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Rush Sturges is a pro kayaker known for his mind-bending freestyle moves, including one known as a “hail mary”, which involves a front flip over a waterfall. As we watched his latest highlights reel, Sean and I couldn’t help but notice the emphasis on his childhood paddling. The reel follows him as his parents pose him in a boat as an infant, up through his early years, including his 2003 Junior World Kayaking Championship win. His parents owned a kayaking school on a big river in California, and it is clear that they were instrumental in involving him in the sport from a very early age.

It’s a tricky thing, though, figuring out how much to try to influence a kid’s love of the outdoors. We are gung-ho paddlers, and we took the mancub out for a short ride the other day. He had a great time throwing a rubber duck over the side. But what if he doesn’t like paddling? What if he starts to drag his feet every time we prepare for a trip? How much do we push him and hope it sticks? When I was a kid, my parents took me out to a local nature sanctuary several times a week. I loved it. When my younger sister arrived, they loaded her into the backpack and headed down the trail. She screamed her head off every time. So, they ultimately decided to leave her with my grandmother and skip the nature tours when she was with us.  So far he seems to be thrilled by our adventures, so we’ll cross our fingers and hope we never have to decide whether or not to leave him behind.

Deer ticks: Male tick on left, engorged female tick on right.

Few things freak me out as much as ticks. Something about their bloodsucking disease-carrying creepy little bodies send shivers up my spine, and the sight of a single tick causes me to search myself for hours and jump through the roof every time I feel something on my skin. Fortunately, they don’t seem to like me all that much either; Sean and I will come back from a jaunt in the woods, and he’ll be covered with ticks, while I often don’t have any on me. I’m hoping the baby takes after me on that count, because the thought of digging ticks out of tender baby skin has me squirming in my seat.

Unfortunately, this warm winter we’ve had may bring us one of the worst tick years we’ve seen in a while. With ticks moving further north and lyme disease and rocky mountain spotted fever becoming more prevalent, it is inevitable that those of us who like to wander around in the bushes will have to deal with these nasty little crawlies. So what do we do?

1. Know where to expect to find ticks

Ticks are often found in wooded or grassy areas, particularly where there is overgrown vegetation or leaf litter. This is also precisely the habitat that kids and pets love to explore, so knowing that there is a high likelihood of encountering ticks on a favorite hike or trip to a park lets you prepare ahead of time. Try to keep kids on the hiking trail and out of the brush during tick season to minimize exposure.

 2. Dress appropriately when heading into tick territory

Wear long sleeves and long pants, as well as thick socks when going into a tick-heavy area. There are a number of lightweight fabrics on the market which make this more realistic in the summertime.

 3. Use tick repellent

Products containing 20% DEET are effective tick repellents, and can be applied to clothing or skin, though we tend to only put it on clothing to minimize chemical exposure. Be sure to carefully avoid the hands, eyes and mouth, and follow all product directions. Permethrin is also effective, but should not be used on skin.

4. Check carefully for ticks after each outing

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends immediately checking the following places:

• Under the arms
• In and around the ears
• Inside belly button
• Back of the knees
• Under the arms
• In and around the hair
• Between the legs
• Around the waist

Taking a shower within two hours after returning from an outing where you may have encountered ticks will decrease the likelihood of attachment and disease transmission.

5. Immediately remove all ticks

Use tweezers to firmly grasp the tick close to the skin, and pull upward with steady pressure. Wash the area with soap and water, and watch the area for swelling or rash.

Ticks may be unavoidable, but with a little vigilance you can manage to stay ahead of them.

Today’s edition of Adventure Journal contained a short article by British adventurer Alasdair Humphreys about the importance of finding opportunities for small adventures, even if you don’t have the time or money to go far from home or stage a large-scale expedition. According to Humphreys, “Adventure is only a state of mind. 
Adventure is stretching yourself; mentally, physically or culturally. It is about doing what you don’t normally do, pushing yourself hard and doing it to the best of your ability. And if that’s true then adventure is all around us, at all times. Even during hard financial times such as these. Times, I believe, when getting away from it all and out into the wild are more invigorating and important than ever.”

I’m finding this to be so very important, especially when I’m at a time where I can’t really go off on long treks or paddles,  or any outing that can’t accommodate a tiny baby.Trips to the local parks become adventures. So do macroexplorations in the backyard, and dramatic encounters with smaller local wildlife. We are exploring new neighborhoods and trails, and beginning to know our local territory much more intimately, something we had not done before because we  were off pursuing the larger goal. I know that the time will come soon when I can return to the wilds more easily, but sometimes, like tonight, I feel a little itchy for the great unknown. It’s nice to read a piece from someone else who values the small worlds that deserve exploration, and reminds me how much I still have to learn about that which was near me all along.

You can read the rest of Humphreys article here.