In New Hampshire it is prudent to protect yourself from tick borne illness from April through November when recreating outdoors. There are five possible tick borne diseases that have been reported in the state:

Lyme disease <- most common reported tick borne illness and can have lasting effects even after treatment.

Anaplasmosis <- pretty sure I had this from a tick bite I got in southern MA a few years ago. Fever & chills but luckily a pretty mild disease that will often resolve on it’s own. My sickness only lasted 48 hours.

Babesiosis <- Babesiosis is a disease you get from the bite of a tick infected with the parasite Babesia. It causes flu-like symptoms and can lead to severe illness.

Powassan <- While rare reported cases are on the rise of this potentially fatal disease.

Borrelia miyamotoi <- Very similar to Lyme disease.

Step 1: Treat Your Clothing & Shoes

The single most effective defense against ticks is to purchase pretreated clothes or treat your clothing at home with Permethrin. This pesticide is intended to treat clothing and gear (hiking shoes) and is not for direct skin application. The directions indicate to spray your clothing while you are not wearing it and let it dry completely. Once the pesticide dries there is no toxic risk to humans and it doesn’t get absorbed into your skin even if you are sweating. The protection lasts for weeks and even after washing the clothes. I treat two pairs of pants and two sun hoodies, like this Florence Marine Sun Pro Stratus, at the beginning of bug season and the protection pretty much lasts through the hiking season. I also treat two pairs of hiking shoes. The effectiveness of this product is remarkable. When I am dressed in my treated clothes and wearing my treated shoes I can wade through a tick infested tall field of grass and come out tick free on the other side. If a tick is brave enough to try to crawl up my shoes and pants it will just die and fall off. Another bonus to this tactic is this pesticide is also effective at repelling black flies, gnats, and mosquitos, so when I where these treated clothes I can often skip applying any type of topical bug repellent which feels like an overall healthier choice. While the research shows there are no long term negative health effects it should be mentioned that before this pesticide dries it is very dangerous to cats. Neurologically something bad can happen if cats get exposed to this before it dries, so cat people be sure to treat your clothes far away from any felines!

Step 2: Carry a Topical Repellent

While I find Permethrin gives me the protection I need 95% of the time I still carry a small bottle of repellent for when the mosquitoes are fierce (often dusk or dawn). In my experience natural herbal repellents only last for mere minutes after application and require constant reapplication to have any effectiveness. That leaves me with only two other options that are effective, and I strongly prefer one over the other.

DEET– While I used this for years and can attest to its effectiveness I never liked applying this to my skin. The 100% formulas are so strong (and toxic) that they would keep working even after bathing. The chemical can literally melt through plastic and nylon making it a poor choice for backpackers, hikers, and climbers who often have gear made from these materials. If it’s all you have and you need protection I would use sparingly and according to directions. Luckily a relatively new option has come to market that I am a huge fan off…

Picardin– This repellent has been approved by the EPA since 2005 but I still find many outdoor enthusiasts have not learned about it’s effectiveness when compared to DEET. In my experience it is just as effective as DEET but with out all the concern around synthetic materials. It doesn’t melt through plastic and it doesn’t feel like it’s still on my skin after bathing. I carry a small bottle of it in my pack for times when either I’m not wearing my treated clothing or the mosquitos are just in full on feeding mode.

Step 3: Head Net

For less than two ounces and a few bucks I have a Sea to Summit Head Net stuffed away in my backpack for one more physical barrier between me and the biting things. This head net is pretreated with Permethrin. You can find all the clothes REI has that are pretreated with Permethrin at this link. You can find all the clothes at BACKCOUNTRY that are pretreated with Permethrin at this link.

Step 4: Tick Checks

Finally, the last thing you can do to protect yourself from tick borne illness is a quality “tick check” when you get back home from your adventure. The good news is it takes time for ticks to transmit disease after biting you. The CDC actually states it takes 36 to 48 hours for an attached tick to transmit Lyme. Some of the other diseases can transmit faster though so best practice is to do a tick check every night before bed if you’ve been out playing in the mountains. Ticks will often prefer attaching in hidden crevices and areas with hair. This means your tick check will be quite personal. A small mirror can help you check places you can’t easily see. If you find an attached tick don’t panic, they are usually not to hard to remove but you want to take care that you keep the tick whole. Pinch with fingernails or small tweezers at the very base of the tick and apply steady pulling pressure until it comes out. Wash the bite area with soap and water. If concerned that the tick was attached for more than 36 hours you could send it in to testing using this form.

Summary

Unfortunately ticks and associates tick borne disease are on the rise. Hopefully some of the tips and suggestions I’ve shared above can help you create your own line of defense against these nasty little parasites.

See you in the mountains,

Northeast Alpine Start

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