As the temperature starts to rise, the ticks come out and start their dreadful hunt. On their quest for blood, they crawl to the top of a blade of grass or a leaf and extend their legs outward. When an innocent stroller passes by, brushing the grass or bush, they grasp on and, like little ninjas, sneakily find their way to a soft piece of skin tissue, mostly undetected. When they found a suitable spot, they quickly latch onto the skin with their specialized mouthparts and use a barbed feeding tube to penetrate it and begin drawing blood. They then secrete a cement-like substance called "cementum" around their mouthparts, which helps to anchor it firmly in place. They are so tiny that when they are hidden well enough and you missed that spot, it sometimes can take several days before they are noticed, when their ugly body has grown thicker after sucking so much blood. Nope, I didn't see any ticks yet this season, but rest assured, they are there. Also didn't see any other human being, climber nor hiker, in that beautiful isolated spot in Mare aux Corneilles where I was. I had peace and quiet the whole long Easter weekend, it was a great success.
Fontainebleau - Mare aux Corneilles - Climat-Tique 7A+
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