Posts Tagged ‘michigan’

With the Michigan hiking season starting out in full force there is a topic I should bring to your attention; ticks.  Michigan is rife with ticks and it’s not a matter of “if” you will see them, it’s a matter of “when” you will see them.

Last year the ticks in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula were so abundant, even the Department of Natural Resources were reluctant to clean a trail or two.

There are several ways you can prevent ticks from digging their ravenous little heads into your meaty goodness, and a few of them are as follows;

• Wear long pants.  They will by no means stop them from getting into you, but it will slow them down significantly more than if you were wearing shorts.  This is personal preference, but I would recommend it.

• Every time you stop to refuel yourself, eat, drink, or answer the voicemail of nature, check yourself for ticks.  Just start from you ankles and check yourself to above your waist.  The quicker you find them, the easier they will be to remove.  The little bloodsuckers need to be attached to you for roughly 36 hours in order to transmit disease.

• Purchase a preventative that you soak your clothes in.  There are several products on the market that consist of a natural form of chrysanthemum extract (Permethrin) that are known to kill ticks and mosquitoes on contact.   The nice part is that you simply soak your clothes in this liquid and then let it dry.  It will stay in your clothes for several washes and you do not have to reapply for a week or so.  Click HERE for an example.

• Purchase a “tick puller”.  The old proverb of lighting a match and using the hot match head to burn them out is really not the best method.  They sell speciality tick removers that will attach to the tick and then you simply pull out slowly.  They work fairly well (although I’ve never had to use them yet).

There is also a brochure that the MDA has put out with information about the ticks in Michigan.  You can get it from their website, but I’ve also hosted a copy that can be found by clicking HERE.

So get outside, enjoy the woods, don’t be afraid of the tiny things or else you’ll miss enjoying the BIG things!

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Well, I’ll begin by saying that I have not done much traveling around the United States. That being said, the Backpacker Magazine offered me a free PDF book called The Best Trails in America as part of purchasing my soul for their subscription. Gleefully, I obliged.

The book contains quite a bit of information on hidden gem trails located in several states. At first I asked myself “Crazy man, do you believe them?” and after wondering why I was talking to myself, I came to the conclusion that I did. I turned to the Michigan section and read the only entry for that state. I was instantly impressed. I had never heard of it! It was a wonderful gemstone of information regarding the Trap Hills in the Upper Peninsula. What an amazing hike that could be! Beautiful cliffs, waterfalls, old mines, abandoned tramway… sounds like a Scooby Doo episode!

So all in all, I would recommend leafing through this book and turning directly to your state. There just might be some great information that you’ve never heard of!
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If you’re from Michigan, and you have even a mild interest in hiking and backpacking, there is but one book you need to read: Backpacking in Michigan by Jim DuFresne.  When I first began hiking I purchased the earlier version of this book and fell in love with it.  There are so many trails around Michigan that most Michiganders have never even heard of.

This book begins with a few valuable hints and tips that every backpacker should know, and is tailored to Michigan specifically.  After the quick course on backpacking, he leads into numerically organized trail maps and descriptions.  The trails range from populated areas of the lower peninsula, to desolate areas of the upper peninsula.  Each section contains a trail map with symbols placed on every important location of interest.  The maps also have distances placed from leg to leg, and a recommended route based on how many days you wish to spend hiking it.

At the beginning of every trail description there is a summary which includes total distance, days required to hike, and general difficulty.  DO NOT be fooled by the difficulty ratings.  I assure you from personal experience, just because it says “Moderate” difficulty, does not mean it won’t kick your butt.

I recommend this book to everyone who ever plans to hike in Michigan, on either upper or lower peninsulas.  His descriptions paint an accurate picture of what you are to expect, without giving away the feelings and emotions associated with actually being out on the trail.  Enjoy this book!  I know I have!

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