Return of an emeny

It's baaaack!
For 37 years I thought I was immune to the effects of poison ivy. Every summer, my sister and I would go to a kids' camp in the Missouri Ozarks. She would return with a bad case, itchy, blistered and miserable. Me? Not a rash or a blister. Our family camped and hiked through dozens of National Parks, canoed on the Jack's Fork every summer....and still...no reaction. I continued hiking as an adult, in and out of the forest often. I never worried about it and took absolutely no precautions.

And then, I started letterboxing (and going off trail). Somehow, I am assuming from repeated exposure, I developed a sensitivity. The first time was a big shock as it took me a while to figure out what the rash on my legs was. I've had it a few times since then. Recent news reports of the fact that Poison Ivy is becoming more potent have filled me with dread.

Last summer was the worst. I wanted to get a box hidden in a log completely covered in PI vine. I was by myself, so I used a stick to remove the box, and one to put it back. But, probably the box itself was coated with urushiol. Anyway, I washed my hands when I got home, but I hadn't realized that I had touched the back of my head. The ensuing rash all over the back of my scalp and neck left me itchy and miserable for weeks (I wore pigtails to try and keep air on the scalp). I didn't letterbox for the bulk of the summer.

This year's version is mild, mainly limited to my right forearm (can you see me reaching down to get the box and brushing a plant? ). Thanks to liberal applications of my friends tecnu, zanfel, ice and calamine, the itch is down to a dull roar. And as it is so localized, I am far from miserable, mainly just irritated and trying hard to remember not to scratch.

Poison ivy can spring up quickly, and a previously free area can become a dense patch during the summer. As a result, I've been known to give up on a box and plan to return during the more-dormant winter instead. However, a lot of planters were like my old self, and don't know how to recognize it. Do me a favor, and visit this site...learn to avoid the leaves of three when you're planting!

In some ways, this noxious plant is kind of fascinating. It's quite simply amazing how different poison ivy plants manifest such different looks, depending on the season, the climate and the plant variation. In Houston, we have lots of vines on the trees. A great rule to remember about vines: if it's hairy, it's scary! Even in the winter...a tree hosting a vine with lots of exposed roots (resembling a shaggy beard) should be avoided.

In the meantime, pass the calydryl!