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Over the last decade or so, more and more hikers have been getting bitten by Lyme infected ticks. Although that the odds of contracting Lyme Disease from ticks are very low, and there is progress being made on a vaccine, but in the meantime, I am a firm believer that knowledge is your best defense. And with that, enjoy this week's very educational article.
Blacklegged ticks are spreading across Canada — and they’re bringing Lyme disease with them
Perched on the edge of a leaf somewhere, perhaps in a field or forest near you, a tiny, eight-legged creature waves its front legs to and fro, sensing minuscule changes in heat, carbon dioxide and pheromones. It’s a black- legged tick — and it’s waiting for its next meal to walk by.
Its host likely won’t even notice this sneaky parasite until it’s too late. The tick attaches itself with barbed mouthparts, then buries its head into flesh to create a feeding lesion full of blood. Next, it unleashes its saliva: a chemical cocktail that kills pain, stimulates blood flow, prevents clotting and inhibits immune response. In fact, it changes up the protein composition of its saliva so its cover isn’t blown as it feeds for days. It’s the perfect crime.
More frightening than its bite are the pathogens this tick could be carrying — and the rate at which the blacklegged tick is spreading across Canada. In the 1970s, there was only one known colony of blacklegged ticks in Canada, in Long Point, Ont. By the 2000s, ticks could be found throughout southern Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and the Atlantic provinces. Now, they lurk as far west as Alberta and Saskatchewan. And they’re steadily moving north — hitchhiking on deer, mice and birds — as climate change creates chunks of warm forest that are suitable for the ticks to establish and complete their life cycles. Their range is expanding north by an estimated 46 kilometres per year.
Blacklegged ticks can spread Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Powassan virus. But the disease that’s rapidly becoming a concern to public health is Lyme (see chart on map), caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. The bacteria had been silently circulating in North American forests for about 60,000 years before Lyme disease was described in Lyme, Connecticut, in the 1970s. The reasons for its relatively recent infection of humans — and its spread — are more complicated than simply climate change.
One genome study from Yale University points to the ecological transformation of North America that created the optimal conditions for the spread of blacklegged ticks (also known as deer ticks). Forests were fragmented and hunting was intense during early colonization. By the 20th century, with fewer wolves and decreased hunting pressures, the population of white-tailed deer, the main carriers of ticks, exploded into suburban landscapes. Deer passed the baton (or tick) to highly mobile animals like white-footed mice and robins, which thrive in suburban areas and are ideal hosts for Borrelia burgdorferi. Humans are just collateral — an incidental host for the bacteria.
As climate change enters the scene, Lyme risk maps are getting hotter and hotter. And yet, hope is not lost. Last summer, one Lyme disease vac- cine entered Phase 3 of clinical trials. In the meantime, if you go down to the woods today: do a tick check.
Written by Abi Hayward for Canadian Geographic, published on May 17, 2023N.A.C. NEWS
(Sunday, May 21, 2023)
Good Morning,
Unfortunately, we did not get to complete our hike this past Friday, as I have come down with a case of the COVID. On Wednesday morning, I woke up feeling a little ill, but it felt like nothing more than a minor head cold. The next day, I felt dead. And after a quick test, I learned that I did indeed have COVID for the second time. Considering where I work, I was whole heartedly expecting to get infected again. I am actually surprised it took this long. By the time you are reading this email, I am hoping to be quite better. The cancelled Primrose Loop Hike has been rescheduled and can be found on the Events Page.
In 2 months to the day, we will be boarding our flight to Iceland to start our epic adventure in an incredible landscape. We will spend 8 days in Iceland, 5 of those days completing the Laugavegur Trail. The remaining 3 days will be spent enjoying the beautiful scenery and landscapes Iceland has to offer.
I have obtained 12 Wilderness Permits for Yosemite National Park, California, USA. We will be completing an expedition to Yosemite in October. All those of you that registered should have received your invoices via email. If you have not received it, please reply to this email and let me know.
Don't forget to register for Indoor Rock Climbing at Climber's Rock Inc. this coming Friday. As the days are getting warmer, the gym is less busy and we have the gym almost completely to ourselves at those hours! If you are a NAC Season Pass Holder be sure to visit the Member's Area to purchase your climbing passes in advance.
That's all the news for this week. As always, stay safe, and happy hiking!
Lenny Burch