Date: 2017-04-23
From: Morgantown, WV

To: Morgantown, WV
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

4/23/17 Morgantown, WVMiles hiked: 544.4, Miles to go: 1645.4The packing continues. We have given away or thrown away so much stuff; but, we still have so much to pack. It's amazing how much stuff two people accumulate over the years. We are making a concerted effort to reduce the amount of stuff we own because we are moving to a smaller house. It's the same struggle I go through with my backpack on the trail - only on a much larger scale. Where's the balance between comfort and weight (or in this case, room in the Uhaul)?As you can see from the picture, I did find time among all the packing to get my hair cut (click on the "photo" button to the left to see the "before" picture). Most people have been shocked and wondered why, after letting it grow for over two years, I cut it all off. Two words - deer ticks. Everyone always asks me if I'm afraid of bears. I'm MUCH more worried about deer ticks. Most of us are used to seeing the dog tick, about twice the size of a capital "O" or bigger. A deer tick is much smaller - about the size of a small "o". They are very hard to see under the best of conditions. Giving them a veritable forest to hide in on my head gives them a much greater chance of getting by undetected. The reason I am so concerned about deer ticks is that they carry Lyme Disease. Initial symptoms include fever, malaise, and joint pain. Left untreated, it can lead to a range of neurological issues such as meningitis and memory loss. Chronic Lyme Disease can last for years. With the mild winter, deer tick populations are predicted to explode this summer, especially in the Northeastern US (which happens to be just where I'm walking to). With the exploding tick population will be a concomitant rise in Lyme Disease. Hence, the shearing. I am taking additional steps to reduce potential deer tick exposure. I sent my hiking clothes to a company in NC called Insect Shield which pressure treated them with permethrin, an insect repellent that ticks hate. The protection is suppos d to last for 70 washings. Now that it is warmer, I will check myself regularly for ticks as part of my bedtime wet wipe wash routine. I will also watch for the telltale sign of Lyme Disease, which is a bullseye shaped rash at the site of the tick bite. Unfortunately, this rash only shows up in about 25-50% of the cases. However, if I do find a deer tick or bullseye rash, I will immediately begin taking the prescription doxycycline capsules that I am carrying in my first aid kit and follow up with a medical professional upon arriving in the next town. If I don't see a rash but begin to feel malaise and joint pain, I will probably start a prophylactic dose of doxy anyway. The problem with that scenario, though, is hiking 15-20 miles a day leads to malaise and joint pain on its own! I guess if I have greater than normal malaise and joint pain, I'll go with it. Of course, the other benefits of shearing my flowing locks are that it will be much cooler and easier to manage. No more waking up with a tangled rat's nest that I would have to try to comb out with a small comb just so I could pull it back in a ponytail. No more washing my long hair with questionable shampoo provided by the hostel. Although, the guy who cuts my hair cautioned me that, even though my hair was short, I still needed to "deep condition" it once a week. Ha! I'm lucky if I get to wash it once a week!Finally, apparently everyone from my mother to the garbage man has been relieved that I no longer look like a half-crazed homeless guy (Q. How do you tell a thru hiker from a homeless person? A. Thru hikers carry hiking poles.) Although, I did have one co-worker who liked my "Jerry Garcia" look. In about 10 days, when I return to the trail, rather than Beaker from Morgantown, WV, I will be the "new and improved" Beaker 2.0 from Knoxville, TN.