[pct-l] Poison Oak experience

[happyjoonthecdt@yahoo.com (Happy JO)]

--
[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]

Having had a terrible record with poison oak in the past, including being f=
orced to visit an ER during a trek on the JMT in '99.  I carried the prescr=
iption topical steriod cream, Fluocinonide, while on the PCT this year.  It=
 came in handy in the overgrown-oak sections in northern California.  Appli=
ed to an inflammed area, it quelled any further itching/rash.  A swing by y=
our doctor before a trek on the PCT is a good idea if you are sensitive to =
these things.
Owen

 Karen Borski <kborski@yahoo.com> wrote:I got a poison oak rash so bad that=
 I had to bail off
the trail at Kennedy Meadows to be treated at the
hospital in Ridgecrest. I saw a few other people the
year I hiked who had a rash, but mine seemed to start
slow and escalate until it was spreading inside my
mouth, eyes and nose. Very painful and severe with
toe to head layer-upon-layer blisters. A strong dose
of steroids cleared it up right away, but it was a
real downer to have to spend the time and money to get
the help I needed.

I saw a bit of it in Southern California that year,
but I never did remember getting close to it. I
hypothesize that a dog that was lying on my sleeping
bag at a trail angel's house might have carried it in
from outdoors, then spread the plant juices all over
my bag, causing me to be exposed to it over a long
duration. I've never been overly sensitive to poison
oak or ivy and that would explain why it got so out of
hand for me. Anyhow, I think my case was unusual.

But, if you are sensitive, be careful. It is out
there in southern California. It often grows in the
form of a small shrub, and I saw a lot of it in the
wet/creek areas along the PCT.

Nocona

__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now.
http://mailplus.yahoo.com
_______________________________________________
PCT-L mailing list
PCT-L@mailman.backcountry.net
http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l


---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now