Beech Woods Ticks

 

Beech Woods Ticks

December 20, 2010

We left the Sundew Trail disappointed so we headed to another trail, Beech Wood Trail. When we pulled up, it looked ruff, like the trail time forgot. It was littered with pine straw and leaves, limbs and sticks. The sign to the trail had a “No Alcohol” sign on it. I thought, ”hmm, that is a first.” I have never saw a sign saying that before on a hiking trail, must have been a problem for the area. I didn’t really feel comfortable going hiking, guess I will learn to listen to my gut feeling. We had to walk .3 of a mile along a gated dirt road to get to the actual trail. The highlight along this road was we saw a possum scamper off into the bushes. We looked for him but he stayed hid from us.

Adam had to crawl on the gate to the road and climb a tree by the sign. I swear this child is part monkey. We walked to the trail and officially started our hike. The trail was not well maintained. Trees, blew over by past hurricanes, were barely removed from the trail and the path was littered with dead dry leaves and sticks. We had to walk a bit more to get to the part that started the loop. Once we arrived at the fork in the road we sat on the bench deciding if it was even worth going any farther.

Sitting there voting, I noticed a tick crawling on Stewart’s pant leg. I jump up, “Ugh, a tick!” I started looking over everyone. Anna had two on her and Adam had three on him. Austin and I was blessed not to have any on us. I pulled the ticks off their clothes, thankfully none was attached to their skin.

“OK, that is it, lets head back, try not to brush against anything.” I warned. Adam was getting to far ahead and I told him to wait for us, instead of standing there and waiting he would walk around in a circle. In his words, “If we keep moving they won’t get on us!” We decided the ticks must have been on the bench and when we sat down, they attacked us.

We “power walked” back to the Tahoe. I gave everyone a good once and twice over and found one more on Adam at his hair line, again not attached. We have never had a tick on us from any hike until this one and then to get seven, not even having walked a half mile was more than I could stand. From now on I will spray us thoroughly with Deep Woods Off before we go on anymore hiking trails.

At the trailhead of each trail there is a box with a sign-in sheet. I assume it is so they know who has visited,  there is always a question that asks, “What did you observe?” I wrote in big letters, “TICKS!”