[pct-l] Poison Oak

[leo-spencer at comcast.net (leo-spencer@comcast.net)]

I was very alergic to poison oak as a child. Once caught It would spread across my body including sensitive areas and would torment me for  weeks. As a teenager I developed a resistance that more or less has lasted through my adult life. Obtaining that resistance was a story that even now causes me to shake my head in wonder. 
A bunch of us teenagers were camping in and around a poison oak infested section of Big Sur Calif. We did this to preserve our privacy as we had illicitely obtained several jugs of wine and being underage wanted to party without being disturbed.  I drank way too much and early on climbed into my sleeping bag wearing only swimming trunks and fell into a drunken stupor. Later that night I stumbled out of the bag to answer natures call. 
I was still drunk enough that after doing my business I layed down in the midst of a poison oak patch and there I spent the night.  Early the next morning I woke up cold, stiff, still drunk and naked.  My friends? had removed my swim trunks and that was how I spent the night.  

I have never had poison oak since that massive exposure, but would not recommend acquiring immunity the way that I did.

Still shaking my head,

Leo.
 From dsaufley at sprynet.com  Wed Mar  2 22:28:47 2005
From: dsaufley at sprynet.com (dsaufley@sprynet.com)
Date: Wed Mar  2 22:40:31 2005
Subject: [pct-l] The Twin Hershey Bars
Message-ID: <26438088.1109824128367.JavaMail.root@wamui03.slb.atl.earthlink.net>

We've hosted a few dedicated raw fooders.  The Boutenkos, a Russian family hiking with three children, wound up staying with us for a week when big storms hit in '98.  They taught us about raw foodism, and we ate "their" way for the week they were with us.  It was extremely interesting.  They also gathered greens along the way.  We live in a salad bowl, I came to learn.  It certainly helped that it was a wet year and there was abundant tender growth for them (it isn't the case every year).  

The grains you mention are soaked, achieving the same end but of course taking longer than cooking.  They told me that nuts, once soaked overnight, are significantly more nutritious than nuts eaten raw.  Great source of calories and protein.

One of their staples was actually quite delicious and hearty.  They mixed oats, chopped fresh greens such as miner's lettuce, added water, and seasoned with granulated kelp.  I would have sworn it was tuna salad.  Anyway, they weren't hurting for calories in the slightest.   

-=Donna Saufley=-

-----Original Message-----
From: Matt Bradley <bodhisattvavow@hotmail.com>
Sent: Feb 28, 2005 11:54 AM
To: PCT-L <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Subject: Re: [pct-l] The Twin Hershey Bars

""No cook food" and "raw food" are not necessarily the same
thing. (The former is fairly straightforward for
thru-hikers, the latter considerably more difficult to do in
a "pure" form.)"


I was specifically referring to the raw food diet that Coup used on his
hikes.  His diet consisted of dried fruits and raw nuts and kelp, all are
actually raw foods.  While I believe that there are many advantages to raw
foods, as with anything blind dedication to a principle can cause someone to
overlook reality.  Take for instance the recent Low carb diet craze.  While
it is healthy to limit one's intake of sugar and refined carbs, completely
removing high-carb foods such as fruit and whole grains makes no sense at
all.  In the case of raw foods, the philosophy overlooks the fact that many
foods that are very healthy can't easily be eaten raw.  Once again whole
grains come to mind, as well as some of our best forage, such as stinging
nettles.  Choose your own food (CYOF?)
Peace and Love,
Matt
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