I've found that hiking at higher altitudes reduces the risk of encountering ticks. Avoiding drier areas with lots of shrubs such as manzanita also helps. Checking yourself and your partner for ticks frequently will catch them before they attach. I avoid using chemicals such as permethrin or deet when possible and usually use Lemon Eucalyptus by Repel for mosquitos and seems like it may help with ticks although I wouldn't rely on it for that purpose. Before the days of lyme disease in the West I used to come home on occasion and pull 2 or 3 embedded ticks off my body without real concern. Now, using some sensible steps I've had only a couple of ticks within the last few years. Removing a tick as soon as possible after it's attached will reduce the risk of lyme disease. According to the CDC, removing a tick within 24 hours results in only a very small risk of lyme disease.