Poison Ivy

Poison ivy is not so fun, each of the last two summers I have had nasty bouts of it. For the longest time it seemed I was immune to the oils from the shrouded plant. I never seemed to get the itchy sensation or the bumps on my skin, or even the puss oozing pustules. However an irritating read bumpy rash one summer seemed to signal the end of my free pass. People can be susceptible to poison ivy then all of a sudden seem to not have any issues, or they could seemingly be immune to it than be come more sensitive to its oils. At any given moment about 15% of people are not sensitive to the poisonous oils, whereas 85% are.

Some common symptoms of a poison ivy rash can be a small itchy irritation to begin with that eventually expands and grows, and in my case, until it has wholly consumed the left leg from the top of the ankle to the back of the knee. A rash will show and many minute bumps could develop on the affected skin. Sometimes theses bumps can turn into blisters, which oftentimes burst and secret a puss like liquid, that in my experience tends to worsen the rash and spread the oil.

The criminal in this case isn’t the plant itself, but the oils that are apart of it. Urushiol oils is the ring leader and is also found in poison sumac and poison oak. Only humans and some other primates are allergic to the oil. Often times animals such as deer can be spotted eating plants containing urushiol oil. The oil seeps into a person’s skin and begins to fester. If you think you may have had contact with poison ivy do not take a comforting warm shower to rinse off the oil. Instead rinse off the suspected areas with ice-cold water, the sooner the better. There are some special soaps on the market that can help remove the oils, they usually can be found at a drug store or a supermarket. After an hour the oils tends to be deeply entrenched into your skin. If you didn’t get washed off in time and the itch is starting to begin, take the hottest shower possible for as long as possible and this should reduce the irritation. There are many cremes to apply to areas with irritation, but if the rash spreads wildly or is unbearable consulting a physician would be a good option.

Poison ivy can be hard to spot for the untrained eye and easy to rub up against even for those who have an idea of what it looks like. The plant itself can be a small leafy green on the forest floor, it can take a shrub like appearance and look like a bush, or it can even become a leafy green vine snaking up a tree. The way to identify it is to look at the leaves of the plant. Poison ivy is most often green but can have hues and shades of red and purple as well, that is why I suggest committing the shape to memory. The leaf shape is a cluster of three leaves on one central stem with a leaf shape of a mitten. On either the right or left side you should see a small indentation that is not shown as strongly on the other side. This creates the mitten like shape we all should avoid. The center leaf may be more symmetrical in appearance, but the leafs on either side will have a thumb protruding out on the side not adjacent to another leaf.

 

A Shocking Issue

Spring has sprung where I’m from and currently I’m listening to the crack and boom of lightning as a thundercloud diligently charges overhead. Lightning can be an awesome sight to see from afar but not one to witness up close. Supposedly we know what to do when it comes to visit when we are at home or in town, but what if it comes upon us in the back-country?

Direct strikes rarely occur and cause a minuscule proportion of the lightning related fatalities or injuries. Instead the ground current tends to be the culprit of the issues. Ground current can travel quite a ways from a direct strike, but distance varies on the grounds composition and moisture level. The danger occurs with the potential voltage difference between two points of contact (namely your feet). The difference causes a charge to surge through you. This causes problems.

First off, get off the freeking mountain. As you more than likely know, lightning tends to strike the tallest thing. If you’re on top of a mountain or ridge-line, guess what is the tallest thing around. Try to plan your ascent and decent so as to avoid the risk of an overly electrifying experience. In the Rocky Mountains a storm typically occurs in the late morning to mid-afternoon. Because of this many climbers, hikers, and mountaineers tend to rise in the wee hours of the morning to mitigate the risk of a strike.

If you are on top of the mountain or in an open savanna, tundra, or prairie do not cower beneath the only tree. Be it sapling or ponderosa pine. This will simply make you and/or your party a more tempting target to zap. The principle it the same as using an umbrella in a lightning storm, or putting a metal rod on top of a building. The extending object provides a path for the electricity to follow. On a building this prevents the lightning from interfering with sensitive electronics or starting a fire. With the lonesome tree or umbrella, this lets the lightning get closer and make contact with your person. Instead, if possible descend the mountain further or find the nearest substantial forest to shelter amongst the trees. This diversifies the risk and makes the chance less likely you will be struck.

If that isn’t an option, find a low-lying ditch, crevasse, or riverbed. The issue with these sub-par options is the common compliment to lightning. Rain, which tends to swell rivers, flood ditches, and make rocky crevasses particularly slippery. So not only do you have to fear the bust of blinding light, but the possible torrent of a flash-flood, or the hypothermia that water can help induce.

Lastly if all else fails get in the lightning position. This entails crouching down and pulling your knees toward your chest. Some stay in this precarious position but most do sit on their rump. It can become very uncomfortable after a time, and some people I  happen to know have become so stiff they needed help getting out of the position.

You are never completely safe from a bolt, but the advice above can help you avoid the worst and minimize the chance of one finding you.

 

Thermal Burns

Someone asked me about burns and what to do if you get one while in the woods. Well it depends on the size of one. Small one (which I have gotten on may trips) are nothing to really worry about. Just wash it out with clean water and then apply a loose dry dressing and some antibiotic ointment. regularly redress it as needed.

However for burns larger that the palm of your hand those will most likely require and evacuation. They my need will require plenty of cold clean water to irrigate the wound and cool it off. Even though thermal burn may happen because of a split second if contact with something of a high temperature it will continue to slowly burn a person for hours unless it is cooled down in a rapid and effective manner.

Then once the burn is cooled down and cleaned, a large loose fitting and dry dressing can be applied, along with antibiotic ointment. What actually creates most of the pain a burn victim suffers is oxygen coming in contact with the burnt nerve cells. If some plastic can be applied to the wound in a comfortable and unrestrictive manner this can cut down on the pain the person suffers. Remember to continue to clean and apply new dressings to the burn as needed.

Once the patient is dealt with the group must consider their options. Can they quickly and safely transport the person themselves, if not how do the contact the proper personnel to aid them.Before embarking on an endeavor, have a plan for contacting others in the event the group may need help.