Fugitive Tick

We had a FANTASTIC weekend.  The sun came out for the first time all week and we had not one, but two full days of sunshine.  Temps were in the 70’s and low 80’s. Niiiice. 

I did not remember to set aside my boots for this trip so I’ve been “hiking” in old tennis shoes.  My feet are killing me.  I’m thinking of ordering new boots, and breaking them in this summer since we are only doing short hikes anyway.  That way I’ll have my nice comfy hikers and a secondary pair.  It is very wet up here so it would be nice to have another pair in case one pair gets wet.  Anyway . . . I’m just rambling here.  

I always laughed off the idea of getting kids hiking boots because their feet grow so fast, but I’m now thinking of getting the kids some too, so they can explore their new home in comfort.  Why not?  I might as well make the hikes a really good experience so that they will continue to want to explore. 

We went hiking on both days.  Alright – well . . . it wasn’t really hiking if ya know what I mean.  We did as much as we could with two little boys.  And they did a great job.  They “hiked” about 2 miles on Saturday and 1.5 miles on Sunday.  They didn’t complain and they were enthusiastic and followed directions!  Example of directions issued: “You must hold our hand over the bridge because you could fall through the railing.”  “Do not get too close to the cliff.”  “Do not chase the deer.”   It was really exciting for all of us. 

Saturday we did a short hike along McDonald creek.  We saw a lot of deer tracks on this trail, and as we’d been told, we didn’t see anyone more than a quarter mile from the trail head.  Once you got further than a quarter mile out, you were alone.  Weird.  

Algae?  I don't know what it is, but it was growing on a rock and I am super excited to research it and find out what this is.  If you know, please tell me.

The whole rock, all the spots are the things growing.

Here is a closer look at the dark spots nestled next to the lighter spots and a green spot.  WHAT IS IT?  What are those rings?  I'm so intrigued.

Another awesome view.

Then we went back to the Trail of the Cedars (AJ hadn’t yet seen it), where there is a grove of western red cedars that have not had a fire come through in 600 years.   AJ said he saw a very large slug, similar to a banana slug but this was brown.  I didn’t see it – so I can’t confirm its existence but if indeed there are banana slug sized slugs up here that actually BLEND into the ground I think I will go get me some really tall (knee high) hiking boots after all.  Damn I hate banana slugs.  When AJ was at the Redwoods we’d see those things leave slime trails that were super thick all over the place.  Yuck.  No really – I know I studied biology and all that jazz but that doesn’t mean I have to like all life forms.  I can appreciate their unique niche on the planet but I don’t have to enjoy them.

The boys threw rocks in the Avalanche Creek along the trail of the cedars.  It is so beautiful.

ANOTHER amazing peak to photograph.  They are everywhere and they are breathtaking.  I keep making AJ pull over so I can get another picture of another mountain.  Will it ever get old?  I don't think so.

We also saw our first black bear in the wild.  It wasn’t very big (I’m guessing a yearling?) but I’m not a black bear expert either.  Maybe it was a dwarf black bear.  Mayyyybe it was just a black lab.  Ha!  Kidding.  But seriously, on another day I saw two black bears on the side of the road.  They were wayyyy up ahead of me lumbering along through the tall grass.  The sun was going down and it was getting dark so I strained to get a better look as I approached.  I was sooo excited!  TWO OF THEM!!  Then when I got close enough I could see that they were two big black cows.  The tall grass hid their legs.  Damn.  So we finally did (FINALLY it’s been three whole weeks! Jeeez) see one bear, about 1/8 of a mile from our house.  When we got home I sent the kids out to play in the yard with the dog.  It’s survival of the fittest here in Montana.

Today we went hiking in an area that had a massive and hot forest fire rip through it in 2001.  The area was full of skeeters and butterflies.  We thankfully have stocked the car with bug spray and sunblock.  The trail was 0.9 miles long.  We did it 1.5 times because we had to backtrack around a massive swampy area.  This area, like most of the places I’ve been so far was littered with predator scat.  Some of the scat was pretty darn old but one pile was definitely cougar, and the rest of the piles were up for debate.  But the long and the short of it is this: there is a healthy predator population around here leaving lots of scat with animal hair mixed in.

Oh. Hey.  Guess what?  I found a tick in my hair.  Good times.  It was just running around in the strands of my hair.  Happy days for the tick.  I pulled it out and called the kids over to show them what to look for on the dog and their own bodies.  We counted the legs as it walked on my hand, and commented on the neato design on the tick’s body.  I felt all earth loving and animal loving as I gently explained how ticks work and what they do. I really should have taken a photograph for you to see.  It was crab-like with red legs and a greenish-black pattern on the back.  I would have taken a picture but instead I decided to smash the living shit out of it with my Diet Coke can.  Hey.  Don’t judge me.  At least it wasn’t a beer can.  Besides.  Part of the education was teaching the kids how to properly obliterate a tick. 

Everyone got showers and a head to toe tick check.  I took a long shower too.  During my shower I found a tick. . . . nestled in my. . . . . . waaaait fooooor iiiittt.

Wait for it.

NESTLED IN MY . . . .

Ass crack.  

Do you hear that?  Can you hear me screaming all the way up here in Montana?

Oh YES.  My ass crack was harboring a fugitive tick.  I’m not proud.  It is no good to discover that your very own ass crack is prime tick habitat.  Thankfully it was not attached to me.  I washed it’s ass crack loving self down the drain.

That kind of put a damper on my day.  Since my horrific discovery I have been unusually twitchy and jumpy.  I suspect all tickles and minor discomforts.  Is that a tick??  Did I just feel another tick???  What was that??

So much for DEET.  Those bastards at DEEP WOODS OFF are liars liars pants of fire.  Next up for testing is the dog’s Frontline “flea and tick” stuff.   You know, the stuff you put on their skin once a month and it keeps the creepy crawlies off of the pet.  In theory.  Allegedly.  I guess we shall see how well that stuff works. 

Tomorrow it will rain again and for the rest of the week.  I am really liking it up here. . . on the sunny days.  I’m hoping to become better adjusted to the dark days – and later to the dark winters.   I think the key will be to participate in winter sports . . . which I have very little experience with.  But I have the perfect excuse to learn – the boys.  They should learn to love the snow early and I will give it my best shot.    

All last week this is what it looked like.

I threw the boys in the shower to entertain them during one rainy day and left them in there for a while.  I didn't realize the hot water had run out until they both came out shivering and blue.  I bundled them up and stuck them in front of a movie.  They quickly warmed up and then I spoiled them with milk and cookies.