THE TICKS ARE OUT IN ELDO

Went bouldering in Eldo on Sunday and between the four of us we must have counted over 30 ticks on us or our gear throughout the day.

I get the crawlies just thinking about it.

Ticks already? FML

Shoot, those little f'ers are out everywhere along the front range now.

The Council for Earth Creatures Foreign and Domestic has met and concluded that, as it pertains to climbing crags, tics are to be deemed "persona non grata" along with coyotes.

I found a couple in Castlewood Canyon on Saturday too

FWIW, they are already out in Estes Valley

mountainproject.com/v/estes…

and Boulder Canyon

mountainproject.com/v/bould….

Got two @ Walker Ranch on Saturday. The wet spring snow seems to be their wake up call to climb back out of hell for the season.

... and also in Lyons

YER...GONNA...DIE!!!

Once, after a weekend bouldering session west of Pueblo, I found a tick crawling out of my shirt while I was home eating some Ianne's sausage pizza*.

I took the little bloodsucker and put it in the small plastic "solo" container the grated parmesan cheese comes in.

I wanted to see (purely in the name of science) how long the mini vampire could live in an almost oxygen free environment without any food source. I set my little buddy on top of the stereo speaker to see what would happen.

Days rolled by as I came and went about my business, stopping to watch it crawl around the underside of the lid, probing for escape.

Another weekend of adventure went by...

Around wednesday the little dude finally started showing signs of weakness and was lethargic when I shook the container to roust him into movement.

Finally, the next monday, I pronounced the buggar "too lifeless to render harm to either man or beast", and gave it a flaming send off to the afterlife.

These things are nearly impossible to see! They can hide in a fold or seam of your pack,tent, or sleeping bag. Stored for up to 2 weeks in the back of your car or your garage.

Waiting for it's next warm meal...

• Best Pie Anywhere!

Watch out for un-explained painless rashes (they do not always look like a bullseye!!!) and mysterious symptoms! Seven years ago I was lethargic in the mornings, had body aches come and go and even had a few days of un-explained painful teeth. It turned out to be Lyme disease and it's not fun. A whole month of horse-pill size antibiotics and I was fortunently all better. However... I never found an embedded tick on me and learned that the most dangerous ticks are the ones the size of a pencil point. Be careful out there and maybe use some bug juice!

Why you gotta tell me that, Tom-O?

I just recently spent a day at Castlewood with my pack lying about. Now it's in my closet. What rough beasts lurk within, slouching towards Bethlehem, waiting to be born?

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, but given the fact that I've been standing in snow more often than not on east or north facing crags, I hadn't thought about ticks yet.

This gives me the heebie-geebies!

Justin Compton wrote:Watch out for un-explained painless rashes (they do not always look like a bullseye!!!) and mysterious symptoms! Seven years ago I was lethargic in the mornings, had body aches come and go and even had a few days of un-explained painful teeth. It turned out to be Lyme disease and it's not fun. A whole month of horse-pill size antibiotics and I was fortunently all better. However... I never found an embedded tick on me and learned that the most dangerous ticks are the ones the size of a pencil point. Be careful out there and maybe use some bug juice!

What state were you living in when you got the Lyme?

More generally, is Lyme common now in Colorado? I spent 5 out of the last 6 spring seasons in New England, where Lyme is a huge concern. Is it a major thing to worry about out here, or is it less common?

Must read info:
tickinfo.com/deertick.htm
tickinfo.com/permethrin.htm
"YER GUNNA DIE TICK!"
youtube.com/watch?v=qqEQWQp…

JCM wrote: More generally, is Lyme common now in Colorado?

Answered my own question (Thanks, google). Apparently:

Colorado tick fever is by far the most common tick-transmitted disease of the region. Despite its name, Rocky Mountain spotted fever is quite rare here.

No human cases of Lyme disease have originated in Colorado

(Source: CSU public-outreach fact sheet)

CDC reports 4 total cases of Lyme disease reported in Colorado in the last decade (probably originating elsewhere).

Basically, you can't get Lyme disease in Colorado. You can get Colorado Tick Fever, but that is a pretty minor illness that last a couple days only.

JCM wrote: Answered my own question (Thanks, google). Apparently: Colorado tick fever is by far the most common tick-transmitted disease of the region. Despite its name, Rocky Mountain spotted fever is quite rare here. No human cases of Lyme disease have originated in Colorado (Source: CSU public-outreach fact sheet) CDC reports 4 total cases of Lyme disease reported in Colorado in the last decade (probably originating elsewhere). Basically, you can't get Lyme disease in Colorado. You can get Colorado Tick Fever, but that is a pretty minor illness that last a couple days only.

Excerpt from: csindy.com/coloradosprings/…

"The chronic Lyme community believes Lyme is extremely underreported and has spread to every state and many other countries. Bacteria are being discovered that are closely related to the Lyme bacteria, cause the same symptoms as Lyme, and are spread by ticks different kinds of ticks that live in different parts of the country.

Martz says he had six patients who "clearly got sick after a Colorado-based tick bite." In Boulder County, Mary Parker says she found a swollen bite on her body after hauling wood outside her home. She came down with the characteristic rash and was diagnosed over a year later. Several of her neighbors, and her dog, got Lyme, too, she adds.

In fact, many dogs in Colorado have been diagnosed with Lyme. Results from a single veterinary test facility, IDEXX labs, combined with telephone surveys and results from veterinary clinics, found 571 Colorado dogs with Lyme disease between 2001 and March 2007.

During the same time period, the CDC recorded one human case of Lyme in Colorado."

Sounds like a lack of Lyme reporting or it's not being diagnosed or tested for in humans... otherwise all those dogs must of been traveling and caught it.

Justin Compton wrote: Excerpt from: csindy.com/coloradosprings/… "The chronic Lyme community believes Lyme is extremely underreported and has spread to every state and many other countries. Bacteria are being discovered that are closely related to the Lyme bacteria, cause the same symptoms as Lyme, and are spread by ticks different kinds of ticks that live in different parts of the country. Martz says he had six patients who "clearly got sick after a Colorado-based tick bite." In Boulder County, Mary Parker says she found a swollen bite on her body after hauling wood outside her home. She came down with the characteristic rash and was diagnosed over a year later. Several of her neighbors, and her dog, got Lyme, too, she adds. In fact, many dogs in Colorado have been diagnosed with Lyme. Results from a single veterinary test facility, IDEXX labs, combined with telephone surveys and results from veterinary clinics, found 571 Colorado dogs with Lyme disease between 2001 and March 2007. During the same time period, the CDC recorded one human case of Lyme in Colorado." Sounds like a lack of Lyme reporting or it's not being diagnosed or tested for in humans... otherwise all those dogs must of been traveling and caught it.

Hmmnnn, good to know. Ticks are somewhat more concerning again now.

I picked up two from boulder canyon last sunday. Also, I was riding my bike home from work around 10 pm and just brushed a tree slightly. When I got home I found a tick that had already attached to my neck. I hate those little things. Going climbing friday morning in St. vrain. Time to see how bad they are up there.

Ugh. I live in the Lyme disease center of the universe, and have had three cases that I know of. As others have mentioned, there are other tick=born bacteria that cause similar symptoms. The disease is extremely serious if untreated, and the longer the interval between infection and treatment, the worse the symptoms and the harder it is to eradicate them.

Precautions:
1. Deet.
2. Treat clothing with permithrin.
3. Check for ticks after outdoor activity.
4. Shower and scrub as soon as possible. Don't forget the "scrub" part; ticks are quite capable of hanging on in the shower if all that's happening is some soap and water. (I got one of those old-fashioned back-scrubbing brushes.
5. Put outdoor clothes in the dryer (before washing) and run the dryer on high for 5-10 minutes.

Sounds like a lot of crap. But you only have to go through a bad bout of Lyme once to suddenly be willing to put up with it.

I often feel lethargic and have unexplained aches and pains. Lyme Disease???