and that is one reason why I just hike the Cascades. No poison oak or poison ivy, no malaria. I only have to be concerned about cougars and predatory people. :) And the cougar attacks around here are only on runners and bikers, which triggers their predatory response of bringing down the swift prey. Big, lumbering guys like me are left alone.
Are you familiar with the book “Bitten” by Chris Newby regarding Lyme disease and the weaponization of the bacteria borne ticks?
No. Weaponized organisms is an aspect of this, for sure. There is little risk of Lyme disease where I live:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease#United_States
and that is one reason why I just hike the Cascades. No poison oak or poison ivy, no malaria. I only have to be concerned about cougars and predatory people. :) And the cougar attacks around here are only on runners and bikers, which triggers their predatory response of bringing down the swift prey. Big, lumbering guys like me are left alone.