Scaring people away from hiking is not a reasonable response. Yes ticks exist, but you are over reacting.

OP is asking how to meet friends and you respond by fear mongering about ticks? Have you met a single person negatively impacted with Lyme disease?

I hike every week and in my group are a Berkeley professor epidemiologist and one of Kaisers teaching doctors who happens to specialize in endocrinology. The MDs and us talk about medical issues from Lyme all the time and the dogs occasionally get ticks.

If you pay even the slightest bit of attention the risks are truely minimal.

Respect the OP and what they are asking about and not your own personal fears and issues.