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

[Eric Lee]

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