May 11th, 2016
Miles Hiked: 18
Total Miles: 256
Start Location: Campsite Mile 0318
End Location: Campsite Mile 0336
End Lication GPS: 34.31205, -117.40957
Scenic day navigating around Silverwood Lake, a pretty good sized lake smack in the middle of the desert and mountains. It was interesting seeing so much water…it is not a luxury we have often out here.
I got a tick bite today…looked like a deer tick. I’m not sure if Lymes is common in this area. I pulled the little fucker out with tweezers. The bite was tender earlier but it isn’t swollen, just irritated where he got me. I’m going to see how it looks tomorrow and determine if I should see a doctor. He wasn’t there for long and he wasn’t engorged- which is when transmission occurs. Infection is indicated by a bulls eye formation where the bite happened on the skin. He got me on my left thigh. Right now it just looks like a large mosquito bite. I’ll monitor it for a few days until I reach Wrightwood and make a final decision then.
I hate ticks. Nasty buggers.
Tomorrow morning we pass under Interstate 15. There is a McDonalds there, and eating lots of food there is the thing to do. I’ve been looking forward to this for a few days now and I’m a little embarrassed about how excited I am!
From Carolyn’s Journal:
Dom, do you think the tick had been there for over 24 hours?
Wasn’t there for long