So I was on the NorCal MRBR forum this morning and saw a few pages about poison oak. We all know it is out there. We all (well most of us) know it sucks when we react to it. The season is here. Educate yourself. Protect yourself. Help others out. Here is a photo of the beast. It sure is deceiving! This next photo was stolen from the NorCal forum on MTBR, but you get the reason for using it. Be careful out there!!!! There are products out there that can be used before you ride and after you get infected with it. Long sleeve shirts and leg covers work great, but be sure to take them off carefully and wash them right away. Personally, I use Simple Green in the washer when I put my PO'ed clothes in. Keep your hands away from your face when riding through it. The oils can get on your gloves. Good luck everyone and HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!! :drunk:
One thing I've learned (the hard way) is that you don't just have to worry about the poison oak you see on the trail. We all know - or should know - that the oils that carry the stuff that messes you up can be transferred to your clothes causing a later contact issue. But knowing that the oils can transfer, keep in mind that anything you touch on a trail near the PO can get you. In one instance, a mile or so past where there was PO on the trail, which I was very careful to avoid, I remember my arm hitting a branch of a tree. Well...apparently I wasn't the only one to hit that branch. Someone else, who contacted the PO hit that branch as well, transferring the oils. When I hit the branch, the oils got on my arm, and I didn't think about it...until a few days later when the rash broke out. The moral of this story is that if there is PO anywhere on the trail avoid touching EVERYTHING! When doing rides around PO, I usually carry - or rush to buy - rubbing alcohol to clean all potential contact areas. If in a pinch, other than alcohol, anything that can break down oils will work: acetone, denatured alcohol, lacquer thinner, etc. Yeah, it may dry your skin, but it beats the alternative of a rash!
After looking at the photos more closely, it looks like the arm belongs to a woman? Not hair, not arm pit hair either. Oh my! That would just SUCK!!!
My solution works best. Abstinence. I never ride where poison oak is present during the spring and early summer. SJT is a notorious spot for this evil. Wait til late summer, fall, winter and ride those spots. Off to ATT, nice, dry, desert...
I found the naked stems of the dormant PO to be the most infective. Maybe its just cause I don't pay as much attention.
I keep baby wipes and tecnu in my car for wiping down after rides. Just to reinforce the idea about being careful what you touch after riding through PO, remember to be extra careful when going pee pee. A rider who shall remain nameless forgot this important fact and got some blisters in a painful spot :lol:
I wear soccer-style socks to cover up my calves, knee guards, and frequently long-sleeve shirts mainly to avoid poison oak. Gets hot during summer though. And wash everything after a ride. It might just be my luck, but every time I go Santiago Oaks, I seem to get poison oak. PS Try to avoid touching your face during the ride. My brother got some below his eyes from his gloves.
One more thing to mention - there is no such thing as immunity to poison oak. Some people may not have developed severe reaction to poison oak yet. But reaction develops over time with repeated exposure. If you think you "don't get it", follow all precautionary measures and _never_ "test" for reaction. I think I'm one of such people but still avoid poison oak at any cost.
FYI, I once got PO through a long sleeve jersey! I barely touched it, and the oils soaked through the jersey. I HATE PO!!!!
Tom, It is called Ivy Block. It is a lotion (like sunscreen.) It appears white in color once dried. I think that is why most people don't use it. Not funny Craig. It happened to me as well. I got it on my gloves on Chiquita a few years ago. Later on the ride (during the climb) I had to wipe my eyes from the sweat. #-o Then even later I had to pee. Lets just say I learned a very important lesson.... always take off your gloves when you pee. ALWAYS!!!!!
Po my leg looked like the red area of that dudes arm!..I didn't quite have the bubbling blisters... PO not good It'll stay with you for 1-2 weeks and annoy the [email protected] of out you.... ...... I got it while riding down "El Prieto" in the spring time.. that place is full of PO... I now wear full clothing and wash with antiPo soap! :wave:
What if on the planet earth the only plant that grew and mass invassive and turned into PO jungles! What would it be like then! no trees just Oak! actually El prieto is starting to look like that!
