Strolls off the beaten path always capture an adventure seeker’s sense of well, adventure.
However, trailblazers are often at the mercy of Mother Nature, and outdoor adventures can end unceremoniously for the unprepared, uneducated or unlucky.
For some, mosquitoes and deer flies are the ultimate party poopers and a good reason to stay indoors. Others are turned off by the threat of poison ivy, or the growing nuisance of Giant Hogweed.
But perhaps no outdoor pest is as feared as the ant-sized adversary known to feast on human blood, in exchange for a disease-filled injection that can lead to serious health complications.
Bites from blood-thirsty ticks infected with Lyme disease can lead to a wide range of random and sporadic symptoms that include fever, chills, dizziness, weight loss, memory loss, trouble speaking, joint pain and trouble swallowing — to name a few.
Lyme disease, first identified in Lyme, Connecticut (hence the name), has been known to stump medical professionals and is often misdiagnosed as everything from multiple sclerosis to fibromyalgia.
The ticks, better seen under a microscope, are generally found in tall grasses and shrubs in naturalized areas.
While there are some areas where Lyme disease is known to be a problem, notoriously along some parts of Lake Erie, it isn’t restricted to any particular geographical area. Disconcertingly, ticks often hitch a ride with migrating birds, taking their disease-infected biting ways with them.
According to the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, Lyme disease can have serious and permanent health consequences if left untreated — and it’s on the rise in the province.
Although only about 100 cases are reported in Canada each year, it’s believed that many more are misdiagnosed since doctors are woefully uneducated about the disease, states the Canada Trails website. It further points out that in the US states that border Canada, several thousand cases are reported each year, and more than 100,00 cases have been reported in North America since 1982.
However, determining if you’ve been bitten by a tick can be difficult, given their size and the lack of awareness about Lyme disease as a potential threat.
Ticks are bloodthirsty by nature, known to latch on to deer to snack (hence the apt nickname “deer tick”).
Once ticks find exposed skin on humans, they burrow in to feed, and usually must do so for 24 hours to transfer the bacterium that causes Lyme disease.
Infected tick bites are accompanied by a red bulls-eye around the bite area, a telltale sign that it’s best to get to the doctor’s office for antibiotics.
Early treatment is crucial in fighting the effects of Lyme disease, which is an ominous outdoor threat.
Type the words into Google and the search engine will spit out well-documented horror stories for what is called the most prevalent  insect-bourne disease across the Western Hemisphere.
In the late stages, Lyme disease can result in disabling neurological disorders that include short-term memory loss and mental “fogginess,” as well as severe joint pain and numbness.
As with most things in life, prevention is the best medicine. Those venturing outdoors into possible tick habitats are advised to cover up exposed skin, use insect repellant and complete a full-body examination when returning home. Dog owners are also advised to check their pets, since ticks can infect dogs or make their way into your home and potentially end up on their owners.
Sadly, the fact that tiny ticks can exact a devastating toll on human health is enough to spoil anyone’s appetite for outdoor explorations of the natural beauty around us, given the dangers that lurk in the wild. But we owe it to ourselves and our families to make sure that any adventures off the beaten path aren’t ill fated out of ignorance.