you can wear for outdoors sports at Lands' End. You can find
them by clicking here: Lands' End Women's Petite Apparel
When I first moved to New York City, I was thrilled. I loved taking advantage of all the culture, exploring the different neighborhoods and walking everywhere. There were (and still are) so many people of all different backgrounds. It was so exciting.
My curiosity and desire for physical activity, led to some “hiking” trips. Once I hiked from my upper, Upper West Side apartment to Chinatown in downtown Manhattan. I believe the “trail” was approximately 7 miles. Last spring, Ed and I hiked from that same apartment all the way uptown to Inwood at the northern tip of Manhattan (7 miles). We discovered areas that we had never seen and paths we had never walked on. It felt as if we were hiking on a little-known trail in one of the biggest cities in the world.
Now I work in midtown Manhattan and a couple of weeks ago, I decided to hike to work (3.5 miles each way). I walk through Central Park in the early morning. I thought the park would be desolate at that time. Instead, I’ve discovered it’s like the dogs (and of course their owners) and joggers have decided to celebrate the morning as if it were a holiday and party it up. Often I have to weave my way through the human and canine traffic to get to my destination. It's good I like dogs.
The main drawback, and it’s a big drawback is the variable air quality. The air smells so different in different areas of the city. You don’t even have to have a keen sense of smell to notice it. In order of pleasantness, you’ve got the parks, the Upper West Side and then midtown which, frankly just smells bad. I’ve never understood how people could jog or bike across the George Washington Bridge right next to all the cars and the resulting exhaust. Don’t they smell the fumes? I do. When I leave the park and enter mid-town, the smell of the air transforms from fresh to poisonous.
I miss the smell of the fresh air I breathed in as a kid in the suburbs. I want to be immersed in grass and trees and not have to walk to a park to get that. I want quiet and absence of the car noise that’s ubiquitous – even in the parks!
On the other hand, I always think to myself that if/when we leave the city, I’ll gain 10 pounds (at least) because I’ll be driving everywhere instead of walking. So for now, I guess I’ll look on the bright side and suggest to Ed that we take a hike – literally not figuratively.
Hiking musings
Ed frequently asserts that often I like the “idea” of doing certain activities rather than actually doing them.
Sometimes believe it or not, I feel similarly about hiking at times. I love the idea of being in the woods with nature - the trees, the birds and who knows what else. But when I’m climbing up that really steep hill or mountain on one of those “3H” (you know, hazy, hot and humid) days and sweating it out, I wonder what am I doing here? I’m dripping profusely from my head to my toes, constantly drinking water and needing to take a break because my heart is beating so fast.
At the end of it all though, I feel really good – especially when there’s an ice-cold lake inviting me in. That’s what happened at Lonesome Lake in New Hampshire. The one- hour climb, which felt like we were climbing a 90-degree angle, required a lot of water breaks. When we ultimately reached the lake, the view was truly spectacular and made the effort worth all the sweat. The lake was surrounded by more mountain – and we had thought we were at the top! It was not only picturesque but also refreshingly cold. I can’t wait to go back.
Canadian Rockies
One of my favorite places in terms of natural beauty is the Canadian Rockies specifically, Banff and Jasper Canadian National Parks. A couple of years ago, Ed and I decided to visit in the beginning of June during the shoulder season. We wanted to avoid the crowds that we knew would arrive mostly in July and August. Once we arrived, we immediately discovered why people do wait to visit in July and August. That’s because even in June, there’s plenty of snow and ice.
We observed that the Canadian Rockies’ June, in terms of snow, is a New York’s February that’s been hit by multiple snowstorms. Fortunately the temperatures were in the 60’s. So we started hiking on trails. We would discover that at the start, the trail would be clear but that this would evolve into patches of snow that would in turn somehow transform into feet of snow. We didn’t want this to stop us so we would keep hiking as long as we believed we were actually hiking on a trail, any trail. The cadence of our hike went something like this: step, sink, squish, lunge out of snow. Continue. I wish we had known about snowshoes then.
In Jasper, we went to the forest ranger’s office to inquire about which trails were open and free of snow. Unfortunately, since it was June, before the snow completely melted, they did not know for certain which trails would be clear. I’m glad that did not stop us but I would like to go again someday, to actually hike a trail from start to finish.
Why return? We saw such incredible beauty. The lakes are this blue-green color due to silt. There are so many of them too! I can’t forget to mention the waterfalls next to the highway, wildflowers and wild animals like mountain goat, bear and elk that roamed freely on the roads. It was unbelievable and thus deserves another visit during a more hospitable time.
AOCS
I really can’t blame Ed, but that would be my preference. It all happened when he moved in and ordered cable for the t.v. I had not had cable before that. I rarely watched t.v. Instead, I would read the newspaper, go to the gym, call friends and do other stuff. When that magical cable box was hooked up to Ed’s oh-so-precious television, my life was about to change both for better and worse.
When that little box of cable gold was activated, I discovered t.v. Wow, a food network entirely devoted to food and cooking? A history channel, which programs documentaries about ancient cultures? A “do it yourself network” with a plethora of projects to learn about? It was a tv bonanza and I realized for the first time that I loved watching tv!
The result wasn’t all positive to say the least. Soon after our cable acquisition, I developed a routine. I would come home from work, plop down on the couch and stay there while watching “my shows”. Maybe, sometimes I would cook dinner first and then collapse on the couch but often I wouldn’t even wait. On the couch I would lie calling Ed to fetch me a glass of water when I was thirsty or begging him to answer the phone when it rang. I could not be interrupted while watching reruns of The Nanny or Sponge Bob Square Pants. Ed was both patient and compliant but the situation became so desperate that he created a new diagnosis – AOCS. This, my friends, stands for Ass on Couch Syndrome.
Suffering from AOCS completely conflicts with my desire to be an active person. I’ve frequently asked Ed to get rid of cable since I believe it is the cause of my affliction. He has consistently refused. He responds that we watch interesting and educational programs. I guess he has a point. However, I really think he refuses to cut the cord because our television, which, is not only programmed with cable, but with digital cable, is a source of pride for him. He regularly boasts to our friends about the hundreds of channels we get including those “movies on demand” ones. It always sounds to me as if he thinks he actually invented cable television. Since he is so attached, this is one battle I will choose not to fight.
Fortunately, I suffer from AOCS only during the week. The weekends are too precious to waste lying on a couch with remote in hand. On the weekends, I summon the energy to hike, rain or shine, freezing cold or burning hot. In the summer we also go kayaking and camping. I often wish I could bottle up the energy I use for these activities and administer a dose of it to myself during the weekdays. Alas, this is not possible.
Please don’t tell me you have never experienced AOCS. A friend visiting me one evening said she was contracting the syndrome as we spoke. As a photographer, she’s very sensitive to light and asserted that her own AOCS was due to the poor lighting in my apartment. When my sister visits, she claims it’s my couch. I guess what it comes down to is that every individual each and every one of us who is prone to ACOS has his/her own triggers.
I would love to know what factors trigger your ACOS and how you resolve it.
Send a line to frances@expedition101.com!
The Elusive Screech Owls of Inwood Hill Park
Ed just loves to tell the story about our trip to Inwood Park to see the screech owls. (Note: Stories appearing in any color other than black are written by Ed or other guest contributors. Everything else is written by Frances.)
Apparently having nothing better to do with her time, Frances was surfing the web one Autumn day and came upon an obscure newsletter written by the New York City Parks Department. The newsletter stated that on the following Friday night at 8 PM, there would be a guided tour through Inwood Hill Park to see (and hear) the screech owls that lived there. We were somewhat interested, because not only would this be an opportunity to see an unusual bird in the big city, but also because it provided a rare opportunity to walk through a city park at night.
We decided to make the trek all the way to Inwood Hill, on the northern tip of Manhattan island, which was about five miles on a local subway line. To put the inconvenience of this trip in perspective to non-New Yorkers, many Manhattan residents think the world ends at 96th street, and Inwood Hill is on 214th Street. Much to my surprise, there were about 40 other people who had read the newsletter and shown up for the walk. About half of the participants were childern, some as young as 4 years old.
The ranger led our not-so-quiet group into the woods, hoping that by playing a dictaphone tape of a screech owl's call at various locations one of the resident owls would respond. At the first two stops, we didn't have any luck, but the group marched on optimistically. At the top of one hill, we stopped to take a break. The ranger asked if anyone had any questions about the owls or the park. The following is an excerpt of some of the questions and answers:
Q: How big is the park?
A: About 170 acres.
Q: Do screech owls live anywhere else in the city?
A: There are a few in Van Cortland Park in ther Bronx, and there is a new program underway where we have introduce six of them into Central Park
Q: How may screech owls are in this park?
A: That we know of, two.
I can only begin to express what went through my mind at that point. Surprisingly, nobody else expressed the slightest bit of outrage. It didn't take a mathematical genius to figure out that this park was populated by screech owls at a rate of approximately one for every 85 acres, and yet somebody in the parks department thought it would be appropriate to publicly invite people to come from across the city to this remote location on a cold Friday night in the hope that one of these creatures would be attracted to a large group of noisy parents and children who invaded their habitat at night. Absolute genius. Why couldn't the walk at least have taken place in Central Park, which is much more convenient and has three times as many owls?
We greatly appreciate the Parks Department and the Park Rangers, and I enjoyed walking through the park at night, but we hope they put a little more thought into future programs.
Frances' Corner -
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