trail

Avoid Ticks – How to “Suit Up” for the Outdoors

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NJ is home to several species of ticks who’d love nothing more than to latch on to your skin and feast. Some of these ticks can carry diseases which will make you very ill (not just Lyme). A few simple steps can help prevent you from becoming a tick buffet.

  • Dress for Battle:
    • Tall socks
    • Long pants tucked into your socks
    • Long-sleeved shirt tucked into your pants
    • Hat
    • (Light-colored clothing is better for spotting the dark ticks)
  • Hose Yourself Down:
    • Apply an insect repellant with 20-30% DEET to any exposed skin (adults will want to do this onto your kids. Careful not to get it into their eyes, nose, mouth or on hands.)
    • Awesome tool to search for repellants: cfpub.epa.gov/oppref/insect/
  • Hike the Trails:
    • Walk only on maintained trails
    • Avoid walking through tall grass or brush
    • Ticks don’t jump; they only transfer to you when you brush up against them
    • Try to sit on your camping chair; ticks crawl from ground up (the ground, logs, rocks are good spots to find them)
  • Check & Wash:
    • After your hike, do a Tick Check
    • Check your boots, they could be hiding there too
    • Wash your skin to remove the repellant
    • Wash your clothes and use the dryer (some ticks survive the washer but most die in the hot dryer)

And if you’re interested, the CDC published a list of all the diseases you can get from ticks. You can learn about them on their website: www.cdc.gov/ticks/diseases/

Are Ticks Lurking on Your Skin? How to do a Tick Check

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You’ve dressed properly then went on a hike so you’re pretty sure you don’t have any ticks. But the ticks are clever and sometimes really tiny. See the period at the end of this sentence; that’s how small a tick can be. You NEED to do a tick check after you hike. You can even do them periodically DURING your hike. The sooner you can get them off you, the better.

Here’s how:

  • Ideally, you want to be in your bathroom (the floor tiles will prevent them from hiding – you don’t want a tick living in your carpet).  Start from the ground up. 
    • Before you take off your clothes, check them.  If you were wearing light-colored clothing, maybe you can spot them easily.
    • Take off the shoes and check them.
    • Roll down your socks a couple inches and check your legs.
    • Unzip your pants and check around your waistband.
    • Roll up your sleeves and check your arms.
    • Check around the color of your shirt.
    • Check your hair.
  • Take off the clothes.  Start again from the ground and move upwards.
    • Check your feet and between your toes.
    • Check your legs and behind your knees.
    • Check the groin (between, inside, outside, everywhere).
    • Check your body, your belly button, your arms, your armpits.
    • Check your neck, ears, and hair thoroughly.
    • Use a hand mirror or a magnifying mirror if you have to.
    • This may seem excessive but ticks love warm places.
  • After you are done checking, take a shower.
    • While you are washing, feel for any hard bumps indicating a tick that you may have missed.
    • If you feel something that shouldn’t be there, look at it again.
  • Each day for the next few days, do the tick check.
    • If you picked one up, they will be bigger since they are attached and feeding on your blood.
    • If you see any red rashes, if your skin feels inflamed or you get a fever, call your doctor immediately, even if you don’t see the tick.

What to do if you find a tick:

  • Don’t panic! Yea, I know that’s hard when you first see one but it’s really important not to freak out your kids. Just remain calm. (If bugs scare you, call your doctor and have him/her remove it for you.)
  • The tick attaches to the skin using his mouth.
    • With your tweezers, gently put them around the tick as close to the skin as possible.
    • Firmly pull the tick straight back (in the direction of the tick’s butt). Removing a Tick with Tweezers
    • Be careful not to squeeze the tweezers too hard; the goal is to get all of the tick in one piece, not squish him.
    • Also, do not twist the tick or you may leave mouth parts inside your skin. (If that happens, try to remove the rest of the tick with your tweezers.)
  • Place the tick into a plastic bag and seal it. Wash the area with rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide or other type of disinfectant.
  • Monitor the area for the next few days to see if a red bulls-eye type rash (or any type of rash) develops. If the area seems inflamed or has a rash or you develop a fever, see your doctor immediately and don’t forget to bring the tick.

Side Note:

If the thought of your tweezers around the body of a tick sends shivers down your spine, for less than $5 you can invest in a tick remover (also called a tick spoon or tick key). Directions for using them are on the package. Tick removers are found in most stores that sell camping equipment or on their websites. Here’s a list of online places:

National Public Lands Day – September 27, 2014

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National Public Lands Day 2014National Public Lands Day began in 1994 when approximately 700 volunteers helped to maintain 3 sites. Last year was the 20th anniversary and 175,000 volunteers cleaned up 2,237 sites.

Although this began as a way to help Federal parks, the state and local parks are joining in! If you are looking for a volunteer opportunity, I’ve listed a few here. And if you don’t want to clean up, all of the National Parks are offering free admission so feel free to enjoy what they offer.

  • National Public Lands Day at Wharton State Forest
  • National Estuaries Day Hike & Clean Up
  • National Public Lands Day in Woodbridge Township
  • National Public Lands Day Volunteer Session at Mapleton Preserve
    • 2pm – 4pm
    • Bring your rake or shovel, sturdy shoes and hat
    • Mapleton Preserve is at the D & R Canal State Park Headquarters
    • 145 Mapleton Road, Kingston (NOTE: GPS/Mapquest will give wrong address)
    • (609) 683-0483
    • fpnl.org

County Parks in NJ

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NJ County MapHere is a list of the Parks System websites for the counties in NJ. It’s a great way to begin searching for events, hiking trails, campgrounds or places to visit.

The first link will take you to the main county website.  The second link will show the parks department’s website.

 

 

National Parks located in NJ

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US Parks & Historical Sites located in NJHere is a list of the websites for the National Parks that are found in NJ.  It’s a great way to begin searching for events, hiking trails, campgrounds or places to visit.

NJ State Parks

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Map of NJ State Park RegionsHere is a list of the websites for the NJ State Parks and Recreation Areas. It’s a great way to begin searching for events, hiking trails, campgrounds or places to visit. 

If you click on the map, you can view the parks sorted by region.

 

NJ State Parks – Greater Atlantic City

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NJ State Parks - Greater Atlantic City Region

These parks are located in the Greater Atlantic City region of NJ.

Atsion Recreation Area  (Atlantic, Burlington & Camden)

Senator Frank S. Farley Marina  (Atlantic)

Wharton State Forest  (Atlantic, Burlington & Camden)

NJ State Parks – Southern Shore

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NJ State Parks - Southern Shore RegionThese parks are located in the Southern Shore region of NJ.

NJ State Parks – Skylands Region

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NJ State Parks - Skylands Region

These are the NJ State Parks located within the Skylands region.