[pct-l] Poison Oak/Ivy & Poodle-Dog Bush on the PCT

[Melissa Cappetti]

+1 to Dan's questions (+1 in Google language means I'm curious too)


On Wed, Mar 13, 2013 at 3:43 PM, Dan Engleman <danengleman at yahoo.com> wrote:

> I got to experience the joys of poodledog bush rash, in 2011.  I was
> pretty careful on the trail.  I knew what it looked like.  I was well aware
> of poodle dog bushes, poison oak and ivy.  It can feel like a bit of an
> obstacle course, at times, but I felt like I was doing a pretty good job of
> being careful, that is until I left Hikertown.  It seemed like I got
> exposed to the poodledog scourge, while I was at Hikertown!  It is possible
> that I was exposed shortly before I got there.  There was another hiker at
> Hikertown, with poodle rash, when I got there.
>
> I always wondered if I somehow got exposed to the poodledog "stuff" from
> the washing machine, or maybe one of the couches at Hikertown (not even
> sure if that is possible)?  What ever the case, mine emerged at my sock
> line and before it was all over my entire calfs were all rashed out. It is
> very unpleasant to say the least.  It tried to treat it, but I think time
> is what healed it (about 2 weeks).
>
> It would be intersting to know if any of the PCT-Lers have any idea if
> you can get the rash from someone elses hiker duds, or from a washer.  I
> use a cold setting when I wash my clothes, so maybe that made me
> more vulnerable?
>
> Dan
>
>    *From:* Eric Lee <saintgimp at hotmail.com>
> *To:* 'Melissa Cappetti' <melissa.cappetti at gmail.com>; "'
> pct-l at backcountry.net'" <Pct-L at backcountry.net>
> *Sent:* Wednesday, March 13, 2013 12:52 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [pct-l] Poison Oak/Ivy & Poodle-Dog Bush on the PCT
>
> Melissa wrote:
> >
> I was hoping to get some pointers on how bad the Poison Oak/Ivy situation
> is
> along the PCT and I've heard that there is another plant to avoid as well
> [Poodle-Dog Bush (Turricula)].  I'm very allergic to Poison Oak and don't
> want to learn on the PCT what kind of reaction I could have with the
> infamous Poodle-Dog bush either.
> >
>
> I haven't encountered Poodle Dog bush myself but I've heard that some
> people
> can react to it even more violently than to poison oak.  I have no idea if
> a
> strong susceptibility to Poison Oak also indicates a strong susceptibility
> to Poodle Dog - I guess it depends on whether they share the same
> underlying
> chemical base.  Maybe someone else can speak to that.
>
> There can be a fair amount of Poison Oak on some sections of the PCT,
> mostly
> in California, at elevations below 4,000 feet or so.  There might be some
> in
> southern Oregon but I don't think there's any in Washington (based on
> memory, could be wrong).  How much of a hassle it is depends on how
> recently
> a maintenance crew has gone through and cut it back.  I don't think there
> is
> poison ivy anywhere on the PCT.
>
> If you react poorly to Poison Oak then I'd strongly recommend wearing long
> pants and a long-sleeved shirt in any area where you might conceivably see
> it.  You then have to worry about oils on your clothes but at least it's
> not
> going straight onto your skin.  You should also carry hiking poles if you
> don't already because they're useful for bending aside branches that are
> encroaching into the trail.  Again you have to worry about touching the
> poles afterwards but it's better than nothing.
>
> I've heard good things about Zanfel for treating Poison Oak exposure.  It's
> expensive but is supposed to work well.  I'm not very sensitive to Poison
> Oak myself so I've never had to try it.
>
> One thing to be aware of is that there are a couple of other common plants
> along the PCT that look kind of like Poison Oak to the untrained eye.  Some
> people get it confused with Squaw Bush, and of course Poison Oak often
> grows
> in the same place that regular oak trees grow.  The oak tree saplings can
> really freak you out until you learn to tell the difference.  If you think
> that every oak tree sapling along the trail is Poison Oak you're going to
> get pretty exhausted with all the gyrating.  The good news is that once you
> see actual Poison Oak and study it for a bit, you'll get pretty good at
> scanning the trail and knowing when to be worried and when not to be.  The
> leaves really are pretty distinctive.
>
> Diane has a great slideshow of Poison Oak at
> http://www.santabarbarahikes.com/gorp/poisonoak/ if you want to examine
> them.
>
> Eric
>
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