Contracting Contact Dermatitis on the trail

 

I am in the middle of healing from my 300-tick encounter plus my contracting Contact Dermatitis.

Let me digress and explain what has got me here talking about this.

I have always been a person who as a last resort will put on bug juice to protect me against ticks and insects.

I made several misjudgments that would land me where I am currently. The first one being not using the Natrapel I brought. This repellent does not react with gortext or any other synthetic clothing that I have noticed over the years.

I made a route in the Garmin Basecamp program. I then proceeded to hike it down in the Shawnee State Forest.

I walk all the time through weeds that are over my boots. The concentration of the right type and amounts of flora that could irritate a person’s skin had to be off the charts. I was wearing shorts and mid-calf socks. You can see my sock line in the photos, and you can tell the flora still penetrated my Darn Tough socks that I was wearing.

This was on Saturday for reference.  If I am correct, it was the last 2.5 miles on the Western Day Hike Loop. This is the only area where for an extended amount of time and miles the weed and grass growth was higher than my boots.  This patch in many places is very obscure.

This was also my closing leg of the 18.2-mile hike.

I was sweating a lot to the point I had no dry skin on my body and compounded by how I smelled I had been keeping up a 2.0 mph pace.

I also think this was part of the perfect storm for this case of Contact Dermatitis and with tick issue it made it worse.

On my way back to camp, I noticed all these seeds looking around the tops of my socks. If I would have really looked at them, I would have seen they where a bevy of small ticks.  I must have walked through one or several egg masses.

Because I dismissed them as being small wildflower seeds or something similar, I had unknowingly sealed my fate.

I went by to take a shower for a few hours. I made dinner and putzed around the camp and then finally took a shower.

I took a hot shower and since I thought they were seeds I just showered normally and thus redistributed the ticks all over me!

O it gets better I slept atop of my sleeping bag in shorts I would itch my legs all through the night and it would not dawn on me to ask, “why I’m I itching?”.

I woke up and of course my legs looked worse but had not started blistering yet.  It had not dawned on me, yet what my situation was.

I unpacked the car after driving countless hours. I took a shower and after I did, I inspected myself closer.  This would be Sunday and roughly 18 after the exposure.

I looked closely at the bumps on my skin, and I could see on most of them they had a tiny brown thing on them.

I yelled out no it can’t be? I put my headlamp on into a dark room and pulled one off with a pair of tweezers and put it on a baby wipe.

I then took a macro photo of it when my phone.  I then zoomed into it and my nightmare started to unfold.  I knew these would need to be taken off and that could only happen mechanically.

I went to a local med center and the amazing nurse practitioner using the point of a needle dislodged 300 ticks!! I still am and then also was so disappointed in myself. I took no steps in precautions to stop this from happening to me.

Out of 300 ticks he found only one female, and he sent me in a script for the Lyme disease.

Then I was discharged and went home.  By now the puss blisters had been popping and my legs where swollen from my knees to my toes.

These signs were telling me I needed help and that I was in trouble.

 I took sick time Monday and Tuesday not knowing I would need to take sick time all week.

I arrived at the doctor’s office, and she immediately told me it was Contact Dermatitis.

This first round of photos is from Monday.

This second round of photos is from Tuesday.

I found a product called Bugout by Ecopest  and it’s all natural. It’s a laundry additive and you can decon (decontamination) your equipment with it also.

I have bleached all surfaces of my house, bleach mopped the house, and I have swept the house thoroughly. I have emptied the trash a lot and emptied the sweeper and the contents have been taken out to the shed for trash day.

Cross contamination is one of the hardest things to stop from happening. For the ones who have had any HAZWOPER training and or NBC “Nuclear, Biological, Chemical” warfare training you know this is hard not to do.

I just wanted to share my story and always stay safe and vigilant folks.

Random Hiking Trip information from the Shawnee State Forest

 

While I camped at Ben’s Happy Trails for two days and leaving on the third. I asked one of the workers there where is the best place to eat around here?

Knowing it full well I may need to drive an hour to get good food. In reality it was only 36 minutes. She told me to go to Abby’s Place found at 38 N Main St, Peebles, OH 45660.

It is right in the small town of Peebles, Ohio.

The photos tell the story better than my writing can do. I needed a full belly prior to me hitting the road because I did not want to stop before I got home.

Shawnee State Forest Shakedown 18.2 Mile Loop Hike

I decided to hike in the Shawnee State Forest in Ohio. I planned out a 17-mile loop out of two different loops. I used parts of the east and west day hike loops and part of the North loop of the backpacker’s trail.

Some of the characteristics of forest I did not expect. the section of forest I hiked through was young. I mean less than 40 years overall if I had to guess.

One of the many reasons I bring this up is because of the canopy coverage of the trees. Unlike many older forests they have much denser canopy where the sun can't penetrate down to the trail.  

While hiking now I carry 5 litres of water. For me this is good for 90-degree weather and 20 miles. With the lack of water resources on the ridges, it could be extremely dangerous for others who are not prepared.  

Along with the minimal water available one needs to be concerned about other heat-related injuries. I'm not attempting to be Debbie downer but being real and preparing for anyone who hikes down there or who is thinking about it. 

The backpacking trail has undergone major renovations. Some storms have rained down havoc on the trail.  

I guess by the tracked vehicle marks they have had at least one Bobcat type of vehicle in there to clear the obstructions.  

They have a lot of them gone in the North section I hiked. They back dragged the entire trail that I saw. They added water bars and made other terrain changes.

I departed from Turkey Creek Lake, and I was on my way. The sun was trying to peak over the hills.

The first ascent was 379 feet in 0.86 miles, and you could tell in the winter this would be a great view. It’s obstructed by trees, but it would still be nice.

The back-to-back ascents here in the first 2.25 miles are nearly the same.

Approximately at mile 5 I would begin my road work. Maggie joined me until she found someone else “story of my life”. Lol

This road grade would be over 2.60 miles and ascend 520 feet.

It was a nice work out and then the Shawnee roller coaster would begin.

After getting off the road I would be greeted by an ascent of 308 feet over 0.55 miles.

Again, here you could tell a piece of equipment that had been used to back drag the trail.

I was really hoping that all the trails would be single track, but one never really knows what they are going to find until they get there.

Sometimes a much-needed breeze would hit me to cool down even more.

Water Spigot @ N38° 46.246' W83° 09.703'

For this loop I think the best view in the winter of late spring would be here N38° 45.508' W83° 11.241'.

The exposed bed rock and finger you are standing on makes it extremely scenic. I also think you could hike out to the end of the finger, and the view would be even better.

The growth of the young forest would make the views so impressive with no leaves on the trees IMHO.

In closing this winding and hilly trail is not designed for a new hiker. The hydration requirements for this hike are very demanding.  This trail being a ridge runner for the most of it the ephemeral streams this time of year are dead low.

If you go, plan ahead and do not take any chances.

Camping Reservations Made

I will be hiking a 17 mile loop I created that has over 8000 feet of elevation deviation throughout the hike. 

 I will be headed down around the Ohio River for the weekend and see you on sunday when I return! 

Potentially headed to southern Ohio next weekend

Lake Erie Sunset 8-22-2026