I would get this vaccine yesterday if it were available.

Shit, if I were planning on spending a lot of time in the woods (like, more than I already do), I would go to a vet and see if they would give me the one that's for dogs. Untreated Lyme messes people up.

A whole bunch of people I knew who thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2010 got Lyme. I did not get it, but I don't think I was appreciably more cautious than the people I directly knew who did. Part of what makes Lyme scary is the randomness of who gets it and how easy it is to not know you've contracted it.

Fortunately, hikers are at least generally aware that it's a possibility and know to seek treatment for it specifically. Awareness in the general population is probably still much lower.

P.S. Hello from WRJ, VT, fellow New Englander!