Category Archives: Articles

It’s that time again: ticks are out in full force

Wood Tick

Ticks are out and ready to greet early season hikers. We’ve linked to a good article by Chris Peterson of the Hungry Horse News but, first, the usual advice: Wear long sleeves, long pants and a hat — especially the hat. Also, light colored clothing makes it easier to spot ticks. Use insect repellent or, better yet, wear a set of clothes that you’ve pre-treated with permethrin.

[Please note: In the Flathead Forest’s Glacier View Ranger District, the south end of Demers Ridge Trail #266 starting at the Camas Road trailhead, is a very popular and accessible early season trail. It is also heavily infested with ticks.]

Here’s Chris’s article on the subject . . .

A lot of folks are out recreating in the woods during the novel coronavirus outbreak — even with Glacier National Park closed, there are still millions of acres to hike, fish, float, hunt and recreate on while keeping a safe distance.

But as the temperatures warm up there’s another concern out there and it’s far more dangerous than any bear encounter.

It’s wood ticks.

We went on a hike in the Whitefish Range last night and the ticks were out in full force. After the hike, my son and I had about a half-dozen ticks on our clothing and skin, and that was after just a short trip.

Read more . . .

Gah! How ticks dig in

Following up on our previous post, NPR has an article, with creepy video, explaining possibly way more than you want to know about how ticks grab on and dig in. It also has some useful advice on removing ticks . . .

Spring is here. Unfortunately for hikers and picnickers enjoying the warmer weather, the new season is prime time for ticks, which can transmit bacteria that cause Lyme disease.

How they latch on — and stay on — is a feat of engineering that scientists have been piecing together. Once you know how a tick’s mouth works, you understand why it’s impossible to simply flick a tick.

Tick’s Mouth – Annette Chan-KQED

The key to their success is a menacing mouth covered in hooks that they use to get under the surface of our skin and attach themselves for several days while they fatten up on our blood.

Read/watch more (if you dare) . . .

Behind the scenery: ‘99% Invisible’ talks trails

Moran Basin Trail (Trail 2), mile 2, Flathead NF, July 10, 2014 – by W. K. Walker

This was an interesting find. “99% Invisible” is a professionally produced podcast “about all the thought that goes into the things we don’t think about.” Recently, they focused on the U.S. national trail network.

This a two-part article. Links to both segments are below . . .

The U.S. National Trails System‘s 30 Scenic and Historic routes alone span over 50,000 miles, longer than the entire Interstate Highway System. Extending across all 50 states, the National Recreation Trails network contains over 200,000 additional miles of public pathways. A person could walk these trails continuously for years and still experience only a fraction of the total system.

Sustaining public trails throughout the nation is a herculean task coordinated by various federal agencies (including the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, USDA Forest Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) as well as state-level organizations, like the California Conservation Corps (or: CCC). In turn, these agencies rely on a huge number of paid and volunteer workers to create and maintain both federal and state trails nationwide.