Pure blue sky on a day off. It doesn’t get much better. Willow and I had grand plans to head to the backside of Swansea, follow the coolie and walk out to the front of Pinto. I knew there would be snow, but was surprised how much was still on the side looking east. And here I thought wood ticks would be the biggest concern.
We still found time to stop and walk admiring the mountains and sky. Back down in the valley bottom I rolled the windows down and heard the first Meadowlarks of the year.
Palliser Pass 
Anonymous
And still, you found some pussywillows for me! Made my day…thank you!
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underswansea
You are very welcome!
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mountaincoward
That does look a lot of snow remaining! We’ve only got little spots here and there in the hills now – mind you, Scotland could be different – only we’re not allowed to go there!
What are ‘wood ticks’? Are they biting ticks like deer and sheep ticks?
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underswansea
Wood ticks are a tick that imbeds its head under your skin, attaching itself and sucks your blood eventually falling off. They have been known to cause Lyme Disease. You have written about your ticks and I believe they are similar. Everyone has their own ‘best’way to extract them. My father used to take them off me by poking a hot needle into them. They would then back their head out on their own. This method, however, is no longer recommended. Take care. Bob
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mountaincoward
Wonder why you guys call them ‘wood’ ticks though? They sound exactly the same as our sheep and deer ticks. My method of removal is to carry a miniature of whisky on my hill trips. When I get a tick (and I get loads), I upend the bottle over them for a few seconds. Either the fumes or ingesting the whisky makes them giddy and they lift up from the skin (or possibly it burns their body). When they lift up, I can see which way they went in and I just jerk them off (excuse the expression) against the direction their teeth are embedded. I generally get them out cleanly that way…
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underswansea
I am going to start carrying whiskey just to be on the safe side.
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mountaincoward
always a good plan 😉
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Julie@frogpondfarm
Do those ticks like animals and people? Wow, that’s some snow .. great black and white shot!
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underswansea
Thanks Julie! The ticks like anything with blood. They are a parasite and will ride around on their host until engorged and fall off and lay eggs. Nice hey! 🙂 Take care.
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