POISON IVY

Poison Ivy - photo from Poison-Ivy.org

Poison Ivy is endemic to the Ottawa Valley and anyone paddling our waterways will be guaranteed to come across it as it particularly likes shorelines and damp areas. I’m so accustomed to seeing it that I naturally check when landing my boat, walking along portages, or dumping gear on the ground. Some poison ivy plants are quite innocuous and others have vicious amounts of the toxic oil coating the leaves, stems & roots… so… I keep well away from it all! Some years I’ve absent-mindedly sat in thick poisin-ivy patches and survived unscathed: other years just getting downwind of it gave me intensely itchy rashes… so… I keep well away from it all - all the time!

You do not necessarily have to come in direct contact to get it: the  plant oil can get on your pack, canoe, clothes or even your dog and subsequently transfer to your skin.

It is well worth learning to identify it, which is not simple, as it can look quite different, depending on where it grows. This site has a fantastic range of excellent photographs:

http://www.poison-ivy.org/index.htm

One very basic rule of thumb is “Leaves of three; let it be!”  This rule could scare you off all the other 3-leaved plants though, so learning to recognize poison ivy is highly recommended. The rash photographs on this site are obviously chosen for their shock value (don’t click if you’re squeamish).  I’ve never seen anything so bad, but friends have had to take prescription oral corticosteroids (which can have side effects) to control a bad outbreak; another friend almost had to miss the trip of a lifetime on the Nahanni because of a bad outbreak: she did the trip, but her first week was miserable. I posted this a few years ago and hope to not have to repeat the story:

“In spite of warnings from the YCCC Trip Leaders of the WW Beginner group who ran the Lower Madawaska River this past Sunday, some of us were so intent on our river reading skills that we absent-mindedly tramped through a poison ivy patch or two, and are presently suffering the consequences...  In order to avoid this noxious flora, all canoeists should make themselves familiar with it.”

 If you come in contact with it or do get it, follow directions on this link:

http://www.poison-ivy.org/html/faq.htm

If you realize you’ve just walked through it, cold soapy water might wash the oil off or jewelweed juice might neutralize it. If you get itchy red patches and small blisters after exposure, we recommend calamine lotion, jewelweed, or hydrocortisone cream to control the itch. If you can't control the itch or the blisters are open and weeping, see your doctor right away.

In the woods, a really good antidote is jewelweed, which is very common and grows in the same damp areas as poison ivy. It particularly likes beaver dams. You break the stem, squeeze out the juice, and smear it over all irritated skin. It is amazingly soothing and is better for your skin (somewhat similar to aloe vera) than hydrocortisone. To learn to identify Jewelweed, see this site:

http://altnature.com/jewelweed.htm

Jewelweed - photo from FreeHerbPictures.com

Happy Canoe Camping to All!