Fence-SF Choprock [sick?]

I’m super sensitive to urushiol. So sensitive, that sometimes all I have to do is look at it for too long, and I’ll catch it!   The worst urushiol induced rash I ever had – I almost ended up in the hospital. I was hiking with some friends in winter (not in DH but in the San Gabriel’s where it’s rampant) and someone had picked up a longish passenger twig in their shoe. So they’re hiking along with this stick hanging out out of their shoe, which is pretty funny. So I grab it and start poking him in the head with it, thinking I’m being funny. Then I start tapping my daughter on the shoulder and just generally playing around and being obnoxious with the stick. Unbeknown st to me, that stupid stick was poison oak! I ended up catching the worst rash ever – on my face, my arms, my neck & hands. My eyes swelled shut, and I had to take steroid treatments to get rid of it. Luckily – neither my daughter, nor my friend caught it. I would have felt really terrible!   I know everyone has a remedy – but I haven’t caught in years since I started using Technu soap like a lotion before the hike, and bathe with it afterward. It was recommended by a Mouton biker friend who used to catch it all the time, and never had a problem once he started using Technu. It works really well for me too. One thing you have to remember to do is to quarantine any infected clothes and wash them right away.   Urusiol haters of the world unite! Add Technu to your arsenal of weapons against the unsightly-nasty-itchy-ickyness of Urusiol and you will win the fight! Hmmmm…I wonder if the makers of Technu would give me a kick-back for this endorsement? :0)

— On Thu, 5/12/11, Pete Chatelain echopete@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: Pete Chatelain echopete@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [from Canyons Group] Re: Fence-SF Choprock [sick?] To: “Yahoo Canyons Group” Date: Thursday, May 12, 2011, 7:28 AM

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Ivy is curious, vicious unpredictable stuff. I’ve been going into death hollow since 73. Didn’t realize there was any ivy in there till about the mid nineties. I had taken numerous scout groups in, usually early to mid April before it is leafed out. Had camped in the same spots, done the same things without ever having evidence of exposure. Then after a trip about half of us broke out bad a week later. Eventually we figured out what it was. Kept going back( who could stay away from death hollow?) recognized the woody stalks, avoided like the plague, and still have widely variable reactions. Some guys practically roll in it without effect, other guys wear gloves, long pants and fastidiously avoid anything resembling ivy and get full body outbreaks. I think there are varying degrees of allergic reaction, anybody/antigen type mechanisms and who knows What else. Bottom line is it can make you miserable for days/weeks after the fun of the canyon. And everybody knows a different treatment/cure for exposure, which work with variable success Pete

Sent by a mechanism similar to a little cat’s feet

On May 12, 2011, at 8:02 AM, scott patterson kesscokim@yahoo.com> wrote:

Now that you mention it, I vaguely remember getting sick afterwards last time I camped at Fence Canyon too. We filtered our water both times.

It could be a coincidence or something chemical?

— On Wed, 5/11/11, chris chraud@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: chris chraud@yahoo.com

Subject: [from Canyons Group] Re: Poison Ivy (SF Choprock, Neon) > To: Yahoo Canyons Group

Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2011, 7:48 PM

For the stomach problem, it could have been something in the water, Scott. I’ve been suffering a bit over the last couple of days, but have blamed it on a combination of too many Clif bars and the poor choice of a gas station chicken salad sandwich. No PI reaction on my part (but we know that doesn’t mean much with me)

Chris

— In Yahoo Canyons Group, scott patterson wrote:

I first heard of SF Choprock in the early 1990’s from an acquaintance and for years after I have avoided doing SF Choprock because I heard that there was poison ivy in there.  I finally did the canyon last week and it is probably my 2nd favorite canyon to date.

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The poison ivy was easy to avoid and in the sections of the canyon that did have poison ivy, we were wearing wetsuits.  There is some ivy below the falls, but I stayed a long way from it.

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Now I am apparently starting to get a poison ivy rash (usually it doesn’t get bad until a week or two after a trip).   It’s behind my knees.  How can this be? I never touched the stuff.

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I’ve have heard (from someone; I don’t remember from whom or where) that the oils can stay in the water.  Is this really true?     Even if it was true, could it really get through a wetsuit (not a shorty; a full one)?

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I am also home sick today from eating something on the way home.    It was such a good trip, but it’s the aftermath that seems to be wearing on me.  Just bad luck?

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